Prompt vs template vs Skill vs SOP
A layered view of how one-off requests become reusable workflows.
Four layers
- Prompt: solves one message
- Template: reuses a format with different inputs
- Skill: defines inputs, steps, outputs, and failures
- SOP: also includes people, approvals, and handoffs
Why the distinction matters
Many people think a favorite prompt equals a workflow.
That falls apart once the task gets slightly more complex:
- Where do inputs come from?
- What gets checked in the middle?
- What happens on failure?
- Who approves the final result?
The upgrade point
If a task happens every week and the output should stay stable, it usually belongs at the Skill or SOP layer.