Page 31 · Module 01, Think Like a Strategist · this screen continues that page
All 108 frameworksThe Refinement Loop
You get an AI output, it's okay but not quite right, and you don't know how to improve it
The prompt
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Pro tip, from the book
Use Step 2 as a standalone habit. After any important output- email, proposal, plan and ask AI 'What is the weakest part of this?' before you send it. Takes 10 seconds.
Who should run this prompt
Module role profileWho should reason through this problem? The quality of your thinking is shaped by whose lens you borrow. A strategist and a risk analyst look at the same problem and see completely different things — both useful, both necessary. Before you prompt, choose who you need in the room. These profiles give you six internal perspectives and four outside views that challenge your assumptions before you commit to them.
The roles below are who the book suggests running this prompt — this lesson’s prompt doesn’t open with a single swappable role clause, so pick one and adapt the prompt’s own wording yourself.
◆◆◆◆◆ → ◆ seniority, board level down to specialist◈ outside the organisation
How to make any role sharper
- Add years of experience: "...with 15 years in enterprise SaaS" produces different depth than just the title.
- Add what they care most about: "You care most about [X]" shapes every word of the output.
- Add their communication style: "Be direct. Flag risks first. No jargon." changes the tone entirely.
Use this when
The problem it solveswithout starting over. You move on, leaving quality on the table.
How the framework works
From the printed pageOne prompt almost never produces the best result. The Refinement Loop is a four-stage iteration: Draft (generate first version), Critique (ask AI what's weak), Improve (ask AI to fix those weaknesses), Lock (confirm the final version meets your goal). Each loop takes under 60 seconds. Most people stop at Draft. They get an output that is 70% right and move on leaving the best version unbuilt. The Critique step is the most underused: AI is surprisingly honest when asked to evaluate its own work, surfacing gaps you might not notice yourself. Two loops is almost always enough
The method, in four moves
Do these in orderGenerate your first draft with any reasonable prompt.
On the next prompt, ask AI to critique its own output specifically.
Ask AI to rewrite with those critiques applied.
Repeat once more if needed. Two loops is usually enough. Stop accepting the first output - iterate to excellence Most people run the critique step, get three weaknesses, fix them then stop. They skip Step 4 (Lock). That final check is where the last 10% of quality lives, and it's also where the error you didn't notice gets caught. Two loops takes four minutes. One loop leaves quality on the table.
Where the framework comes from
Iterative prompt design — design thinking principles applied to LLM workflows, 2023
Pairs well with
As printed with this frameworkModule 01 — Think Like a Strategist
Learn to work with AI. Then learn to think. Both are non-negotiable.
13 frameworks, printed on pages 22–47.
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