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Cover a labor gap with the cheapest mix that fits the cap

  • For FP&A and financial analysts
  • You practice Setting limits and rules
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Advanced

About this exercise

You're preparing a staffing recommendation for the CFO. Write a prompt for plain text with lines starting "Dec-Jan plan:", "Dec-Jan monthly cost:", "From Feb plan:", "From Feb monthly cost:", "Budget check:" and "Decision for CFO:". Respect the overtime cap and the hiring start date. Fill the overtime cap first because it is cheaper than the contractor. Show the math. The CFO decides; do not say the plan is approved. Under 120 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • All-contractor plan. The AI follows the support lead and costs 320 x $75 = $24,000. Try: Say: "Fill the overtime cap first; it is cheaper than the contractor."
  • Ignoring the hire start date. The AI plans the hires from December. Try: Add: "The hires cannot start until Feb 1."
  • Declaring it approved. The AI says the plan is recommended and settled. Try: Add: "The CFO decides; do not call the plan approved."
  • Breaking the overtime cap. The AI uses more than 100 overtime hours. Try: Add: "Overtime is capped at 100 hours."
  • 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

  • Names the six lines
  • Sets overtime first
  • Uses the hire date
  • Asks for math
  • Caps length

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