Prompting From Idea to Deployment
Here’s a comprehensive set of “magic prompts” tailored for each key stage of the agile software development process—leveraging use cases, vertical slices, ATDD/BDD best practices.
1. Feature Ideation & Use Case Definition
Prompt:
“Generate three innovative feature ideas for a mobile banking app that improve user engagement. For each idea, provide a concise use case description (who, what, why), the primary user persona, and the business value it delivers.”
2. Vertical Slice Definition
Prompt:
“For the selected feature ‘Instant Balance Preview,’ describe a vertical slice that can be delivered in one sprint. Break down the slice into front-end, back-end, and integration tasks. Specify what ‘done’ looks like for each layer.”
3. Acceptance Criteria & ATDD
Prompt:
“Write detailed acceptance criteria for the ‘Instant Balance Preview’ feature using the Given-When-Then format (ATDD). Ensure criteria cover edge cases (e.g., no internet connection, multiple accounts) and are testable.”
4. BDD Scenario Generation
Prompt:
“Create three BDD scenarios in Gherkin syntax for the ‘Instant Balance Preview’ feature. Include one positive flow and two negative flows (e.g., user not logged in, server error). Make scenarios clear enough for both developers and non-technical stakeholders.”
5. Task Breakdown & Estimation
Prompt:
“Break down the implementation of ‘Instant Balance Preview’ into actionable development tasks suitable for a two-week sprint. For each task, estimate effort in story points and identify dependencies or blockers.”
6. Code Generation & Documentation
Prompt:
“Write a React component that displays the user’s account balance with a loading spinner while fetching data from an API. Include clear inline comments and a brief README section explaining how to integrate this component into an existing app.”
7. Test Case Generation
Prompt:
“Generate five unit test cases in Jest for the ‘BalancePreview’ React component. Cover normal operation, loading state, error handling, and edge cases such as empty account data.”
8. Pull Request & Code Review Preparation
Prompt:
“Draft a pull request description for merging the ‘Instant Balance Preview’ feature branch into main. Summarize what was implemented, reference related tickets or user stories, list any known issues or limitations, and suggest specific areas for reviewer focus.”
9. Deployment Planning
Prompt:
“Outline a deployment plan for releasing ‘Instant Balance Preview’ to production with minimal risk. Include steps for staging/testing, rollback procedures, communication to stakeholders, and post-deployment monitoring.”
10. Retrospective & Continuous Improvement
Prompt:
“Facilitate a sprint retrospective focused on the delivery of ‘Instant Balance Preview.’ Ask team members to share what went well, what could be improved, and actionable suggestions for future sprints—especially regarding collaboration between developers and QA.”
Summary Table: Magic Prompts Across Agile Stages
| Agile Stage | Magic Prompt Example |
|---|---|
| Feature Ideation | 3 ideas + use case + persona + value |
| Vertical Slice | End-to-end slice breakdown + done criteria |
| Acceptance Criteria (ATDD) | Given/When/Then with edge cases |
| BDD Scenarios | 3 Gherkin scenarios: positive + negatives |
| Task Breakdown | Sprint-sized tasks + estimates + blockers |
| Code Generation | React component + comments + README |
| Test Cases | 5 Jest tests: normal + edge cases |
| Pull Request | PR summary + tickets + review focus |
| Deployment | Plan: staging + rollback + comms + monitoring |
| Retrospective | What went well/improve/actionable next steps |
How to Use These Prompts
- Copy/paste or adapt each prompt at the relevant stage of your agile process—whether working with AI tools or guiding your team discussions/documentation.
- Iterate! Small tweaks based on your context will further enhance results.
- Encourage your team to craft their own “magic prompts” as they become more familiar with this approach—prompt engineering is a skill that grows with practice!