{"id":"fpa-forecast-range-gap-lines","audience":"fpa","category":"finance-work","track":"finance","technique":"constraints","level":"advanced","title":"Build a low, base and high full-year range against plan","free":false,"task":"You're updating the full-year revenue outlook after October. Write a prompt for plain text with lines starting \"Low:\", \"Base:\", \"High:\", \"Gap to plan (base):\" and \"Flag for CFO:\". Each case is year-to-date actuals plus a share of the Q4 plan, with the math. Use the revised Q4 plan. Show the base gap in dollars and percent of full-year plan. Under 110 words, with no advice on what to do.","materialLabel":"YTD actuals and plan figures (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Revenue outlook inputs - Pinecrest Software, as of Nov 4, 2026\n\nYTD actual revenue (Jan-Sep): $9,300,000\nQ4 plan revenue: $3,500,000 (revised in the Oct reforecast; the September board deck showed $3,400,000)\nFull-year plan = YTD actual + Q4 plan? No: full-year plan was set in January at $12,800,000.\n\nQ4 attainment assumptions agreed with the CFO:\n- Low: 85% of Q4 plan\n- Base: 95% of Q4 plan\n- High: 100% of Q4 plan\n\nOpen items: the largest Q4 renewal ($310,000) has not been signed. It is included in the Q4 plan. Sales says it will sign in November, but there is no signed paper.\n\nNote: October actuals are not in YTD; they will be added at the November close.","rules":[{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":110}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Names the five lines","patterns":["low:","base:","high:","gap to plan","flag for cfo"]},{"label":"Uses the revised Q4 plan","patterns":["revised","3,500,000"]},{"label":"Shows arithmetic","patterns":["arithmetic","show"]},{"label":"Bans advice","patterns":["no advice","give no advice","describe"]},{"label":"Caps length","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","plain"]}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Using the old Q4 plan","why":"The AI picks $3,400,000 from the deck mention.","fix":"Say: \"Use the revised Q4 plan of $3,500,000.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Wrong plan base for the gap","why":"The AI compares to YTD plus Q4 plan instead of the full-year plan.","fix":"Add: \"Gap = base minus the $12,800,000 full-year plan, as a percent of plan.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Advice on the renewal","why":"The AI suggests chasing the renewal or cutting the forecast.","fix":"Add: \"Describe the risk. Give no advice.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"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 line short.","checks":["maxWords"]}],"hint":"The notes include two Q4 plan figures and a messy plan line. State which numbers to use and ask for each labeled line.","rubricLabels":["Low, Base and High lines show YTD $9,300,000 + share of $3,500,000: $9,300,000 + $2,975,000 = $12,275,000, + $3,325,000 = $12,625,000 and + $3,500,000 = $12,800,000","Gap to plan (base) line shows $12,625,000 - $12,800,000 = -$175,000 (-1.4%)","Flag for CFO line names the unsigned $310,000 renewal included in the Q4 plan, and nothing says what the company should do about it"]}