{"id":"lead-vendor-decision-memo-managers","audience":"managers","category":"leadership-work","track":"leadership","level":"intermediate","technique":"audience","title":"Write a decision memo to your director with a clear pick","free":false,"task":"Write a short memo to your director, Lena, asking her to approve a scheduling tool. Plain text, under 150 words. Start with the line: Decision needed by Nov 20: approve Tool X or Tool Y. The second line starts with \"Recommendation:\" and picks one tool. Then give exactly two reasons with the monthly cost for 40 users, and close with the risk of choosing it. Use only the notes.","materialLabel":"Your comparison notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Scheduling tool comparison for my 40-person team\n\nTool X (Rotawise)\n- $6 per user per month. Integrates with our payroll (no manual export).\n- Setup 2 weeks. Mobile app reviews are poor (3.1 stars).\n\nTool Y (ShiftBridge)\n- $9 per user per month. Great mobile app (4.7 stars).\n- No payroll integration; we'd export a CSV every pay period (about 3 hours each time).\n- Sales rep said \"we can probably add payroll integration next year\" - not committed.\n\nInternal: Ops has 6 people who only use phones on the floor. Payroll team prefers X. Budget cap: $300 a month.\nReminder: Lena likes short memos and no jargon.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":150},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Missing the ask up front","why":"The AI opens with background.","fix":"Say: \"Line 1 is the decision and the deadline.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Wrong or missing math","why":"The AI says 'cheaper' without totals or miscounts.","fix":"Say: \"Show monthly cost for 40 users: $6 x 40 = $240.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Trusting a sales promise","why":"The AI treats 'payroll integration next year' as real.","fix":"Say: \"Uncommitted promises are not facts.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Markdown","why":"The AI uses bold and bullets.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text only.\"","checks":["plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each part: \"each reason one sentence under 20 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each part instead, for example: \"each line under 12 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Names the reader","patterns":["lena","director"]},{"label":"Fixes the opening lines","patterns":["line 1","start with","recommendation:"]},{"label":"Asks for two reasons","patterns":["two reasons","exactly two"]},{"label":"Asks for monthly cost","patterns":["40 users","monthly","\\$"]},{"label":"Mentions the risk","patterns":["risk","downside"]}],"hint":"Fix the first two lines, count of reasons, and what must be calculated.","rubricLabels":["Line 1 is exactly \"Decision needed by Nov 20: approve Tool X or Tool Y\" and line 2 starts with \"Recommendation:\" and names one tool","Gives exactly two reasons with the monthly cost for 40 users ($240 for Tool X or $360 for Tool Y) calculated correctly","Closes with a risk of the chosen tool (for example the poor X mobile app, or Y breaching the $300 cap) and does not treat the promised Y payroll integration as a fact"]}