Differentiate simple one-pass tasks from multi-pass workflows based on judgment load and job conflict.
Job conflict One job Many jobs Judgment load Low High Q1 High judgment + low conflict Try one pass first, but use few-shot, role, and XML carefully. Chain only if the reasoning still drifts. Q2 High judgment + high conflict Best prompt-chain territory: chain-of-thought exposes the passes, few-shot calibrates judgment, and XML handoffs keep them separate. Q3 Low judgment + low conflict Keep it simple. A role prompt and maybe examples are often enough. Q4 Low judgment + high conflict The task may still need a chain if multiple passes exist, even if each pass is not intellectually deep.
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