{"id":"fpa-product-unit-margin-table","audience":"fpa","category":"finance-work","track":"finance","technique":"format","level":"beginner","title":"Build a unit margin table and mark the lowest margin percent","free":false,"task":"You're comparing three products for the product manager. Write a prompt for a markdown table with columns Product, Price, Unit cost, Margin $ and Margin % (whole percent) ordered by Margin % lowest first (ties keep the listed order), followed by a last line starting \"Lowest margin %:\" with the product name. Use the current unit cost for each product. Facts only. Under 70 words.","materialLabel":"Source material (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"PRODUCT MARGIN INPUTS - November 2026\n\nProduct | Price | Unit cost\nAlpha Kit | $50 | $30\nBeta Kit | $80 | $60\nGamma Kit | $120 | $84\n\nCost update from Purchasing, Nov 2: Beta Kit's unit cost fell to $56 after a new supplier contract started Nov 1. The $60 figure was the cost in October. Alpha and Gamma costs are unchanged.\n\nThe product manager is reviewing pricing next week and wants a clean margin comparison using what a unit costs us today. Price is the list price, before any discounts. Margin $ is price minus unit cost. Margin % is margin dollars divided by price.\n\nFreight and packaging are included in the unit costs shown.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":70}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Names the columns","patterns":["product","price","unit cost","margin"]},{"label":"Uses the updated cost","patterns":["current","update","56"]},{"label":"Defines margin percent","patterns":["/ price","divided by price","of price"]},{"label":"Asks for the last line","patterns":["lowest margin"]},{"label":"Caps length","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","under \\d+"]}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Using the October cost for Beta","why":"The AI keeps $60 and gets 25%.","fix":"Say: \"Use the current unit cost: Beta is $56.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Margin on cost","why":"The AI divides margin by cost instead of price.","fix":"Add: \"Margin % = margin $ / price.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Hiding the tie","why":"The AI names only one lowest product.","fix":"Add: \"If tied, name every tied product.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Wrong columns","why":"The AI drops a column or changes the row order.","fix":"Add: \"Columns Product, Price, Unit cost, Margin $, Margin %, in the listed order.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"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":"Spot the updated number in the notes, define margin %, and say how to handle ties.","rubricLabels":["The table has columns Product, Price, Unit cost, Margin $, Margin % and rows ordered lowest margin % first: Beta Kit, Gamma Kit, Alpha Kit","Alpha shows $20 and 40%, Beta shows the updated cost $56 with $24 and 30%, and Gamma shows $36 and 30%","The last line is \"Lowest margin %:\" naming Beta Kit and Gamma Kit as tied at 30% (or naming both), and gives no advice"]}