{"id":"exec-cfo-readout-key-numbers-three-bullets","audience":"executives","category":"leadership-work","track":"leadership","level":"beginner","technique":"audience","title":"Summarize a finance readout for the CEO in three number bullets","free":false,"task":"Summarize the finance readout for the CEO in exactly 3 dash bullets in plain text. Each bullet starts with the number, then a short phrase (for example $4.2M revenue, up 6%). Each bullet is under 14 words. Use the corrected figures, cover revenue, margin and cash in that order, and add a final line starting \"Ask:\" with the one decision needed.","materialLabel":"Finance readout (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Monthly finance readout - October\n\n- Revenue: $5.1M, up 6% from September. The deck said $5.3M; the controller corrected it to $5.1M.\n- Gross margin: 47%, down 2 points from September, mainly from higher shipping costs.\n- Cash: $8.6M at month end; includes a $0.9M customer prepayment that is refundable until Nov 30.\n- Operating expenses: $2.1M, on budget.\n- Headcount: 214.\n- Ask: approve the carrier contract change to cut shipping costs by 8% (decision by Nov 15).\n- The CFO's weekend: irrelevant.","rules":[{"type":"maxBullets","max":3},{"type":"maxWords","max":70},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Uncorrected revenue","why":"The AI uses $5.3M.","fix":"Say: \"Use the corrected $5.1M.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Extra bullets","why":"The AI adds opex and headcount.","fix":"Say: \"Exactly three bullets: revenue, margin, cash.\"","checks":["r0","maxBullets"]},{"title":"No ask line","why":"The AI ends without a decision.","fix":"Say: \"End with Ask: and the decision.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Markdown","why":"The AI bolds numbers.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text.\"","checks":["plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each bullet: \"each under 14 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each part instead, for example: \"each line under 12 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Three bullets","patterns":["3 bullets","three bullets"]},{"label":"Starts with number","patterns":["starts with the number","number first"]},{"label":"Order","patterns":["revenue.*margin.*cash","in that order"]},{"label":"Ask line","patterns":["ask:"]},{"label":"Corrected","patterns":["corrected","5\\.1"]}],"hint":"Give the bullet count and order, the number-first format, and the Ask line.","rubricLabels":["Has exactly three dash bullets in the order revenue, margin and cash, each starting with a number","Revenue uses $5.1M up 6% (not $5.3M), margin is 47% down 2 points, and cash is $8.6M","The last line starts with \"Ask:\" and requests approval of the carrier contract change by Nov 15, and opex and headcount are not included as bullets"]}