Give executives a roadmap status they can read in 30 seconds

About this exercise

The VP of Product wants a roadmap status for Monday's exec staff meeting. You need exactly 3 numbered lines, one per initiative, each starting with On track, At risk or Late, under 60 words in total, plain text. Put any Late or At risk items first, use the newest status for each initiative, and keep out engineering detail like service names and ticket counts.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Asking for 'a status update'. The AI writes a section per initiative with headings, tickets and side notes. Try: Be exact: "Exactly 3 numbered lines, one per initiative. Plain text."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each line instead: "each line under 16 words."
• No status labels. The AI describes progress in sentences, so execs must read everything to find the problem. Try: Add: "Start each line with On track, At risk or Late, and put Late first."
• Using the Monday status. Each initiative has two updates, and the AI may report the older green one. Try: Add: "Use the Thursday status for each initiative."
• Keeping engineer detail. The AI keeps ticket counts and service names because they're in the notes. Try: Add: "For execs: no ticket counts, no system names, no side notes."

What a strong prompt includes

• Says who reads it
• Asks for status labels
• Puts problems first
• Uses the newest status
• Drops engineering detail

Practice this now ↑

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