Module 3: The Compound Engineering Loop | Claude Code Fundamentals

📚 Where We Left Off

✅

Planning vs Building

You know the two types of prompts

✅

Research First

You ask Claude to think before acting

✅

Plan Review

You can evaluate proposals without being technical

You've learned to plan before building. But here's a frustrating reality: every time you start a new Claude Code session, Claude has no memory of what you've done before. You explain your project again, remind it of your preferences, re-establish context. It works, but it's inefficient.

The frustration:
"Yesterday Claude knew exactly how I wanted things structured. Today I'm explaining the same thing all over again. There has to be a better way."

There is. It's called the Compound Engineering Loop—a workflow that captures what you learn in each session so future sessions start smarter. The magic ingredient? A file called Claude.md that becomes Claude's "memory" for your project.

The promise:

"By the end of this module, session 5 will be dramatically easier than session 1. Not because you got better at prompting—but because Claude learned your project."

🔄 The Four-Step Loop

The Compound Engineering Workflow

1

Plan

Claude researches and proposes an approach

2

Work

Claude builds from the approved plan

3

Assess

You and Claude review what was built

4

Compound

Document learnings for next time

The key insight:

"Step 4 is what most people skip—and it's where all the magic happens. Without it, you're starting from scratch every time. With it, each session builds on the last."

🛠️ What You'll Learn

🔄

The Loop

Understand and apply the 4-step workflow

📄

Claude.md

Create the file that becomes Claude's memory

📝

Documentation

What to capture after each session

📈

Compounding

Experience sessions getting easier

🎬

Complete Example

Follow an ID through the entire workflow

🎯 By the End of This Module

Apply

the 4-step loop to any task

Create

a Claude.md file for your project

Document

learnings that help future sessions

Experience

the compounding effect firsthand

📚 Source: The compound engineering framework in this module is based on Dan Shipper's work at Every. His articles on AI-assisted development are essential reading for anyone serious about building with AI agents.

🔄 Ready to Build Your Memory System?

This module transforms how you work with Claude Code. Let's create the foundation for compound progress.

Module 3 Progress: Introduction Complete • Next: Topic 3.1 – The Four-Step Loop

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