Mastering prompt engineering across the software development lifecycle

About the workshop

In this hands-on workshop, you’ll discover how to:

• Use the right prompts, chat modes, and context files to unlock AI’s full potential.
• Apply AI to Domain Driven Development (DDD), Test Driven Development (TDD), and Specification Driven Development (SDD) - from story grooming to implementation.
• Generate smart tests, review code, spot smells, and enforce clean coding principles.
• Automate high-quality documentation effortlessly.

With guided exercises and proven prompt patterns, you’ll leave knowing how to turn AI assistants into true end-to-end productivity partners across the SDLC.

Agenda

Part 1: Foundations

Introduction & Framing (10 mins)

• Why AI assistants are more than autocomplete
• Prompt engineering vs context engineering
• What are prompts, chat modes and instruction files?
• Common pitfalls

Prompt Engineering - basics (15 mins)

• Structuring effective prompts (patterns: role, task, context, format)
• Breaking down multi-step requests into systematic flows
• When to use what model?

Hands-on (30 mins)

• Craft prompts for: design brainstorming, user story grooming, and writing acceptance criteria

Part 2 – Context & Instruction Design

Context Engineering (15 mins)

• How to provide the right background
• Working with context windows, instruction files

Hands-on (30 mins)

• Write your own instruction files to enforce coding style, documentation standards, or team-specific rules

Part 3 – Development & Testing with AI

AI in Development (20 mins)

• Pair programming with Copilot & chat modes
• Using AI as a reviewer and mentor
• Usage of MCP
• Pros and Cons of using AI here

Hands-on (60 mins)

• Implement a small feature with Copilot + your custom chat mode
• Use MCP to connect to GitHub/sequential thinking
• Write unit and end-to-end tests with prompt patterns
• Run reviews to detect code smells & enforce Clean Code / SOLID principles using a reviewer chat mode

Part 4 – Documentation & wrap-up

AI for documentation (10 mins)

• Generating API docs, architecture diagrams, and project wikis automatically

Hands-on 4 (10 mins)

• Generate documentation from your own code with structured prompts
• Experiment with AI-generated diagrams and usage examples

Wrap-up & next steps (10 mins)

• Best practices for adopting AI in teams
• When to use AI and when not to

Q&A and discussion (20 mins)

Prerequisites:

Participants must install the following software before attending the workshop

• GitHub Copilot (mandatory)
• VS Code
• Git & a GitHub account

Background knowledge required for participating in this workshop:

• Basic coding & testing familiarity
• Awareness of software design principles (Clean Code, SOLID, TDD helpful, not mandatory)

Key takeways

• Learn how to guide AI as a partner across design, coding, testing, and documentation.
• Discover prompt patterns and workflows that make AI a mentor, reviewer, and collaborator.
• Apply AI to enforce clean code, principles, and best practices for higher-quality software.
• Walk away with practical skills to use AI as a productivity and quality accelerator.

Target audience

• Developers and engineers looking to integrate AI into daily workflows.
• Tech leads and architects aiming to improve code quality and reviews.
• QA and testers exploring AI-driven automation.
• Product owners and engineering managers seeking to accelerate team productivity and quality.
• Anyone curious about using AI beyond autocomplete, as a true SDLC partner.

The workshop will be built on top of the concepts discussed from this talk: The Art of Pairing With AI

About the instructors

Akash Sathish is a Solution Consultant at Sahaj Software and a machine learning enthusiast with hands-on experience in AI-assisted solution delivery. He has delivered talks in collaboration with GitTogether, DeepLearning.AI and Intel. Known for his knack for storytelling, Akash enjoys breaking down complex concepts into simple, relatable insights and making advanced topics accessible to a wide range of audiences.

Swetha is a software developer and a GenAI enthusiast working as a Solution Consultant at Sahaj Software. She is passionate about building intelligent and smart systems that harness the power of deep learning and generative AI to solve real-world challenges. With hands-on experience in AI-driven projects and a research paper presented at the International Conference on Data Analytics and Management, Swetha brings a blend of curiosity, innovation, and technical depth to every problem she tackles.

Duration

This workshop is of 5 hours duration.

How to attend this workshop

This workshop is open for participation to The Fifth Elephant annual members.
This workshop is open to 40 participants only. Seats will be available on first-come-first-serve basis. 🎟️

Contact information ☎️

For inquiries about the workshop, contact +91-7676332020 or write to info@hasgeek.com