The board meeting at Global Consulting was in crisis mode. They had 72 hours to deliver a comprehensive digital transformation strategy for their biggest client—a 50,000-employee manufacturing company. The stakes: a $10 million contract.
"We need everything," the senior partner said, pacing the conference room. "Market analysis, competitor benchmarking, implementation roadmap, change management plan, ROI projections, risk assessment—the works. And it needs to be cohesive, not look like five different teams wrote it."
Naomie, the newest consultant, watched as her colleagues divided into groups, each tackling their piece independently. She knew from experience this approach would create a Frankenstein document—pieces that didn't connect, redundant sections, conflicting recommendations.
"What if we tried something different?" Naomie suggested quietly to her manager, Tom.
"We don't have time for different," Tom replied.
"Give me two hours," Naomie said. "If it doesn't work, we'll go back to the traditional way."
Tom reluctantly agreed. Naomie opened her laptop and began what would revolutionize how their firm worked. Instead of treating AI as a tool for isolated tasks, she orchestrated a symphony of connected prompts, each building on the last.
"First, let me establish our foundation," she typed:
Prompt 1: "You are a senior strategy consultant. Our client is GlobalManufacturing Corp, 50,000 employees, $5B revenue, struggling with digital adoption. They have legacy systems from the 1990s, resistance to change, but pressure from digital-native competitors. Create a one-page strategic context document outlining their key challenges, opportunities, and transformation imperatives."
The AI produced a brilliant strategic overview. Naomie captured this output and moved to her next prompt:
Prompt 2: "Using this strategic context [pasted output from Prompt 1], conduct a market analysis of digital transformation in manufacturing. Focus on: emerging technologies adopted by leaders, investment levels, typical ROI, and the cost of inaction. Format as executive-ready insights."
Each prompt built on the previous, creating a coherent narrative. By Prompt 12, she had: - Comprehensive market analysis that referenced the client's specific challenges - Competitor benchmarking tied to the strategic gaps identified - A phased roadmap that addressed each challenge systematically - Change management plans that spoke to the resistance patterns noted - ROI projections based on the actual opportunities surfaced - Risk mitigation strategies for the specific vulnerabilities found
Two hours later, Naomie presented a 50-page strategy document that read like it was written by one master strategist over weeks, not assembled in an afternoon.
"How is this possible?" Tom asked, scrolling through the perfectly integrated document.
"Chain Prompting," Naomie explained. "Each prompt passes critical context to the next, building knowledge, and connections. It's like having a brilliant consultant who remembers everything and gets smarter with each section they write."
They won the contract. The client specifically praised the strategy's coherence and how every recommendation clearly connected to their specific situation.