Prompt framework course · 6 chapters · 17 min · certificate
ICIO and CIDI: Reusable Prompt Templates
Instruction, Context, Input, Output: separate what stays the same from what changes, and reuse prompts at scale.
What you'll learn
- Build a reusable ICIO or CIDI template for a repeated task
- Separate fixed instructions and context from changing input and output
- Mark input clearly with tags or delimiters to avoid confusion
- Define a strict output shape for spreadsheets and automations
- Test templates on twenty real inputs including messy data
- Move a working template into a spreadsheet, automation, or AI agent
Chapters
6 chapters · 17:24-
3:09
01Start here Members
The template idea
This lesson explains what a prompt framework is and introduces ICIO as a fill-in-the-slots structure where Instruction and Context stay fixed while Input and Output change each run.
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2:24
02Fixed Members
Instruction and Context: the fixed part
This lesson shows how to write the fixed half of a reusable prompt, the Instruction that names the job and the Context that holds the stable rules, so it can be tested once and reused.
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2:49
03Variable Members
Input and Output: the changing part
This lesson teaches you to mark the input data clearly with tags or delimiters, and to define a strict output shape so the result is usable in a spreadsheet or an automation.
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2:57
04Variant Members
CIDI: Context, Instructions, Details, Input
CIDI orders a prompt as Context, Instructions, Details, Input, holds formatting and constraints in Details, and is a twin of ICIO that teams should choose once and use consistently.
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2:47
05Scale it Members
From prompt to automation
This lesson shows how to move a working ICIO or CIDI template into a spreadsheet add-on, a no-code automation or an AI agent, after testing it on twenty real inputs and anchoring it with labelled examples.
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3:18
06Apply it Members
ICIO in your job
This lesson shows how to turn one repeated task from your own job into a reusable ICIO template, keeping the Input clearly marked and adding tone and audience when people read the output.
Study guide
ICIO and CIDI: Reusable Prompt Templates
If you find yourself rewriting the same prompt every time you need to classify an email, extract data from an invoice, or summarise meeting notes, you are wasting time. This course teaches you two simple frameworks, ICIO and CIDI, that turn one-off prompts into reusable templates. You will learn how to separate the parts that stay the same, like instructions and context, from the parts that change, like the input data and the output format. By the end, you will have a template you can test once and then run again and again with different inputs.
In the full study guide
- What is a prompt framework?
- The template idea: fixed versus changing parts
- Instruction and Context: the fixed half
- Input and Output: the changing half
- CIDI: Context, Instructions, Details, Input
- From prompt to automation
- ICIO in your job
- 5 frequently asked questions
Jobs this course suits
Our AI checked this course against 500 jobs; these get the most out of it. Each job links to its learning path.