---
title: Claude as Your Automation Engine
summary: How to prompt Claude for consistent outputs, build a reusable prompt library, and embed it into daily workflows.
est_minutes: 18
sort: 3
---

#### LESSON 1: How to Prompt Claude for Consistent Business Outputs

Most people use Claude the same way they use a search engine. They type a question. They get an answer. They move on. This is the least powerful way to use the tool.

A prompt is not a question. It is a configuration. It sets up Claude with everything it needs to produce an output that matches your exact requirements — consistently, every time.

The difference between a good prompt and a bad one is not intelligence. It is structure.

**The Five-Component Prompt Framework**

Every high-performing prompt contains five components. You do not always need all five — but the more you include, the more consistent your outputs will be.

**Component 1: Role**

Tell Claude who it is in this context. Give it a specific persona with relevant expertise.

Weak: Write me a follow-up email.

Strong: You are a direct-response copywriter with 10 years of experience in home services sales.

**Component 2: Context**

Give Claude the background it needs to produce a relevant output. The more specific, the better.

Weak: The client hasn't responded.

Strong: A homeowner requested a roofing quote 3 days ago via our website form. They have not responded to our initial confirmation email. This is a follow-up attempt, not the first contact.

**Component 3: Task**

State exactly what you want Claude to produce. Be precise about format, length, and style.

Weak: Write a follow-up.

Strong: Write a 3-sentence follow-up email. No subject line needed. Conversational tone. No exclamation points. Create mild urgency without sounding desperate.

**Component 4: Constraints**

Tell Claude what to avoid. Constraints are as important as instructions — they prevent the most common failure modes.

Examples: Do not mention competitors. Do not use generic phrases like 'I hope this email finds you well.' Do not include pricing. Keep the output under 80 words.

**Component 5: Format**

Specify exactly how you want the output structured.

Examples: Return only the email body, no subject line. Format as three separate paragraphs. Include a header for each section. Return as a bulleted list.

**The Prompt Quality Test**

Before saving any prompt, run it through this four-question test.

1. Role: Could a stranger read this prompt and understand exactly what type of expert Claude should be acting as?
2. Context: Does this prompt contain enough specific background that Claude does not need to guess anything?
3. Task: Is the requested output so clearly defined that two different people reading it would produce the same deliverable?
4. Constraints: Have you specified at least two things Claude should not do?

If any answer is no — revise before saving.

**Prompt Building Exercise**

Build your first production prompt for your #1 automation priority from Module 2, using the five components. Capture each of these:

- Process being automated
- Role: who is Claude in this context (start with "You are a ...")
- Context: what does Claude need to know
- Task: exactly what to produce, including format, length, and style
- Constraints: at least three things Claude should not do
- Format: how the output should be structured

Then run the Prompt Quality Test and confirm each item before saving:

- Role is clear (revise if no)
- Context is sufficient (revise if no)
- Task is unambiguous (revise if no)
- Constraints are included (revise if no)

#### LESSON 2: Building Your Prompt Library and Templates

A single good prompt is useful. A library of tested, named, categorized prompt templates is a business asset that compounds in value over time.

The difference is documentation and structure. Every prompt in your library should be named, categorized, version-controlled, and linked to a specific business process.

**Prompt Library Structure**

Your prompt library lives in a Google Doc with this structure:

- Section 1: Lead Generation and Marketing Prompts
- Section 2: Lead Qualification and Sales Prompts
- Section 3: Client Onboarding Prompts
- Section 4: Client Delivery and Operations Prompts
- Section 5: Admin and Finance Prompts

For each prompt, document the following:

- Prompt Name: descriptive, searchable name
- Category: which functional area it belongs to
- Process: which specific process this prompt supports
- Version: v1, v2, etc., incremented when you revise
- Date last updated: keep this current
- Prompt text: full prompt, ready to copy and paste
- Notes: what works well, what to watch for, when to use

**Template Variables**

Reusable prompts use template variables — placeholders you swap out for each specific use. Always mark variables in brackets or ALL CAPS so they are easy to spot.

> You are a [INDUSTRY] copywriter. Write a follow-up email for a [LEAD TYPE] who has not responded in [NUMBER] days.

When using this prompt, you replace [INDUSTRY], [LEAD TYPE], and [NUMBER] with the specific values for that situation. The core structure stays identical — only the variables change.

This is how you get consistent outputs at volume. Same structure, different inputs.

**Prompt Library Build Exercise**

Build three prompt templates for your top three automation priorities from Module 2, using the library structure format. For each template, capture:

- Prompt Name
- Category
- Process it supports
- Version (v1) and Date
- Full prompt text
- Notes

#### LESSON 3: Integrating Claude Into Your Daily Workflow

Having Claude and using Claude are two different things. Most people who pay for a Claude subscription use it reactively — they remember it exists when they hit a difficult task. This is the lowest-value way to use the tool.

Operators integrate Claude into their standard operating procedures. Claude is not a backup option. It is a primary tool embedded into specific workflows, triggered by specific conditions, producing specific outputs.

**The Four Integration Patterns**

**Pattern 1: Pre-task Generation**

Before doing a recurring task, use Claude to generate the first draft, framework, or structure. You then refine and execute. This works for: email writing, proposal drafting, content creation, meeting agendas, SOPs.

Trigger: About to start [recurring task]. Open prompt library. Run prompt. Review output. Refine and use.

**Pattern 2: Post-task Summarization**

After completing a task or receiving information, use Claude to extract, summarize, or organize. This works for: meeting notes, client calls, long documents, research, feedback.

Trigger: Just completed [recurring task] or received [information]. Paste raw content into Claude. Run summarization prompt. Save structured output.

**Pattern 3: Decision Support**

Before making a recurring type of decision, use Claude to analyze options, identify risks, or structure your thinking. This works for: pricing decisions, vendor selection, content strategy, hiring criteria.

Trigger: Need to make [type of decision]. Run decision framework prompt. Use output to inform decision. Document outcome.

**Pattern 4: Communication Drafting**

Use Claude to draft any external-facing communication before sending. This works for: client emails, proposals, responses to complaints, marketing copy, social posts.

Trigger: Need to send [type of communication]. Run communication prompt. Review and personalize. Send.

**Building Your Integration Plan**

Identify which pattern applies to each of your top three automation priorities and define the exact trigger and workflow. For each of your three priorities, document:

- Process name
- Integration pattern: Pre-task Generation, Post-task Summarization, Decision Support, or Communication Drafting
- Trigger: what starts this workflow
- Claude step: what prompt runs and what happens to the output
- Review step: who reviews and what they check
- Output: what gets used and where

**Module 3 Completion Checklist**

Before taking the Module 3 Test, verify:

- Built and tested a prompt for Automation Priority #1 using the five-component framework
- Ran the Prompt Quality Test on every prompt, with all four questions answered yes
- Built three prompt templates using the prompt library structure
- Saved all three templates to a Google Doc prompt library
- Identified the integration pattern for each of the three priorities
- Documented the trigger, Claude step, review step, and output for each
