{"id":"ind-fin-software-payback-case","audience":"finance","category":"decisions","technique":"verification","title":"Make a three-bullet payback case for a software purchase","free":false,"task":"The finance committee wants a short case for buying invoice-scanning software. Write exactly 3 bullets labeled \"Cost:\", \"Savings:\" and \"Payback:\", with the math shown on each (payback months = first-year cost / monthly savings), under 60 words, plain text. Use the vendor's revised quote and only the savings the team measured, not the vendor's claim. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.","materialLabel":"The quote and team notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"PROPOSAL NOTES - Invoice scanning software (ScanLedger) - Cobalt Freight (fictional)\n\nVendor quote (Oct 2): $14,400 per year + $2,400 one-time setup.\nREVISED vendor quote (Oct 20): $12,000 per year + $2,400 one-time setup (they matched a competitor).\n\nVendor's sales deck: \"Customers save 80 hours a month!\"\n\nOur pilot (2 weeks, AP team measured it):\n- Saved 40 hours per month of manual entry, based on the pilot rate.\n- AP staff cost: $30 per hour (loaded).\n- So measured savings: 40 x $30 = $1,200 per month.\n\nOther notes:\n- First-year cost = annual fee + setup.\n- IT says no extra hardware needed.\n- The AP team lead (Marguerite) wants to stop typing invoices by hand so much.\n- Committee meets Thursday, slides due Wednesday.","rules":[{"type":"maxBullets","max":3},{"type":"maxWords","max":60},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"No fixed shape","why":"The AI writes a mini-memo with an intro, risks and a recommendation.","fix":"Be exact: \"Exactly 3 bullets: Cost:, Savings:, Payback:.\"","checks":["maxBullets","plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for \"under 60 words\" and it often lands well over.","fix":"Cap each part instead: \"each bullet under 16 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Using the first quote","why":"The original $14,400 fee comes first, and the AI may add setup to it.","fix":"Add: \"Use the revised Oct 20 quote: $12,000 + $2,400 setup.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Trusting the sales deck","why":"\"80 hours a month\" is a bigger number, so the AI uses it.","fix":"Add: \"Use our measured 40 hours, not the vendor's claim.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Not showing the math","why":"The AI states \"payback in about a year\" without the division.","fix":"Add: \"Show payback as first-year cost / monthly savings.\"","checks":["r2"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Labels the bullets","patterns":["cost:","savings:","payback:","label"]},{"label":"Uses the revised quote","patterns":["revised","oct(ober)? 20","12,?000"]},{"label":"Uses measured savings","patterns":["measured","pilot","40 hours","not the vendor"]},{"label":"Shows the math","patterns":["math","show","divid","/ "]},{"label":"Sets a word limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)"]}],"hint":"A committee will check your numbers. Tell the AI which quote and which savings figure to use, and to show each calculation.","rubricLabels":["The Cost bullet uses the revised quote: $12,000 + $2,400 = $14,400 first-year cost (not $14,400 + $2,400 = $16,800)","The Savings bullet uses the measured pilot savings, 40 hours x $30 = $1,200 per month, and doesn't use or mention the vendor's 80-hour claim as fact","The Payback bullet shows $14,400 / $1,200 = 12 months, and the three bullets are labeled Cost:, Savings: and Payback: in that order"]}