{"id":"fpa-capacity-gap-staffing-options-decision","audience":"fpa","category":"finance-work","track":"finance","technique":"constraints","level":"advanced","title":"Cover a labor gap with the cheapest mix that fits the cap","free":false,"task":"You're preparing a staffing recommendation for the CFO. Write a prompt for plain text with lines starting \"Dec-Jan plan:\", \"Dec-Jan monthly cost:\", \"From Feb plan:\", \"From Feb monthly cost:\", \"Budget check:\" and \"Decision for CFO:\". Respect the overtime cap and the hiring start date. Fill the overtime cap first because it is cheaper than the contractor. Show the math. The CFO decides; do not say the plan is approved. Under 120 words.","materialLabel":"Source material (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"CAPACITY PLAN - Support team, starting Dec 1, 2026\n\nExtra hours needed per month: 320\n\nOptions and facts:\n- Overtime: existing staff at 1.5 times a $40 base rate = $60 per hour. Company policy caps overtime at 100 hours per month in total for the team.\n- Contractor: $75 per hour, available immediately, any number of hours.\n- New hires: two full-time employees at $9,000 per month each, fully loaded. Each covers 160 hours a month. Recruiting takes about two months, so they can start Feb 1.\n\nBudget available for added capacity: $24,000 per month.\n\nNote from the support lead: \"Just use the contractor for everything until the hires start; overtime burns people out.\" The COO has said the overtime cap is a hard rule, but using less than the cap is allowed.\n\nThe CFO will choose the plan at the Nov 24 staffing review.","rules":[{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":120}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Names the six lines","patterns":["dec-jan plan","from feb plan","budget check","decision for cfo"]},{"label":"Sets overtime first","patterns":["overtime","100 hours","cap"]},{"label":"Uses the hire date","patterns":["feb 1","two months","start"]},{"label":"Asks for math","patterns":["show the math","x \\$","math"]},{"label":"Caps length","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","under \\d+"]}],"mistakes":[{"title":"All-contractor plan","why":"The AI follows the support lead and costs 320 x $75 = $24,000.","fix":"Say: \"Fill the overtime cap first; it is cheaper than the contractor.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Ignoring the hire start date","why":"The AI plans the hires from December.","fix":"Add: \"The hires cannot start until Feb 1.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Declaring it approved","why":"The AI says the plan is recommended and settled.","fix":"Add: \"The CFO decides; do not call the plan approved.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Breaking the overtime cap","why":"The AI uses more than 100 overtime hours.","fix":"Add: \"Overtime is capped at 100 hours.\"","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"]},{"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 part short.","checks":["maxWords"]}],"hint":"Plans combine constraints. List the cap, the start date and the order of use, then leave the choice to the CFO.","rubricLabels":["Dec-Jan plan uses 100 overtime hours and 220 contractor hours, with cost $100 x $60 = $6,000 plus 220 x $75 = $16,500, total $22,500 per month","From Feb plan uses two hires at 2 x $9,000 = $18,000 per month covering 320 hours","Budget check compares $22,500 and $18,000 with the $24,000 monthly budget (within it), and the Decision for CFO line asks the CFO to choose without saying the plan is approved"]}