Allocate shared rent by headcount using the right roster

About this exercise

You're allocating October's shared rent to departments. Write a prompt for a markdown table with columns Department | Heads | Share | Allocation, one row per department, then a line starting "Check:" showing the allocations add to the rent. Use headcount as of month end, as the policy says, and the latest roster only. No commentary. Under 100 words. No bullets.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Using the stale roster. The AI picks the Sep 30 list or last month's split because Admin prefers it. Try: Say: "Use Oct 31 headcount only; ignore last month's split."
• Counting contractors. The AI adds the 2 contractors to Operations. Try: Add: "Do not count contractors."
• No tie-out. The AI never proves the allocations sum to $12,000. Try: Add: 'One line starting "Check:" showing the sum.'
• Wrong share math. The AI rounds shares badly. Try: Say: "Allocation = rent x heads / total heads."
• 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 line short.

What a strong prompt includes

• Names the columns
• Uses latest roster
• Excludes contractors
• Asks for the check line
• Caps output

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