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Spread three hires' costs across quarters with the latest start dates

  • For FP&A and financial analysts
  • You practice Catching mistakes and made-up facts
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Intermediate

About this exercise

You're spreading hiring costs across FY27 quarters. Write a prompt for a markdown table with columns Quarter | Hire 1 | Hire 2 | Hire 3 | Total, rows Q1 to Q4, then a line starting "FY27 total:" with the quarterly totals added. Use each hire's monthly cost and the latest start dates. Count the start month as a full month. No commentary. Under 90 words. No bullets or numbering.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Using the original April start. The AI starts Hire 3 in Q2 and totals $325,000. Try: Say: "Use Hire 3's updated July 1 start."
  • Prorating the start month. The AI halves the first month. Try: Add: "The start month counts as a full month."
  • No total line. The AI ends without the addition. Try: Add: 'One line "FY27 total:" with the quarterly totals added.'
  • 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
  • Gives the proration rule
  • Uses the updated date
  • Asks for the total line
  • Limits output

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