One prompt. Twelve steps. Zero manual configuration.
By Mahaswin • Amazon Quick Community • May 2026
Introduction
Conducting an AWS Well-Architected Review is one of the most impactful activities you can perform on your workloads. It surfaces architectural risks, aligns teams with AWS best practices, and drives continuous improvement across six critical pillars. But the process — gathering architecture details, evaluating each pillar, documenting assumptions, and producing a report — can be time-consuming and inconsistent when done manually.
What if you could automate the entire review — from architecture ingestion to report generation — using a single prompt? In this article, I’ll show you how to create the AWS Well-Architected Review Assistant in Amazon Quick Flows using one comprehensive prompt that generates the entire flow automatically.
What You’ll Build
A complete Quick Flow that:
- Accepts an architecture diagram (or a text description of AWS services) as input
- Evaluates your architecture against any or all of the six AWS Well-Architected pillars
- Documents assumptions and scope gaps upfront
- Validates and classifies recommendations against official AWS pillar whitepapers
- Generates a full Well-Architected Review Report, a pillar-wise summary, and a confidence & assumption log
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have:
- Access to Amazon Quick with Flows enabled
- An architecture diagram (image or document) or a written description of your AWS services and interactions
- Basic familiarity with the AWS Well-Architected Framework
Understanding the @ Reference Feature in Quick Flows
Key Concept — Using @ to Reference Steps and Inputs
In Amazon Quick Flows, you reference any input or previous step output directly inside a prompt by typing @ followed by the name of the input or step. This is how data flows between steps.
For example, @UploadUpload Architecture Diagram injects the value of that input at runtime. Simil@Resolverly, @Resolve Architecture Input passes the output of Step 1 into the current step’s prompt.
Always use @ references instead of hardcoding values — this is what makes the flow dynamic and reusable.
Creating the Entire Flow Using a Single Prompt
Amazon Quick Flows supports creating flows from natural language prompts. Instead of manually configuring 12 steps one by one, you can paste a single comprehensive prompt that generates the complete flow — including all in@referencesuts, steps, @references, and output preferences — automatically.
How to Use This Prompt
- Navigate to Amazon Quick → Left navigation panel → More → Flows
- Click Create or New Flow
- In the flow creation interface, paste the complete prompt below
- Quick Flows will automatically generate all inputs, steps, references, and output preferences
The Complete Flow Creation Prompt
Copy and paste the entire prompt below into the Quick Flows c@referenceseation interface. All @references are highlighted in bold throughout the prompt — these are the data linkage points between steps.
Create a flow called "AWS Well-Architected Review Assistant" with the following description:
"Comprehensive AWS Well-Architected Review assessment that evaluates architecture against all six
pillars using official whitepapers, with confidence scoring and assumption tracking."
--- INPUTS ---
Create 5 inputs:
1. "Upload Architecture Diagram" — File upload (document or image).
Default: guidance-arch.png
2. "Enter AWS Services & Interactions" — Text input.
Placeholder: "List AWS services and their interactions (used only if no diagram provided)".
Default value: "Refer to Upload Architecture Diagram"
3. "Enter Workload Description" — Text input.
Placeholder: "Describe business purpose, users, and criticality of the workload".
Default value: "S3 data storage and visualization using QuickSight while involving
other AWS Services as shown in the Architecture diagram"
4. "Enter Environment Type" — Text input.
Placeholder: "Production / Non-Production / Dev / Test / Sandbox".
Default value: "Production"
5. "Enter Pillars of Interest" — Text input.
Placeholder: "Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency,
Cost Optimization, Sustainability".
Default value: "Security, Reliability"
--- STEPS ---
Step 1: "Resolve Architecture Input"
References: @Upload Architecture Diagram, @Enter AWS Services & Interactions
Prompt: Analyze the provided architecture input. If @Upload Architecture Diagram is available,
extract and describe the AWS architecture from the diagram. If no diagram is provided, use
@Enter AWS Services & Interactions as the architecture source. Create a comprehensive
architecture model including AWS services, data flows, request flows, availability boundaries,
and security boundaries. Store this as the normalized architecture model for evaluation.
