Reconcile two headcount reports in a step table

About this exercise

Finance reports 205 employees and HR reports 212, and the CFO wants the gap explained. Make one markdown table with columns Step, Change and Running total, starting at the HR number and ending at the Finance number, with the arithmetic in the Change column. Plain text apart from the table, under 70 words, then a last line 'Unexplained:' with the number left over. Only count differences that change the headcount.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Listing every item. The AI adds the unpaid-leave and department-change employees as steps. Try: Add: "Skip items that appear in both lists."
• No arithmetic. The AI lists causes without running totals. Try: Add: "Running total column: 212 - 4 = 208, 208 - 3 = 205."
• No leftover line. The AI never says whether anything is unexplained. Try: Add: "Last line: Unexplained: 0."
• Leaving the format to chance. The AI picks its own length and layout unless told the exact shape. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold or headings."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each part instead, for example "each line under 15 words."

What a strong prompt includes

• Names the columns
• Gives the start and end
• Names the differences
• Skips shared items
• Asks for the leftover line

Practice this now ↑

Related exercises

• Accrue unpaid wages for the working days after the last pay period (Finance AI · Accountants)
• Age a returns queue in business days and flag the ones over the limit (Customer Support & Success AI · Customer support teams)
• Alert sales to a competitor's price change, facts only (Research & AI Search · Product managers)
• Annualize recurring revenue without the one-time fee (Data AI · Finance and accounting)
• Answer a credit dispute with the full-hour rule and the math (Customer Support & Success AI · Customer support teams)