{"id":"lead-cut-list-budget-table-exec","audience":"executives","category":"leadership-work","track":"leadership","level":"advanced","technique":"constraints","title":"Choose which projects to cut to hit a budget target, with the math","free":false,"task":"The company must cut $400,000 from next year's project budget. Using only the table, pick a set of cuts that reaches at least $400,000 while cutting the least strategic value. Reply in plain text: first line \"Cut: \" then the project names; then one line per cut showing its cost; then a line showing the total as a sum and whether it meets $400,000; then one line naming the strategic project you protected and why in under 12 words. No intro.","materialLabel":"Project budget list (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Next year project budget (strategic rating: 1 = low, 5 = critical)\n\nProject | Budget | Strategic rating | Notes\nAtlas data platform | $320,000 | 5 | Enables 3 other projects\nBolt mobile refresh | $180,000 | 3 | Launch can slip a year\nCedar partner portal | $150,000 | 2 | 2 partners asked\nDelta brand refresh | $120,000 | 1 | Agency contract can be cancelled with no fee\nEmber security audit | $90,000 | 5 | Required by customer contracts\nFlint intranet redesign | $110,000 | 1 | Nobody asked\nGale analytics pilot | $200,000 | 3 | Update: Finance says $80,000 of this is already spent and not recoverable\n\nRule from the CFO: do not cut anything rated 5.\nThe CEO likes Bolt.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":120},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Cutting a 5-rated project","why":"The AI cuts Ember or Atlas to hit the number faster.","fix":"Say: \"Never cut anything rated 5.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Counting sunk costs","why":"The AI counts all $200,000 of Gale even though $80,000 is spent.","fix":"Say: \"Only $120,000 of Gale can be saved.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"No protected project named","why":"The AI ends with a summary instead of a protected project.","fix":"Say: \"Last line: the strategic project protected, with a reason under 12 words.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Formatting","why":"The AI returns a styled table.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text lines, no table.\"","checks":["plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each line: \"each line under 20 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each part instead, for example: \"each line under 12 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Starts with Cut:","patterns":["start with","cut:"]},{"label":"Asks for sum","patterns":["sum","total","add"]},{"label":"Applies the CFO rule","patterns":["rated 5","do not cut","rule"]},{"label":"Uses recoverable amounts","patterns":["recoverable","already spent","update"]},{"label":"Plain text","patterns":["plain text","no table"]}],"hint":"Give the first line format, ask for the sum, and point out the CFO rule and the amount that can't be saved.","rubricLabels":["The first line starts with \"Cut:\" and lists projects that are all rated 4 or lower (no Atlas or Ember)","The cost lines show the sum reaching at least $400,000 using only recoverable amounts, treating Gale as $120,000 (not $200,000) if it is cut","The last line names a protected strategic project (Atlas or Ember) with a reason under 12 words"]}