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?

6. 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