This Prompt Engineering Cheat Sheet is designed to help and explain the basic component of Prompt Engineering. This Cheat Sheet will help you to draft an effective prompt.
As the evolution of AI and Gen AI Era starts the demand for a good and well-engineered prompt is high.
A prompt is nothing but the set of instructions that we give to LLM and explaining it, what is the context, how the LLM will assume the scenario, who will be the audience, what is the role of LLM, all these things.
Prompt engineering is the practice of designing clear, specific prompts to guide AI models toward producing useful, accurate, and creative responses.
Great prompts reduce misunderstandings and improve results—whether for automating business workflows, crafting content, or solving test cases.
Elements of an Effective Prompt
Use a combination of these to guide the AI for highly relevant, useful outputs.
| Component | Description | |
| 1 | Role/Persona | Describe who the AI should act as. (E.g., “You are a finance manager.”) |
| 2 | Context/Background | Share relevant details or a scenario (E.g., “Reviewing 2025 Q3 statements …”). |
| 3 | Instruction/Task | Clearly state the desired action. (E.g., “Summarize the company’s expenses…”) |
| 4 | Example(s) | Optionally provide sample input/output pairs to show expected format or depth. |
| 5 | Input Data | Any provided documents, problem statements, or figures to work on. |
| 6 | Constraints | Set requirements or limits (length, audience, output structure). |
| 7 | Output Indicator | Clarify the format (list, table, step-by-step, email template, etc.). |
| 8 | Audience | Specify who the response is for. (E.g., “For the executive team.”) |
Core Prompt Patterns (With Tips)
| Zero-shot | Directly state your task. Best for simple Q/A. |
| Few-shot | Show 1–3 samples—model follows the pattern. |
| Chain-of-thought | Ask AI to explain its logic step-by-step. |
| Role Play | Set an expert role for tone and reliability. |
| Structured/Explicit Format | Specify list, table, or sections. |
| Negative Constraint | Say what to avoid (“Do not use”) |
Download in Prompt Engineering Cheat Sheet PDF
50 Real-Life Example Prompts
Prompt Engineering for HR
- Role: HR manager
Context: Onboarding remote employees next Monday
Instruction: Create a checklist for their first day
Constraint: Bullet points
Audience: Operations team - Role: HR tester
Context: Testing leave approval workflows
Instruction: List three test scenarios (including denial cases)
Audience: QA team - Role: Payroll officer
Context: Monthly payroll errors surfaced in audits
Instruction: Identify likely error causes and provide checks
Constraint: Numbered list - Role: Diversity officer
Context: Improving ratios in engineering
Instruction: Suggest two practical hiring policy changes
Constraint: One sentence each - Role: Employee relations lead
Context: Survey shows low morale among new hires
Instruction: Propose four actionable steps for HR
Constraint: Bullet points - Role: HR systems analyst
Context: Bulk upload of employee data
Instruction: List potential integrity issues to test
Constraint: Bullet points - Role: Recruiter
Context: Attracting senior sales talent
Instruction: Write a compelling job summary
Constraint: Maximum 50 words - Role: HRIS tester
Context: Reviewing new employee portal
Instruction: List four tasks’ employees should complete - Role: HR communications
Context: Annual performance reviews
Instruction: List three key reminders for managers - Role: HR compliance
Context: Offices in three countries
Instruction: List tests for local benefit law compliance
Prompt Engineering for Finance
- Role: Senior financial analyst
Context: Reviewing Q3 earning report
Instruction: Summarize the three biggest expense categories
Constraint: Bullet list - Role: Accountant
Context: International remittance workflow
Instruction: List compliance risks to test
Constraint: Table format - Role: Finance controller
Context: Month-end expense review
Instruction: Identify possible anomalies for investigation - Role: Auditor
Context: Startup financials
Instruction: List five steps for cash flow forecast - Role: Tax advisor
Context: India-US operations
Instruction: Compare corporate tax structures
Constraint: Bullet list - Role: Compliance reviewer
Context: Preparing for audit
Instruction: List documents needed for compliance check
Constraint: Numbered list - Role: Accounts receivable team
Context: Multiple overdue invoices
Instruction: Write a polite payment reminder email
