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Decide which inventory items belong in our year-end count

  • For Accountants
  • You practice Setting limits and rules
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Advanced

About this exercise

You're deciding which items to include in our inventory at year-end. Write a prompt for a markdown table with columns Item, Value, Include and Reason, one row per item in the listed order. Include is exactly Yes or No. Include items to which we hold title: consigned goods from others are not ours; goods shipped FOB shipping point belong to the buyer once shipped; FOB destination goods belong to the seller until delivered; customer returns we have accepted are ours. Reason is under 8 words. After the table add "Inventory to count:" with the sum shown. Under 150 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Counting by shelf location. The AI includes the consigned goods and omits goods in transit. Try: Say: "Include items we hold title to, not items on our shelves."
  • Reversing FOB terms. The AI mixes up shipping point and destination. Try: Add: "FOB shipping point: buyer owns once shipped. FOB destination: seller owns until delivered."
  • Long reasons. The AI writes full sentences. Try: Add: "Reason under 8 words."
  • Missing the total. The AI forgets the last line. Try: Add: "Last line: Inventory to count with the sum shown."
  • 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

  • Names the columns
  • States the title rules
  • Includes accepted returns
  • Asks for the total
  • Caps length

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