{"id":"revops-median-cycle-by-segment-table","audience":"revops","category":"sales-work","technique":"verification","track":"sales","level":"advanced","title":"Compute the median sales cycle by segment from unsorted lists","free":false,"task":"Compute the median cycle for each segment and make a markdown table with columns Segment | Deals | Median days in the order given. Sort each list first. For an odd number of deals the median is the middle value; for an even number it is the average of the two middle values, with .5 rounded up. Do not use the average (mean). No bold and nothing outside the table. Under 60 words.","materialLabel":"Won-deal cycle lengths in days (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Days from created to closed-won, by segment (unsorted), last 12 months:\n\nSMB: 45, 20, 90, 30, 25\nMid-Market: 70, 40, 60, 55\nEnterprise: 200, 80, 150, 100, 260, 120\n\nRule: report the MEDIAN, not the mean. Even counts: average the two middle values; round .5 up to the next whole day.\nFor reference only (do not use): the overall average cycle is 91 days.\nA VP asked for 'the typical cycle by segment'.\n\nContext: leaders use sales-cycle length to plan hiring and quota ramp, and RevOps reports medians because a few very long deals skew averages in every segment. Segments follow the 2026 segmentation rules (SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise). Only won deals are included, and cycles are counted in calendar days from the opportunity created date to the closed-won date.","rules":[{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":60}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Using the mean","why":"The AI averages all values.","fix":"Add: \"Use the median, not the mean.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Not sorting first","why":"The AI picks the middle of the unsorted list.","fix":"Add: \"Sort each list before choosing the middle.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Rounding wrong","why":"The AI writes 57.5.","fix":"Add: \"Round .5 up to the next whole day.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Extra text","why":"The AI explains.","fix":"Add: \"Only the table, no bold.\"","checks":["r0","plainText","maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Names the columns","patterns":["segment","deals","median days"]},{"label":"Asks for sorting","patterns":["sort"]},{"label":"Defines even counts","patterns":["average of the two middle","even"]},{"label":"Sets rounding","patterns":["round","\\.5 up"]},{"label":"Bans the mean","patterns":["not the (mean|average)","median"]}],"hint":"Say to sort first, how to handle even counts and rounding, and to avoid the mean.","rubricLabels":["Is a table with columns Segment, Deals and Median days with rows SMB, Mid-Market and Enterprise in that order","Deals are 5, 4 and 6 and the medians are SMB 30, Mid-Market 58 (average of 55 and 60 is 57.5, rounded up) and Enterprise 135 (average of 120 and 150)","The mean is not used, there is no bold, and nothing appears outside the table"]}