{"id":"wri-fin-explain-overtime-overage","audience":"finance","category":"explaining","technique":"audience","title":"Explain a budget overage to an operations manager","free":false,"task":"The warehouse operations manager asked why her department is over budget. Explain it in under 60 words. The first sentence gives the amount over and the main cause, then say what changes going forward, and end with what she'll see in December's report. No finance jargon ('variance', 'unfavorable', 'run-rate', 'accrual'). Write a prompt that gets that.","materialLabel":"Her question and your notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"SLACK from Gloria Ramos (Warehouse Operations Manager):\nFinance flagged my department as over budget in October. By how much and why? I thought we were fine.\n\nMY NOTES (FP&A)\n- October overtime: $31,400 actual vs $17,200 budget = $14,200 over.\n- First draft of the report said $12,400 over. Payroll corrected a missed shift file on Nov 4. Correct number: $14,200.\n- Main cause: 2 open forklift operator positions (open since August). Overtime covered the gaps.\n- Both positions filled Nov 3. New hires start full shifts Nov 17 after training.\n- December report should show overtime back near budget (about $18,000).\n- Everything else in her department (supplies, equipment, temp labor) was on or under budget.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":60}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for \"under 60 words\" and it often lands well over.","fix":"Cap each part: \"3 sentences, each under 18 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Using the draft number","why":"The notes show $12,400 before payroll's correction.","fix":"Say it: \"Sentence 1: $14,200 over, from overtime covering 2 open forklift jobs.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"No forward look","why":"The AI explains the past and stops, so she still doesn't know if it's fixed.","fix":"Add: \"Say both jobs are filled and end with what December will show.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Finance-speak","why":"AI says \"unfavorable variance\" and \"run-rate\", which she won't follow.","fix":"Ban them: \"No variance, unfavorable, run-rate or accrual.\"","checks":["r2"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Sets a word limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)"]},{"label":"Leads with the number and cause","patterns":["first sentence","14,?200","overtime"]},{"label":"Says what changes","patterns":["filled","nov(ember)?\\s*17","going forward"]},{"label":"Ends with December","patterns":["december","end with"]},{"label":"Bans jargon","patterns":["jargon","variance","plain (words|english|language)"]}],"hint":"Operations managers want the number, the cause and whether it's fixed. Tell the AI that order and which words to avoid.","rubricLabels":["The first sentence says October was $14,200 over budget (not $12,400) because of overtime covering 2 open forklift operator positions","Says both positions were filled and the new hires start full shifts Nov 17, and the last sentence says December's report should show overtime back near budget (about $18,000)","Uses none of these words: variance, unfavorable, run-rate, accrual"]}