{"id":"acct-close-status-late-tasks","audience":"accounting","category":"finance-work","track":"finance","technique":"constraints","level":"intermediate","title":"Report which close tasks are late and by how many days","free":false,"task":"It's Friday, Nov 6, 2026 and you owe the controller a close status. Write a prompt for plain text of at most 5 lines. Line 1 is exactly \"Close status: ON TRACK\" if nothing is past due, else \"Close status: AT RISK\". Then one line per late task, formatted \"Owner - Task - N days late\", most days late first. A task due today is not late. Finish with a line starting \"Blocker:\" if a late task is waiting on someone else.","materialLabel":"Close checklist, as of Nov 6 (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Month-end close checklist - October 2026. Close calendar: working day 1 was Nov 2 (Mon).\n\nTask | Owner | Due | Status | Note\nBank reconciliations (all 4 accounts) | Dana | Nov 4 | Done | tied out Nov 4\nPayroll accrual | Marcus | Nov 3 | Not started | waiting on HR timesheet export\nAR subledger to GL tie-out | Priya | Nov 4 | In progress | $1,240 unreconciled\nIntercompany elimination | Priya | Nov 5 | Not started | waiting on Tel Aviv entity trial balance, expected Nov 9\nFixed asset depreciation | Marcus | Nov 6 | In progress | run scheduled this afternoon\nPrepaid amortization | Dana | Nov 6 | Done | posted\nFlux review prep | Dana | Nov 9 | Not started |\n\nNote: the Nov 3 payroll accrual is blocking the flux review. Controller review meeting is Nov 10.","rules":[{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":80},{"type":"maxBullets","max":5}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Gives today's date","patterns":["nov(ember)? 6","today"]},{"label":"States the late rule","patterns":["due today.*(not|isn'?t) late","today minus due"]},{"label":"Gives the line format","patterns":["owner - task","n days late","days late"]},{"label":"Orders the lines","patterns":["most days late","sort","order"]},{"label":"Asks for status and blocker lines","patterns":["close status","blocker"]}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Listing every open task","why":"The AI lists all not-done tasks, including ones due today or later.","fix":"Say: \"A task due today is not late. Done tasks are never listed.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Wrong day counts","why":"The AI counts from the kickoff date or gets the arithmetic off.","fix":"Add: \"N days late = today (Nov 6) minus due date.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Soft status line","why":"The AI writes 'The close is mostly on track' instead of the exact label.","fix":"Quote the exact line: \"Close status: AT RISK\" or \"ON TRACK\".","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Markdown report","why":"The AI builds a table with a summary paragraph.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text, at most 5 lines, nothing before or after.\"","checks":["plainText","maxBullets"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits.","fix":"Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each line short.","checks":["maxWords"]}],"hint":"A task due today is not late. Spell out the exact first line, the line format and how to count days.","rubricLabels":["First line is exactly \"Close status: AT RISK\"","Lists three late tasks in this order: Marcus - Payroll accrual - 3 days late, Priya - AR subledger to GL tie-out - 2 days late, Priya - Intercompany elimination - 1 day late","Fixed asset depreciation (due today) and the finished tasks are not listed as late, and a line starting \"Blocker:\" names the Tel Aviv trial balance (and may also mention the HR timesheet export)"]}