Loading patterns…
Iterative Refinement
Employs systematic multi-pass refinement where each iteration focuses on specific quality improvements, where a few passes usually capture most of the gains before diminishing returns - essential for content polish and code optimization
In 30 seconds
- What
- Runs multiple passes over content, each targeting specific improvements, until quality plateaus or criteria are met.
- When to use
- Content needs polish, code needs optimization, or output quality must exceed single-pass capability before delivery.
- Watch out
- Each pass costs tokens; stopping too early leaves gains on table, continuing too long wastes budget with minimal improvement.
Ask the AI expert about this pattern
Opens the assistant with your question prefilled. You review it before sending.
Iterative Refinement: Overview
Employs systematic multi-pass refinement where each iteration focuses on specific quality improvements, where a few passes usually capture most of the gains before diminishing returns - essential for content polish and code optimization
- Multi-cycle improvement process
- Quality assessment between iterations
- Incremental enhancement tracking
- Convergence criteria evaluation
Get the Prompt Chaining field guide
All 7 prompt chaining patterns condensed into one guide: which shape fits the work you have, what every extra link costs you, and when a longer chain makes things worse. The link arrives with your confirmation, alongside the weekly Agent Architect.
Weekly email, one-click unsubscribe. We only use your address to send the briefing.
References
The papers, specifications, and repositories this pattern is based on.
From the engineer behind this catalog
Get your agent architecture reviewed
This page documents one pattern. Your system runs dozens, and most failures live in how they fit together. Have the whole design reviewed against the 288 patterns in this catalog: architecture, reliability, evaluation and cost, every finding mapped to the pattern that fixes it.
€750 instead of €1,500, one week, written report and walkthrough call, until 30 September