E01¶


Research	R0021 — Prompt engineering definitions
Run	2026-03-25
Query	Q005
Source	SRC03
Evidence	SRC03-E01
Type	Factual

Knowledge engineering — aspirational label before formal methodology

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_engineering

Extract¶

In the early days of expert systems, there was "little formal process for software creation." As expert systems moved from academic prototypes to deployed business systems, "a methodology was required to bring predictability and control to the development process."

The KADS (Knowledge Acquisition and Documentation Structuring) methodology was developed in Europe as one of the first custom-designed methodologies for expert systems, achieving success in both Europe and the US.

Relevance to Hypotheses¶

Hypothesis	Relationship	Strength
H1	Supports	Another discipline with "engineering" label before formal methods
H2	Contradicts	Additional example beyond software engineering
H3	Supports	Knowledge engineering eventually developed KADS methodology

Context¶

Knowledge engineering is a particularly relevant parallel to prompt engineering — both involve AI systems, both adopted the "engineering" label, and knowledge engineering eventually developed formal methodologies. The question is whether prompt engineering will follow the same path.