Library › Operations AI › Managers and team leads

Sum weekly hours per person and flag anyone over their cap

  • For Managers and team leads
  • You practice Catching mistakes and made-up facts
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Intermediate

About this exercise

Write a prompt for plain text. The first line is exactly "HOURS CHECK - week of Mar 10", then one line per person in the order listed, then a last line "Flagged:". Each person line shows the daily hours added up, the person's cap, and OK or FLAG with how many hours over. Use the right cap for each person's role. At the cap is OK; only over the cap is a flag. Under 150 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Using one cap for everyone. The AI applies 48 or 50 to all, or trusts the scheduler's 'under 50'. Try: Say: "Cap is 48 for warehouse staff and 50 for the shift supervisor."
  • Flagging people exactly at the cap. The AI flags Chen at 48. Try: Say: "At the cap is OK; only over the cap is FLAG."
  • Hours not added up. The AI states totals without showing the sum, hiding errors. Try: Say: "Show the daily hours added up on each line."
  • Wrong structure. The AI writes a table or adds recommendations. Try: Say: "One line per person in the listed order, then a Flagged line."
  • Markdown extras and long output. AI adds bold, headings and bullets by default, which show up as stray symbols where this is pasted. Try: Say "plain text, no bold, no headings" and cap each line, for example "each line under 15 words".

What a strong prompt includes

  • Asks for the sum shown
  • Gives both caps
  • Defines FLAG
  • Asks for a Flagged line
  • Asks for plain text

Practice this now ↑

Related exercises