{"id":"fpa-hire-vs-marketing-options","audience":"fpa","category":"finance-work","track":"finance","technique":"constraints","level":"advanced","title":"Model three growth options for 12-month operating income","free":false,"task":"You're giving the CFO a quick view of three growth options. Write a prompt for plain text with lines starting \"Option 1:\", \"Option 2:\", \"Option 3:\", \"Highest modeled operating income:\" and \"Not modeled:\". Each option line shows revenue effect x gross margin minus cost, with the math. Include the rep ramp period. The last line lists uncertainties from the notes. The CFO decides; don't recommend an option. Under 110 words. No bullets or numbering.","materialLabel":"Option details and assumptions (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"GROWTH OPTIONS - next 12 months, Brightpath Learning\n\nGross margin on incremental revenue: 60%\n\nOption 1: Hire 2 sales reps. Cost: $240,000 for the year. If fully productive, they add $480,000 of annual revenue. New reps take 3 months to ramp before their first sales, so revenue starts in month 4 (9 months of revenue).\n\nOption 2: A marketing campaign. Cost: $150,000, spent up front. Expected revenue: $300,000 over the 12 months (the sales forecast of $400,000 is the optimistic case and not used).\n\nOption 3: Hold the budget. No cost, no revenue change.\n\nNotes: the conversion rate in Option 2 is based on one prior campaign. Option 1 assumes quota attainment of 100%, and the average first-year attainment of new reps was 70% last year. Do not apply the 70% in this view.","rules":[{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":110},{"type":"maxBullets","max":0}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Names the five lines","patterns":["option 1","highest modeled","not modeled"]},{"label":"Includes the ramp","patterns":["ramp","9 months","9/12"]},{"label":"Uses the right revenue","patterns":["300,000"]},{"label":"Bans recommendation","patterns":["(do not|don'?t).*recommend"]},{"label":"Caps length","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","plain"]}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Ignoring the ramp","why":"The AI gives Option 1 a full 12 months and shows +$48,000.","fix":"Add: \"Option 1 revenue counts 9 months because of the 3-month ramp.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Using the optimistic revenue","why":"The AI uses the $400,000 sales forecast for Option 2.","fix":"Say: \"Use $300,000 revenue for Option 2.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Recommending an option","why":"The AI says 'go with Option 2'.","fix":"Add: \"The CFO decides; do not recommend.\"","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","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 ramp period turns a profitable-looking option negative. Give the 9-month rule, the revenue to use and the 'do not recommend' instruction.","rubricLabels":["Option 1 line shows $480,000 x 9/12 = $360,000 revenue, x 60% = $216,000, less $240,000 = -$24,000","Option 2 line shows $300,000 x 60% = $180,000, less $150,000 = +$30,000, and Option 3 is $0; Highest modeled operating income names Option 2 at +$30,000","Not modeled line mentions the single prior campaign behind Option 2 and the 70% first-year attainment history (not applied), and nothing recommends an option"]}