Fill in a bonus accrual template using the latest attainment

About this exercise

You're preparing the October bonus accrual for review. Write a prompt that fills in this template as plain text, one field per line, in this order: Target pool, Attainment used, Months elapsed, Required balance, Booked balance, Entry amount, Debit, Credit, Approver, Payment timing. Show the math on the Required balance and Entry amount lines. Use the most recent attainment estimate. Any accrual change over $5,000 goes to the Controller; say who the Approver is. Payment timing says when the bonus is paid. Under 150 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Using the older estimate. The AI takes 100% from the first email. Try: Say: "Use the most recent attainment estimate."
• Skipping the month proration. The AI accrues the whole pool. Try: Add: "Multiply by months elapsed / 12."
• Wrong approver. The AI names HR or the CFO. Try: Add: "Approver follows the dollar threshold: over $5,000 is the Controller."
• Markdown extras. The AI adds bold labels, headings and a closing note. Try: Say: "Plain text, no bold. Output only the lines asked for."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits. Try: Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each part short.

What a strong prompt includes

• Lists the nine fields
• Asks for the latest estimate
• Asks for the math
• Names the account lines
• Caps length

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