Step 2: "Define Scope & Document Assumptions"
Output Preference: Versatility and performance
References: @Resolve Architecture Input, @Enter Workload Description,
@Enter Environment Type, @Enter Pillars of Interest
Prompt: Based on @Resolve Architecture Input, @Enter Workload Description, @Enter Environment Type
and @Enter Pillars of Interest, identify missing architectural details and explicitly document
all assumptions required for the Well-Architected Review for the pillars mentioned in
@Enter Pillars of Interest. List what information is incomplete and what assumptions must be
made. This maps to the AWS Well-Architected Tool scope definition step.
Step 3: "Evaluate Operational Excellence Pillar"
Output Preference: Versatility and performance
References: @Enter Pillars of Interest, @Resolve Architecture Input, @Enter Workload Description,
@Enter Environment Type, @Define Scope & Document Assumptions
Prompt: Only when @Enter Pillars of Interest contains Operational Excellence, evaluate
@Resolve Architecture Input against the AWS Well-Architected Operational Excellence Pillar
Whitepaper (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/operational-excellence-pillar/welcome.html). Assess Organization, Prepare, Operate, and Evolve aspects. Consider
@Enter Workload Description and @Enter Environment Type. Reference @Define Scope & Document Assumptions
for any limitations. Provide findings, recommendations, whitepaper alignment references, validation
status, and confidence score (0-100) with rationale. If @Enter Pillars of Interest does not
contain Operational Excellence, skip this step and move to the next step.
Step 4: "Evaluate Security Pillar"
Output Preference: Versatility and performance
References: @Enter Pillars of Interest, @Resolve Architecture Input, @Enter Workload Description,
@Enter Environment Type, @Define Scope & Document Assumptions
Prompt: Only when @Enter Pillars of Interest contains Security, evaluate @Resolve Architecture Input
against the AWS Well-Architected Security Pillar Whitepaper (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/
wellarchitected/latest/security-pillar/welcome.html). Assess Identity and Access Management,
Detection, Infrastructure Protection, Data Protection, and Incident Response. Consider
@Enter Workload Description and @Enter Environment Type. Reference @Define Scope & Document Assumptions
for any limitations. Provide findings, recommendations, whitepaper alignment references, validation
status, and confidence score (0-100) with rationale. If @Enter Pillars of Interest does not
contain Security, skip this step and move to the next step.
Step 5: "Evaluate Reliability Pillar"
Output Preference: Versatility and performance
References: @Enter Pillars of Interest, @Resolve Architecture Input, @Enter Workload Description,
@Enter Environment Type, @Define Scope & Document Assumptions
Prompt: Only when @Enter Pillars of Interest contains Reliability, evaluate @Resolve Architecture Input
against the AWS Well-Architected Reliability Pillar Whitepaper (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/reliability-pillar/welcome.html). Assess Foundations, Workload Architecture,
Change Management, and Failure Management. Consider @Enter Workload Description and
@Enter Environment Type. Reference @Define Scope & Document Assumptions for any limitations. Provide
findings, recommendations, whitepaper alignment references, validation status, and confidence score
(0-100) with rationale. If @Enter Pillars of Interest does not contain Reliability, skip this
step and move to the next step.
Step 6: "Evaluate Performance Efficiency Pillar"
Output Preference: Versatility and performance
References: @Enter Pillars of Interest, @Resolve Architecture Input, @Enter Workload Description,
@Enter Environment Type, @Define Scope & Document Assumptions
Prompt: Only when @Enter Pillars of Interest contains Performance Efficiency, evaluate
@Resolve Architecture Input against the AWS Well-Architected Performance Efficiency Pillar
Whitepaper (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/performance-efficiency-pillar/welcome.html). Assess Selection, Review, Monitoring, and Tradeoffs. Consider
@Enter Workload Description and @Enter Environment Type. Reference @Define Scope & Document Assumptions
for any limitations. Provide findings, recommendations, whitepaper alignment references, validation
status, and confidence score (0-100) with rationale. If @Enter Pillars of Interest does not
contain Performance Efficiency, skip this step and move to the next step.
