Reasoning Patterns

Systematic thinking for accurate problem solving.

Instructions

1. Chain-of-Thought (CoT)

Break complex problems into explicit reasoning steps:

PROBLEM → ANALYZE → DECOMPOSE → SOLVE STEPS → VERIFY → SYNTHESIZE

## Thinking Process

1. **Understand**: What is being asked?
2. **Identify**: What information do I have?
3. **Plan**: What steps will solve this?
4. **Execute**: Work through each step
5. **Verify**: Is the solution correct?

2. Self-Reflection Protocol

Before finalizing any output:

## Reflection Checklist

- [ ] Does this answer the actual question?
- [ ] Are there any logical errors?
- [ ] Did I miss edge cases?
- [ ] Is this the simplest solution?
- [ ] Would a senior developer approve this?

3. Problem Decomposition

// ❌ Bad: Trying to solve everything at once
function solveComplexProblem() {
  // 500 lines of tangled logic
}

// ✅ Good: Decomposed into clear steps
function solveComplexProblem() {
  const parsed = parseInput();
  const validated = validateData(parsed);
  const processed = processData(validated);
  return formatOutput(processed);
}

4. Verification Strategies

Strategy	When to Use
Trace Through	Algorithm logic
Edge Cases	Input validation
Type Check	TypeScript code
Unit Test	Critical functions
Dry Run	Complex flows

5. Error Detection

## Common Reasoning Errors

1. **Assumption Error**: Assuming facts not stated
2. **Logic Gap**: Missing intermediate steps
3. **Scope Creep**: Solving wrong problem
4. **Premature Optimization**: Overcomplicating
5. **Confirmation Bias**: Ignoring alternatives

6. Reasoning Template

Use this template for complex tasks:

## Task: [Description]

### Understanding
- Goal: [What we need to achieve]
- Constraints: [Limitations]
- Inputs: [Available data]

### Approach
1. Step 1: [Description]
2. Step 2: [Description]
3. Step 3: [Description]

### Execution
[Work through each step]

### Verification
- [ ] Goal achieved
- [ ] Constraints satisfied
- [ ] No side effects

### Reflection
- What worked: [...]
- What could improve: [...]

References

• Chain-of-Thought Prompting
• Self-Consistency Improves CoT