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Calculate reorder points for three items and say which to order
- For Operations and supply chain
- You practice Catching mistakes and made-up facts
- Time about 5 minutes
- Level Intermediate
About this exercise
Your buyer wants to know what to order today. Write a prompt for plain text with three lines, "Item A:", "Item B:" and "Item C:", each showing the reorder point math, the on-hand quantity and ORDER or HOLD. Reorder point is daily use times lead time, plus safety stock. ORDER if on hand is at or below the reorder point. Use the latest lead time. Under 80 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Using the old lead time. The AI uses 7 days for stretch film because it is listed first. Try: Say: "Use the latest lead time given for each item."
- Skipping the math. The AI gives a verdict with no numbers, so errors hide. Try: Say: "Show the math on every line, like 40 x 6 + 90 = 330."
- Extra commentary. The AI adds notes on suppliers and approvals. Try: Say: "Exactly three lines, no other text."
- Getting markdown back. 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, no asterisks".
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and usually runs long, so a vague "keep it short" lands over the limit. Try: Cap each part instead of the total, for example "each line under 15 words".
What a strong prompt includes
- Gives the formula
- Shows the math
- Uses latest lead time
- Defines ORDER or HOLD
- Asks for plain text
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