Step 7: "Evaluate Cost Optimization Pillar"
Output Preference: Versatility and performance
References: @Enter Pillars of Interest, @Resolve Architecture Input, @Enter Workload Description,
@Enter Environment Type, @Define Scope & Document Assumptions
Prompt: Only when @Enter Pillars of Interest contains Cost Optimization, evaluate
@Resolve Architecture Input against the AWS Well-Architected Cost Optimization Pillar
Whitepaper (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/cost-optimization-pillar/
welcome.html). Assess Practice Cloud Financial Management, Expenditure and Usage Awareness,
Cost-Effective Resources, Manage Demand and Supply, and Optimize Over Time. Consider
@Enter Workload Description and @Enter Environment Type. Reference @Define Scope & Document Assumptions
for any limitations. Provide findings, recommendations, whitepaper alignment references, validation
status, and confidence score (0-100) with rationale. If @Enter Pillars of Interest does not
contain Cost Optimization, skip this step and move to the next step.
Step 8: "Evaluate Sustainability Pillar"
Output Preference: Versatility and performance
References: @Enter Pillars of Interest, @Resolve Architecture Input, @Enter Workload Description,
@Enter Environment Type, @Define Scope & Document Assumptions
Prompt: Only when @Enter Pillars of Interest contains Sustainability, evaluate
@Resolve Architecture Input against the AWS Well-Architected Sustainability Pillar
Whitepaper (https://docs.aws.amazon.com/wellarchitected/latest/sustainability-pillar/
sustainability-pillar.html). Assess Region Selection, User Behavior Patterns, Software and
Architecture Patterns, Data Patterns, Hardware Patterns, and Development and Deployment Patterns.
Consider @Enter Workload Description and @Enter Environment Type. Reference
@Define Scope & Document Assumptions for any limitations. Provide findings, recommendations,
whitepaper alignment references, validation status, and confidence score (0-100) with rationale.
If @Enter Pillars of Interest does not contain Sustainability, skip this step and move to the next step.
Step 9: "Validate & Classify Recommendations"
Output Preference: Versatility and performance
References: @Evaluate Operational Excellence Pillar, @Evaluate Security Pillar,
@Evaluate Reliability Pillar, @Evaluate Performance Efficiency Pillar,
@Evaluate Cost Optimization Pillar, @Evaluate Sustainability Pillar,
@Define Scope & Document Assumptions
Prompt: Review all pillar evaluations and classify each recommendation into: Quick Win
(implementable in <1 day), Short-Term (1-4 weeks), or Strategic (requires architecture changes).
Cross-reference findings across pillars to identify dependencies. Validate that each
recommendation directly maps to a specific AWS Well-Architected whitepaper best practice.
Flag any recommendation that cannot be traced to a specific whitepaper section as
"Needs Validation". Reference @Define Scope & Document Assumptions for context on assumptions made.
Step 10: "Generate Confidence & Assumption Log"
Output Preference: Versatility and performance
References: @Define Scope & Document Assumptions, @Evaluate Operational Excellence Pillar,
@Evaluate Security Pillar, @Evaluate Reliability Pillar, @Evaluate Performance Efficiency Pillar,
@Evaluate Cost Optimization Pillar, @Evaluate Sustainability Pillar
Prompt: Create a comprehensive log documenting: Overall assessment confidence (0-100) with
rationale, per-pillar confidence scores, all assumptions made during the review, information
gaps that could change findings if addressed, recommendations for improving assessment accuracy
(e.g., additional documentation needed). This transparency report helps stakeholders understand
the limitations and reliability of the automated review.
