{"id":"lead-decision-log-entry-fields","audience":"executives","category":"leadership-work","track":"leadership","level":"beginner","technique":"format","title":"Record a decision in a log entry with fixed fields","free":false,"task":"Write a decision log entry in plain text with these fields, one per line, in this order: Decision, Date, Decided by, Options rejected, Reason, Review date. Each field is under 20 words and uses only the notes and the final facts. The Reason is one sentence. Nothing before or after the six lines.","materialLabel":"Meeting notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Product leadership meeting, Tue Oct 22 (fictional company Cobalt Mail)\n\nWe talked for an hour about whether to build our own spam filter or buy one from a vendor.\n\nOptions: (1) Build in-house: about 5 engineer-months, $0 license. (2) Buy VendorGuard: $4,500/month, live in 3 weeks. (3) Do nothing: spam complaints up 40% this quarter.\n\nAt the end, CEO Hana decided to buy VendorGuard, because the team can't spare 5 engineer-months before the January launch. She said \"We can revisit building our own in the second half of next year.\" Review Jul 1.\n\nEarlier in the meeting Hana leaned toward building; she changed her mind after the CTO showed the launch schedule.\nAttendees: Hana (CEO), Rui (CTO), Lena (VP Product), Sam (Finance).\nSam asked whether contract is month-to-month; it is, with 30 days notice.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":120},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Missing fields","why":"The AI skips Options rejected or Review date.","fix":"Say: \"Use all six labels in order.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Wrong decider","why":"The AI lists the whole group.","fix":"Say: \"Decided by: Hana (CEO).\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Long reason","why":"The AI explains the whole debate.","fix":"Say: \"Reason is one sentence.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Markdown","why":"The AI bolds labels or uses a table.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text.\"","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 field: \"each field 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":"Labels","patterns":["decision","date","decided by","options rejected","reason","review date"]},{"label":"Order","patterns":["in this order"]},{"label":"One sentence","patterns":["one sentence"]},{"label":"Nothing else","patterns":["nothing (before|after)","only the"]},{"label":"Plain","patterns":["plain text"]}],"hint":"List the six labels in order and limit the reason to one sentence.","rubricLabels":["Has the six labels Decision, Date, Decided by, Options rejected, Reason and Review date, one per line in that order, with nothing before or after","Decision is buying VendorGuard, Date is Oct 22, Decided by is Hana (CEO), and Review date is Jul 1","Options rejected lists building in-house and doing nothing, and Reason is a single sentence about the engineers not being available before the January launch"]}