{"id":"lead-focus-memo-three-headings-small-shop","audience":"small-business","category":"leadership-work","track":"leadership","level":"intermediate","technique":"format","title":"Write a next-year focus memo with Focus, Not doing and Numbers","free":false,"task":"You own a 9-person electrical contracting company. Write a one-page memo to your team in plain text, under 150 words, with exactly three headings on their own lines: Focus, Not doing, Numbers. Focus has one sentence, Not doing has two items you will stop or say no to, and Numbers has the two figures from the notes that define success. Use only the notes.","materialLabel":"Your planning notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Planning notes for next year - Bright Spark Electric (fictional)\n\n- Last year: revenue $1.42M. Service calls (small repairs) made 38% of revenue but 61% of profit. New-build wiring made 52% of revenue and 24% of profit. The rest was inspections.\n- Idea: focus on service calls and maintenance contracts. Goal: service calls to 50% of revenue.\n- Goal: 40 maintenance contracts by December (we have 12 now).\n- I keep being tempted by big new-build bids with 90-day payment terms; they tie up cash. Say no to bids with payment terms longer than 45 days.\n- Also stop doing free estimates for jobs under $500.\n- Considering a new van ($58,000) - not decided, don't mention.\n- A competitor may be selling. Rumor only.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":150},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Different headings","why":"The AI writes its own section titles.","fix":"Say: \"Exactly these headings: Focus, Not doing, Numbers.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Vague 'not doing'","why":"The AI writes 'avoid distractions'.","fix":"Say: \"Name two specific things to stop: long-payment bids and free small estimates.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Mentioning undecided items","why":"The AI includes the van or the rumor.","fix":"Say: \"Leave out the van and the competitor rumor.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Markdown","why":"The AI bolds headings.","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 section: \"each section under 40 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":"Lists headings","patterns":["focus","not doing","numbers"]},{"label":"Specifies counts","patterns":["one sentence","two items","two figures"]},{"label":"Uses notes","patterns":["only (the )?notes","from the notes"]},{"label":"Leaves out","patterns":["van","rumou?r","leave out"]},{"label":"Plain text","patterns":["plain text"]}],"hint":"Give the three headings, what each holds, and what must stay out.","rubricLabels":["Uses exactly the headings Focus, Not doing and Numbers on their own lines, in that order","Focus is one sentence about service calls and maintenance contracts, and Not doing has exactly two items: bids with payment terms over 45 days and free estimates under $500","Numbers gives 50% of revenue from service calls and 40 maintenance contracts by December, and the memo does not mention the van or the competitor rumor"]}