Evaluating LLM Performance and Efficiency
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Evaluating LLM Performance and Efficiency
This course is part of LLM Engineering That Works: Prompting, Tuning, and Retrieval Professional Certificate
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What you'll learn
Create PRDs with requirements and success metrics, and evaluate features against user-story acceptance criteria to identify gaps.
Evaluate prompt patterns and compute-spend reports to implement model-optimization techniques that reduce operational costs.
Analyze pipelines using value-stream mapping to eliminate inefficiencies and prioritize chatbot KPI optimizations.
Create technical documentation for vector index updates and evaluate system effectiveness against business requirements.
Skills you'll gain
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML)
- Operational Efficiency
- Cost Containment
- Product Management
- Process Design
- MLOps (Machine Learning Operations)
- Model Optimization
- Product Lifecycle Management
- Token Optimization
- Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Process Mapping
- Prompt Patterns
- Product Requirements
- Process Optimization
- Process Driven Development
- User Requirements Documents
- Business Process Automation
- Large Language Modeling
- LLM Application
Tools you'll learn
Details to know
March 2026
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There are 4 modules in this course
This comprehensive course is for product managers, ML engineers, and technical leads responsible for transforming LLM concepts into reliable, cost-effective production services. In today's AI-driven landscape, building a functional model is only the beginning. You will learn the complete framework for measuring, documenting, and optimizing LLM applications to ensure that they deliver real business value efficiently and consistently.
The course begins by grounding you in product-centric development, teaching you to create a clear Product Requirements Document (PRD) that defines scope, MVP features, and success metrics. You'll evaluate features against acceptance criteria to identify gaps and validate user requirements. You will evaluate Zero-Shot, Few-Shot, and Chain-of-Thought prompt patterns and develop runbooks for vector index management. You will learn to analyze compute-spend reports to propose concrete cost-reduction strategies, such as model quantization, and use value-stream mapping to identify and eliminate inefficiencies in your development and release pipelines.
This module teaches how to prevent LLM failures—like "hallucinated" advice—through professional product management. You will learn to draft a Product Requirements Document (PRD) as a single source of truth for scope, MVP features, and success metrics. The curriculum transitions from planning to validation, covering User Acceptance Testing (UAT) based on testable user stories. Through hands-on activities, you’ll draft a PRD for an HR chatbot and test for dangerous edge cases. By the end, you’ll be equipped to deliver safe, effective AI features that align with your business vision.
What's included
4 videos2 readings3 assignments1 ungraded lab
4 videos•Total 33 minutes
- Why a PRD is Your First Line of Defense?•9 minutes
- How to Draft a PRD for an LLM Feature?•7 minutes
- Why Rigorous Testing is Non-Negotiable?•7 minutes
- How to Build and Execute a UAT Plan?•10 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Anatomy of a Product Requirements Document•10 minutes
- Introduction to User Acceptance Testing (UAT)•10 minutes
3 assignments•Total 50 minutes
- Product Validation Report•30 minutes
- PRD Components Quiz•5 minutes
- Hands On Learning: Draft the HR Chatbot PRD•15 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 60 minutes
- Testing the HR Chatbot•60 minutes
This module provides ML engineers and practitioners with the operational discipline needed to transition LLM prototypes into reliable production services. You will move from "prompt artistry" to prompt science, learning to systematically evaluate and A/B test prompt patterns while balancing response quality, consistency, and token costs. The curriculum focuses on creating professional-grade operational documentation, such as step-by-step run-books for vector index updates, complete with validation checks and rollback procedures. By developing an LLMOps Production-Readiness Toolkit, you will gain the expertise to make data-driven decisions that ensure both high performance and cost efficiency in live AI systems.
What's included
3 videos3 readings3 assignments
3 videos•Total 28 minutes
- How to Build a Run-book in Confluence•9 minutes
- Beyond Guesswork: Evaluating Prompts for Production•6 minutes
- How to A/B Test Prompts and Analyze Trade-offs?•13 minutes
3 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Anatomy of a Production Run-book•5 minutes
- A Framework for Prompt Evaluation: Quality, Cost, and Consistency•5 minutes
- Hands-On Lab: Evaluate Prompts and Outline Findings•10 minutes
3 assignments•Total 65 minutes
- The LLMOps Production-Readiness Toolkit•30 minutes
- Draft Your Run-Book•15 minutes
- Run-Book Essentials•20 minutes
This module bridges technical execution and operational excellence for ML practitioners. You will master two critical pillars: cost optimization and process streamlining. First, you’ll dive into MLOps financials, learning to dissect compute-spend reports and implement technical optimizations like INT8 quantization to reduce overhead. Next, you will apply Value-Stream Mapping (VSM) to ML pipelines using tools like Miro to visualize workflows and eliminate manual bottlenecks. By the end, you’ll be equipped to design automated, future-state processes that ensure your LLM deployments are fast, cost-efficient, and business-aligned.
What's included
4 videos2 readings4 assignments
4 videos•Total 21 minutes
- LLM Costs Spiral Out of Control•6 minutes
- Propose Model Optimization with Quantization•5 minutes
- Eliminating Hidden Waste: Boosting Your ML Team's Velocity•5 minutes
- Create a Current and Future-State Value Stream Map (VSM) •5 minutes
2 readings•Total 17 minutes
- Dissecting Compute-Spend Report•9 minutes
- The Core Principles of Value-Stream Mapping •8 minutes
4 assignments•Total 70 minutes
- Optimization and Redesign Proposal•20 minutes
- Hands-On Learning: Analyzing a Compute-Spend Report for Optimization•15 minutes
- Draft a Cost-Reduction Pitch•10 minutes
- Hands-On Learning: Mapping a Sample ML Release Pipeline•25 minutes
Step into the role of a senior analyst tasked with overhauling an underperforming and costly LLM chatbot. In this module, you will conduct a comprehensive 360-degree audit to diagnose core issues across product, performance, and process. You’ll define KPIs, perform a feature gap-analysis, run experiments to optimize prompt strategies, and use value-stream mapping and cost modeling to identify savings and efficiencies, delivering actionable recommendations to improve performance, reduce costs, and create a high-value asset for your portfolio.
What's included
2 readings1 assignment
2 readings•Total 9 minutes
- Why This Project Matters: From Analyst to Strategist•3 minutes
- Your Mission: The Chatbot Optimization Audit•6 minutes
1 assignment•Total 120 minutes
- Project: Conducting a 360-Degree Audit of an LLM-Powered Chatbot•120 minutes
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Frequently asked questions
Yes. The course balances product and technical topics. Product managers will gain practical tools—PRD templates, acceptance checks, and KPI analysis—while labs and examples explain technical concepts at an applied level. Technical partners may help with any hands-on compute analysis.
You will compare common patterns such as Zero-Shot, Few-Shot, and Chain-of-Thought using controlled benchmarking workflows. Labs guide you through setting up experiments, measuring KPI changes, and documenting the strategies that work best for specific tasks.
Yes. The course covers analyzing compute–spend reports and proposes practical optimizations—model selection, quantization strategies, and pipeline improvements identified via value-stream mapping—so that you can recommend prioritized, actionable cost reductions.
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Financial aid available,
¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.
