Library › Finance AI › FP&A and financial analysts

Estimate net savings from delaying three hires, two views

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

About this exercise

You're drafting a memo for the CFO on delaying three engineering hires by three months. Write a prompt for plain text with headings on their own lines, in this order: Savings, Offsets, Net, Open question. Show the math. Offsets shows contractor cost under both hours estimates in the material; do not pick one. Net shows both nets. Open question asks who should confirm the hours. Do not quantify lost output. Under 140 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Picking one hours estimate. The AI averages the views or chooses the lead's. Try: Add: "Show both and do not pick one."
  • Annual cost instead of three months. The AI uses $450,000. Try: Add: "Savings = 3 engineers x monthly cost x 3 months."
  • Valuing lost output. The AI invents a dollar value for delay. Try: Add: "Do not quantify lost output."
  • Missing headings. The AI writes an essay. Try: Add: "Four plain headings in this order."
  • 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 four headings
  • Asks for both views
  • Bans picking
  • Bans valuing output
  • Caps length

Practice this now ↑

Related exercises