Constraint: 80 words or less - Role: Payroll systems tester
Context: Employee bonus module
Instruction: Create edge test cases for bonus payout - Role: Internal controls lead
Context: All accounting is manual
Instruction: Identify three risks and suggest control steps - Role: Finance manager
Context: Material costs rising
Instruction: Model business impact with a short explanation
Prompt Engineering for Legal
- Role: Contract manager
Context: SaaS agreement review
Instruction: Extract five critical clauses for compliance
Constraint: Numbered list - Role: Data privacy officer
Context: GDPR audit
Instruction: Create a checklist of requirements
Constraint: Five items minimum - Role: Legal QA
Context: Automated clause extraction tool
Instruction: Create test cases (missing clause, extra, typo) - Role: Paralegal
Context: Comparing two contracts
Instruction: List main differences and their implications
Constraint: Table format - Role: Compliance specialist
Context: International vendor agreements
Instruction: List three compliance risks and how to test for them - Role: Litigation support
Context: Document discovery for lawsuit
Instruction: Extract all date references from sample docs - Role: Policy drafter
Context: New data sharing rule for healthcare
Instruction: List legal principles to address
Constraint: Bullet points - Role: Legal researcher
Context: State employment law changes
Instruction: Summarize main updates for HR
Constraint: Maximum 80 words - Role: Legal tech QA
Context: Smart contract validation
Instruction: Create prompt for three possible errors - Role: IP attorney
Context: Trademark protection for new logo
Instruction: List steps, in correct order
Constraint: Numbered list
Prompt Engineering for Product Management
- Role: Product manager
Context: Launching new analytics dashboard
Instruction: List five test cases for chart accuracy
Constraint: Bullet list - Role: UX researcher
Context: App onboarding flow update
Instruction: Suggest two positive and two negative test scenarios - Role: Product analyst
Context: Beta test of new feature
Instruction: Write three example bug reports - Role: Feature owner
Context: International users receive notifications
Instruction: Specify two edge cases about time zones - Role: Product manager
Context: Reviewing pricing A/B experiments
Instruction: Compare effects on conversions
Constraint: Summary under four sentences - Role: Growth lead
Context: Landing page test
Instruction: Draft feedback collection scenarios - Role: QA engineer
Context: Slack integration launch
Instruction: Suggest test flows for messages, edits, deletes - Role: Localization lead
Context: Releasing app in three languages
Instruction: List challenges and checks for translation - Role: Support analyst
Context: Updating AI chatbot
Instruction: Write three realistic user questions for testing - Role: Roadmap manager
Context: Prioritizing user feature requests
Instruction: Write template for tracking requests with fields: user, need, impact, priority
Prompt Engineering for Sales
- Role: Sales manager
Context: End-of-quarter period
Instruction: Draft short motivational email
Constraint: Under 70 words - Role: Sales operations analyst
Context: Cleaning CRM contacts
Instruction: List scenarios for duplicate detection - Role: Sales rep
Context: Key client not responding
Instruction: Write a polite follow-up message - Role: CRM QA tester
Context: Validating sales pipeline
Instruction: List deal progression test cases
Constraint: Numbered list - Role: Compensation administrator
Context: Incentive structure update
Instruction: Create payout validation cases - Role: Sales enablement coach
Context: Major feature launch
Instruction: Make client-facing feature cheat sheet - Role: Account executive
Context: Meeting prospect for first time
Instruction: List five open-ended discovery questions - Role: Sales analyst
Context: Outreach channels (email, WhatsApp)
Instruction: Describe scenarios for tracking communications - Role: Renewal specialist
Context: Contract renewals next month
Instruction: Draft friendly renewal reminder message - Role: Sales strategist
Context: Reviewing win/loss reasons data
Instruction: Suggest two actions using insights to improve sales cycle
These prompts are designed using all the essential components to generate concise, effective, accurate and creative content.
Mix and match these templates for any business area to get precise, useful responses from AI.
If you’d like even more personalized advice or examples for another industry, feel free to contact us.