Step 11: "Produce Well-Architected Review Report"
Output Preference: Versatility and performance
References: @Resolve Architecture Input, @Define Scope & Document Assumptions,
@Evaluate Operational Excellence Pillar, @Evaluate Security Pillar,
@Evaluate Reliability Pillar, @Evaluate Performance Efficiency Pillar,
@Evaluate Cost Optimization Pillar, @Evaluate Sustainability Pillar,
@Validate & Classify Recommendations, @Generate Confidence & Assumption Log
Prompt: Produce a complete AWS Well-Architected Review Report in professional format including:
Executive Summary (overall health, critical findings, top 3 recommendations), Architecture
Overview (from @Resolve Architecture Input), Scope and Assumptions (from @Define Scope &
Document Assumptions), Pillar-by-Pillar findings and recommendations, Prioritized Action Plan
(organized by Quick Win / Short-Term / Strategic from @Validate & Classify Recommendations),
Confidence Assessment (from @Generate Confidence & Assumption Log), and Next Steps.
Format for executive consumption with clear severity indicators.
Step 12: "Generate Pillar-Wise Summary"
Output Preference: Versatility and performance
References: @Evaluate Operational Excellence Pillar, @Evaluate Security Pillar,
@Evaluate Reliability Pillar, @Evaluate Performance Efficiency Pillar,
@Evaluate Cost Optimization Pillar, @Evaluate Sustainability Pillar,
@Validate & Classify Recommendations
Prompt: Create a concise pillar-wise summary table showing: Pillar Name, Overall Score (0-100),
Critical Findings Count, High-Priority Recommendations, and Quick Wins available. Include a
visual health indicator (Critical/Warning/Healthy) for each pillar. End with a cross-pillar
dependency map showing where improvements in one pillar affect others.
Understanding How the Flow Works
The @ Reference System
The @ reference system is the backbone of Quick Flows. When you type @ followed by a step or input name, Quick Flows automatically i@Uploadjects that value at runtime:
- @Upload Architecture Diagram ->@ResolvePasses the uploaded file to Step 1
- @Resolve Architecture Input → @Enterasses Step 1’s output to subsequent steps
- @Enter Pillars of Interest → Controls which pillar evaluations execute
Flow Execution Logic
Each pillar evaluation step (Steps 3–8) begins with a conditional check:
Only when @Enter Pillars of Interest contains [Pillar Name]...
This means users can choose to evaluate only specific pillars without modifying the flow.
After Generation: Verify and Customize
Once Quick Flows generates the flow from this prompt:
- Verify step references — Ensure each @ reference correctly points to the intended input or step
- Check output preferences — Confirm “Versatility and performance” is set for Steps 2–12
- Test with a sample architecture — Upload a simple diagram to verify the end-to-end flow works
- Customize defaults — Adjust the default values for your specific use case
Customization Ideas
- Change the default pillars of interest to match your organization’s priorities
- Modify the workload description default to reflect your typical workload type
- Add additional context in Step 2 about your organization’s compliance requirements
- Connect to Quick Spaces to pull in existing architecture documentation automatically
Conclusion
With Amazon Quick Flows, you don’t need to be an automation expert to build sophisticated workflows. By using a single comprehensive prompt, you can create a 12-step Well-Architected Review Assistant that would have taken hours to configure manually.
The key takeaways:
- One prompt creates the entire flow — all 12 steps, 5 inputs, and their interconnections
- @ references create the data flow — each step builds on previous outputs
- Conditional logic enables flexibility — users choose which pillars to evaluate
- Confidence scoring adds transparency — stakeholders know the reliability of each finding
Try it yourself: copy the prompt, paste it into Quick Flows, verify the generated flow, and run your first automated Well-Architected Review.
Disclaimer: This article represents a sample exploration and experimentation with Amazon Quick Flows, shared as part of the Amazon Quick community. The automated assessment should complement — not replace — human expertise and judgment in conducting thorough Well-Architected Reviews. Always validate AI-generated recommendations against your specific environment and organizational requirements.
Author & Company Bio
Mahaswin Ramalingam Balaji is a Technical Account Manager at AWS and a certified Subject Matter Expert in AWS Quick. Mahaswin is interested in Data visualization, Data engineering and in enhancing the features of Quick Sight.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud, offering over 200 fully featured services from data centers globally. Millions of customers—including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—are using AWS to lower costs, become more agile, and innovate faster.