Boil a client brief and addendum down to a 5-line snapshot

About this exercise

You're a freelance illustrator and keep a 5-line snapshot of every project pinned above your desk. From the client's brief and its addendum, you want exactly 5 lines labeled Deliverables:, Due:, Budget:, Avoid:, and Contact:, in that order, under 60 words, plain text. Use the addendum's numbers where they changed, and skip the client's company history. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Not giving the labels. The AI writes a paragraph or a long bulleted summary. Try: Add: "Exactly 5 lines labeled Deliverables:, Due:, Budget:, Avoid:, Contact:."
• Using the original brief's numbers. The brief's numbers come first and look final. Try: Add: "Where the addendum changed something, use the addendum."
• Missing the contact change. The AI lists Marisol, who will be on leave. Try: Add: "Contact: include who to email after Nov 20."
• Keeping the history. The AI includes the founding story to sound complete. Try: Add: "Skip company history. Plain text, no bold."
• 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 10 words."

What a strong prompt includes

• Gives the labels
• Uses the addendum
• Skips the history
• Limits the sentences
• Sets a word limit

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