{"id":"fpa-budget-pacing-lines","audience":"fpa","category":"finance-work","track":"finance","technique":"verification","level":"beginner","title":"Compare spend pace with time elapsed and project the year-end","free":false,"task":"You're checking one department's budget pacing after October. Write a prompt for plain text with lines starting \"Time elapsed:\", \"Budget used:\", \"Ahead of pace by:\", \"Year-end run-rate:\" and \"Over budget by:\", each with the math to one decimal. Run-rate is spend to date divided by months elapsed x 12. Don't mention the manager's expectation that Q4 will be quiet. Under 70 words. No bullets or numbering.","materialLabel":"Budget and spend to date (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"BUDGET PACING - Marketing Programs, through October (10 of 12 months), FY26\n\nAnnual budget: $240,000\nSpend to date: $220,000\n\nMethod: time elapsed = months elapsed / 12. Budget used = spend / budget. Year-end run-rate = spend to date / months elapsed x 12.\n\nNotes from the department head: 'Q4 is always quiet for us, so we will come in at budget.' This is an expectation, not a figure, and no Q4 spend plan has been shared. Last year the department finished 4% over budget.","rules":[{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":70},{"type":"maxBullets","max":0}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Names the five lines","patterns":["time elapsed","budget used","ahead of pace","year-end run-rate","over budget by"]},{"label":"Gives the run-rate formula","patterns":["/ 10 x 12","months elapsed"]},{"label":"Asks for one decimal","patterns":["one decimal"]},{"label":"Bans the expectation","patterns":["(do not|don'?t).*(q4|expectation|last year)"]},{"label":"Caps length","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","plain"]}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Accepting the Q4 claim","why":"The AI says the department will come in at budget.","fix":"Add: \"Do not mention the manager's Q4 expectation.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Wrong run-rate","why":"The AI projects $240,000 or divides by 12.","fix":"Say: \"Run-rate = spend to date / 10 x 12.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Missing the percent comparison","why":"The AI reports dollars only.","fix":"Add: \"Percents to one decimal; ahead of pace in points.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Markdown extras","why":"The AI adds bold labels, headings and a closing note.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text, no bold. Output only the lines asked for.\"","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":"Pacing compares percent used with percent of time. Give the method, the lines and the bans.","rubricLabels":["The line starting \"Time elapsed:\" shows 10 / 12 = 83.3% and the line starting \"Budget used:\" shows $220,000 / $240,000 = 91.7%","The line starting \"Ahead of pace by:\" shows 91.7% - 83.3% = 8.3 points and the line starting \"Year-end run-rate:\" shows $220,000 / 10 x 12 = $264,000","The line starting \"Over budget by:\" shows $264,000 - $240,000 = $24,000 (10.0% of budget), and the output never mentions the manager's Q4 expectation or last year's overrun"]}