Capture budget review action items with the right dollar amounts

About this exercise

You're the FP&A analyst who took notes at the department budget review. You want exactly 4 numbered action items, each as Owner - task with dollar amount - due date, under 70 words, plain text. Where a number was revised during the meeting, use the revised one, and turn 'end of next week' into a real date. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Using the first number. The $15,000 request appears first, and the revision is in a quick aside. Try: Add: "Where a number changed in the meeting, use the revised one."
• Keeping relative dates. The AI writes 'end of next week', which is vague a week later. Try: Add: "The meeting was Wed Nov 12, so end of next week is Fri Nov 21."
• Including non-actions. The AI lists the board meeting as a task. Try: Add: "Only action items with owners."
• Letting the AI pick the layout. The AI writes minutes with headings. Try: Be exact: "Exactly 4 numbered lines, plain text."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 70 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part instead: "each line under 12 words."

What a strong prompt includes

• Says how many lines
• Uses revised numbers
• Converts the date
• Gives the line format
• Sets a word limit

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