Library › Finance AI › FP&A and financial analysts

Turn planning notes into a forecast assumption register

  • For FP&A and financial analysts
  • You practice Asking for a format you can use
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Intermediate

About this exercise

You're documenting the FY27 forecast assumptions. Write a prompt for a markdown table with columns Assumption | Value | Owner | Confidence and exactly 5 rows, with no text before or after it. Confidence is High if the source is signed, approved or actual data, Medium if it is a management estimate, and Low if it is verbal or unverified. If no owner is named, write TBD. Each cell under 6 words and under 90 words in total.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Including non-assumptions. The AI adds rows for the lease renewal and offsite. Try: Say: "Exactly 5 rows, one per forecast assumption. Skip other topics."
  • Overrating confidence. The AI marks the Sales estimate and Dana's FX recall High. Try: Define: "High = signed/approved/actual; Medium = management estimate; Low = verbal."
  • Inventing an owner. The AI assigns the hiring row to HR or the CFO. Try: Add: "Write TBD if no owner is named."
  • 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
  • Defines confidence levels
  • Handles missing owner
  • Sets row count
  • Skips non-assumptions

Practice this now ↑

Related exercises