Design the workflow before you write a prompt
A ten-step method for designing AI workflows, from splitting the work into steps to the hooks that keep agents in check.
A practitioner's guide · Edition 1.0
Building AI Applications
From Business Case to Production Agents
A complete framework for taking an AI application from idea to production, in 14 components: the business case, agent design, data, evaluation, interfaces, storage, deployment, security, monitoring, cost, fine-tuning and LLMOps. Every chapter comes with worked examples, decision tables and checklists.
- 172 pages
- 14 components
- 15 videos
Watch
The book in 30 seconds
Seven steps, fourteen components, and an application that keeps improving.
Inside the book
Fourteen components of production AI
Each component is a chapter, a short video and a blog post.
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01
Business case
Is AI the right tool, and is it worth it?
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02
Agent development
Design the workflow before you write a prompt.
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03
Data engineering
Trusted data in, before any model sees it.
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04
Testing & evals
Know that it works, and keep knowing.
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05
UI development
Interfaces people trust and can correct.
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06
Database & storage
The right store for every kind of data.
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07
App deployment
Ship the app anywhere, the same way.
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08
LLM deployment
Where the model runs, and why.
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09
Security & guardrails
Safe, compliant and in control.
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10
App monitoring
See every request, error and resource.
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11
Agent monitoring
See what the agent did, and why.
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12
Pricing & cost
Quality per euro, by design.
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13
Fine-tuning
When prompting is not enough.
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14
DevOps & LLMOps
Every change versioned, tested and reversible.
From the blog
Start here
Is AI the right tool? Start with the problem, not the model
Before choosing a model, define the problem, its cost and how you will know it worked. Many tasks are best solved with ordinary code.
Know that it works, and keep knowing
Golden datasets, graders and evaluation gates that turn "it looked fine in the demo" into measurable quality.
From ideas to actions
Get the full book with all 14 chapters, diagrams, checklists and worked examples.