{"id":"wri-fin-board-memo-number-check","audience":"finance","category":"writing-feedback","technique":"verification","title":"Check every number in a board memo against the financials","free":false,"task":"Your CFO's board memo paragraph goes out tonight. Ask for a number check: exactly 4 numbered lines, one per figure in the paragraph in the order they appear, each formatted 'figure - Correct' or 'figure - Wrong: should be X'. Plain text, nothing else. Write a prompt that gets that check.","materialLabel":"The memo paragraph and the Q3 financials (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"BOARD MEMO DRAFT - Q3 paragraph (from the CFO)\n\"Q3 revenue reached $4.8 million, up 12% from Q3 last year. Gross margin improved to 41%, and we ended the quarter with $2.1 million in cash. Operating expenses came in at $1.6 million, in line with plan.\"\n\nQ3 FINANCIALS (final, closed Oct 20)\n- Revenue: $4.8M. Q3 last year: $4.4M. Growth: 9.1%. (The 12% figure was from the preliminary close, before the $130k returns adjustment.)\n- Gross margin: 41%.\n- Cash at Sept 30: $2.4M. ($2.1M was the Aug 31 balance.)\n- Operating expenses: $1.6M. Plan: $1.55M.\n\nNOTES\n- \"In line with plan\" is a judgment call; $50k over plan is about 3%.\n- Board packet goes out at 8 pm.","rules":[{"type":"numberedItems","count":4},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Asking \"are the numbers right?\"","why":"The AI replies in a paragraph and may skip a figure.","fix":"Set it: \"Exactly 4 numbered lines, one per figure, in order.\"","checks":["numberedItems","r0"]},{"title":"Trusting the draft","why":"The AI may accept 12% because it sounds reasonable, or miss that $2.1M is last month's cash.","fix":"Add: \"Check each figure against the final financials.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Wordy verdicts","why":"AI explains each number in sentences, which is slow to scan at 7:55 pm.","fix":"Show it: \"Format: 12% - Wrong: should be 9.1%. Nothing else. Plain text.\"","checks":["r2","plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Sets the number of lines","patterns":["\\b(4|four)\\b.{0,15}(lines|figures|numbers|numbered)","numbered"]},{"label":"Checks against the financials","patterns":["financials","final","against","check"]},{"label":"Shows the verdict shape","patterns":["correct","wrong","should be"]},{"label":"Keeps the order","patterns":["order","in the order"]},{"label":"Asks for plain text","patterns":["plain","no bold","no markdown","no formatting","no headings"]}],"hint":"Number checks work best one figure per line with a fixed verdict. Give the AI the count, the order and the line shape.","rubricLabels":["Has exactly 4 numbered lines in the order the figures appear: revenue $4.8 million, 12% growth, 41% margin, $2.1 million cash (operating expenses may be skipped or replace none of these)","Marks $4.8 million and 41% Correct, 12% Wrong (should be about 9.1%), and $2.1 million cash Wrong (should be $2.4 million)","Each line follows the shape 'figure - Correct' or 'figure - Wrong: should be X', and there is nothing before or after the 4 lines"]}