{"id":"proc-po-vs-budget-unposted-invoice","audience":"procurement","category":"operations-work","track":"operations","technique":"verification","level":"advanced","title":"Check a PO against remaining budget, including an unposted invoice","free":false,"task":"A buyer wants to issue a PO for pallet racking. Write a prompt for plain text with exactly five lines: \"Remaining budget:\", \"PO amount:\", \"Over or under:\", \"Approvals needed:\" and \"Verdict:\". Remaining budget = annual budget minus spent minus committed, and spent must include invoices received but not yet posted. Show the math. The verdict only says whether the PO fits the budget and who must look at it; it never approves the PO. Under 100 words.","materialLabel":"Your material (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"BUDGET REPORT - Warehouse Equipment, FY2026 (as of Oct 31)\nAnnual budget: $60,000\nSpent to date (posted): $41,250\nCommitted (open POs, not yet invoiced): $6,500\n\nAP NOTE (Oct 31): One invoice for $3,000 (forklift battery, vendor invoice dated Oct 29) was received but is not posted yet. It will hit the Warehouse Equipment line.\n\nPURCHASE REQUEST\nItem: pallet racking, 6 bays\nAmount: $18,400\nRequested by: Hector Salas, Warehouse Ops\n\nPOLICY EXCERPT\n- Any PO over $15,000 needs the Finance Director's signature.\n- A PO that would put a budget line over its annual budget needs a budget-transfer request approved by Finance before issue.","rules":[{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":100}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Quotes the five labels","patterns":["remaining budget:","po amount:","over or under:","approvals needed:","verdict:"]},{"label":"Counts the unposted invoice","patterns":["not yet posted","unposted","received but"]},{"label":"Shows the math","patterns":["show the math","show (your )?work"]},{"label":"Keeps the verdict from approving","patterns":["do not approve","not approve","never approve"]},{"label":"Asks for plain text","patterns":["plain","no bold","no markdown","no formatting","no headings"]}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Missing the unposted invoice","why":"The AI uses the posted spend only and overstates the budget left.","fix":"Say: \"Spent includes invoices received but not yet posted.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Missing one approval","why":"The AI lists the signature but not the budget transfer.","fix":"Say: \"List every approval the policy requires for this PO.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Wrong labels","why":"The AI writes a paragraph.","fix":"Quote the five labels in order.","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Getting markdown back","why":"AI adds bold, headings and bullets by default, which show up as stray symbols where this is pasted.","fix":"Say \"plain text, no bold, no headings, no asterisks\".","checks":["plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting and usually runs long, so a vague \"keep it short\" lands over the limit.","fix":"Cap each part instead of the total, for example \"each line under 15 words\".","checks":["maxWords"]}],"hint":"Say how to build the remaining budget, what counts as spent, and that the verdict must not approve.","mission":"Check whether the racking PO fits the remaining budget.","musts":["Count unposted invoices","Show budget math","Never approve the PO"],"rubricLabels":["There are five lines starting Remaining budget:, PO amount:, Over or under:, Approvals needed: and Verdict: in that order","Remaining budget shows 60,000 - 44,250 - 6,500 = 9,250 (the unposted $3,000 invoice is included in spent) and Over or under shows 18,400 - 9,250 = 9,150 over","Approvals needed names both the Finance Director signature (over $15,000) and a Finance-approved budget transfer, and Verdict says the PO does not fit the budget and goes to Finance, without approving it"]}