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80 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2026 Your Assignment: Try One of These Four Prompts This Week Prompt 1: RFQ Clarification • Context: I work at a PCB fabrication shop, and I'm reviewing a new customer package for a multilayer rigid board. • Role: Act like a senior PCB fabrication product engineer. • Interview: Ask me questions one at a time before making recommendations. • Task: Based on the information I provide, summarize the board requirements and generate a list of clarification questions before quoting. This prompt works because it helps sales, engineering, quality, and operations all at once, and it reduces the odds that important ambiguity gets buried in email. Prompt 2: CAPA First Draft • Context: I'm a quality engineer in a PCB fabrication shop. I have rough notes from a defect investigation and a customer complaint. • Role: Act like an experienced PCB quality engineer familiar with CAPA and 8D structure. • Interview: Ask me for missing facts one at a time before drafting. • Task: Turn my notes into a structured first draft of a corrective action report. Clearly mark as- sumptions, missing information, and open questions. This prompt works because it turns scattered information into something usable without pretending the answer is finished. ment, chemistry, maintenance, material lots, or handling conditions align with the timing? AI can help build a disciplined investigation outline, so your team starts stronger. 4. Supplier Comparisons Buyers and engineers spend a lot of time compar- ing laminate options, chemistry notes, technical data, lead-time communication, change notices, and basic commercial differences. AI can organize this faster and often more clearly than we can by hand on a rushed Tuesday. That matters to more than procurement; better supplier comparisons improve risk visibility for engineering, operations, and leadership before a material or vendor deci- sion turns into a schedule problem. 5. Shift Handoffs and Production Summaries This one is more powerful than it sounds. A rough handoff can create a bad day for the next shift. AI can take shorthand notes and turn them into priori- ties, risks, open issues, and escalation items. That is not flashy. It is useful. 6. SOP Cleanup and Tribal Knowledge Capture Many fabs are full of instructions that exist partly in a binder and partly in someone's head. AI can help rewrite procedures into clearer language, identify steps that need clarification, and even help you interview your veterans so the real know-how becomes easier to document. That is a meaningful use of AI because it strengthens the organization without pretending the tool is the expert. A Simple Way to Prompt: CRIT In this series, I will be using a prompt structure called CRIT: • C is for Context: What kind of fab, role, or problem? • R is for Role: What expertise do you want the AI to bring to the conversation? • I is for Interview: Asking the AI to ask you questions one at a time before answering. • T is for Task: What output do you want?