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Fill food pantry volunteer shifts around everyone's limits
Practice: Setting limits and rules. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You're scheduling Saturday's food pantry volunteers. Write exactly 3 numbered lines, one per shift in time order, each in the form "Time - role - names", plain text, under 60 words. Every role needs exactly 2 people, nobody works a shift they said they can't, the forklift-certified rule applies to the unloading shift, and the volunteer who canceled is left out. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- No fixed shape. The AI builds a table, adds notes on each person, and lists backups. Try: Be exact: "Exactly 3 numbered lines: Time - role - names."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 60 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part instead: "each line under 14 words."
- Ignoring a rule. The AI puts Omar on unloading or forgets the forklift requirement. Try: Add: "Check each person's hours and the forklift and Spanish rules."
- Using the canceled volunteer. Dmitri's cancellation is at the bottom, and the AI schedules him anyway. Try: Add: "Dmitri canceled. Each person works one shift, 2 per shift."
What a strong prompt includes
- Sets the number of shifts
- Checks availability
- Leaves out the cancellation
- Applies role rules
- Sets a word limit
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