The four heights
The same task, four distances: today's deadline, the next reviewer, the stuck moment, the pattern.
Execute — do the immediate task
+Run percentage and ratio analysis on the Q2 expense and revenue table so procurement and the CFO…
Execute — do the immediate task
+Run percentage and ratio analysis on the Q2 expense and revenue table so procurement and the CFO can see margin trends. Calculate gross margin percentage, operating margin percentage, cost per unit, and revenue per employee for each month. Put the percentage columns directly after the relevant dollar columns and highlight any margin below 10% in amber. Deliver by Thursday for the board packet.
Pasted it? When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Improve — make it easier to accept
+Before I circulate this analysis to procurement and the CFO, make the percentage and ratio results…
Improve — make it easier to accept
+Before I circulate this analysis to procurement and the CFO, make the percentage and ratio results easy to scan. Put the most important ratio, gross margin %, at the far left, show the formula in a hover cell or comment, and add a short explanation of any outlier months. Flag ratios that change more than 5 percentage points from the prior month and show the underlying numerator and denominator next to the ratio so reviewers don’t have to hunt.
Pasted it? When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Decide — diagnose the stuck moment
+I calculated gross and operating margins and March came back negative; procurement will call…
Decide — diagnose the stuck moment
+I calculated a margin that suddenly turns negative for March
I calculated gross and operating margins and March came back negative; procurement will call tomorrow and I don’t know if it’s a data error or legitimate. I’m worried I’ve used wrong denominators or included unusual one-offs. What’s the fastest diagnostic sequence to confirm whether this is a formula mistake or real, and the best next message to send to procurement?
Pasted it? When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Become — change the pattern
+Each month I rebuild percentage and ratio sheets from raw system exports and then debate…
Become — change the pattern
+I keep re-deriving the same ratios every month from raw exports
Each month I rebuild percentage and ratio sheets from raw system exports and then debate definitions with Finance, losing time and credibility. What consistent definition set or workflow change should I lock down so ratios are stable, documented, and quick to reproduce?
Pasted it? When the reply comes back, push once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part. — Did this prompt help?
Next to this one
Other spreadsheet work people do in Microsoft Excel.
Perform environmentally extended input-output (EE I-O) analyses.Perform landscape inventoriesPerform managerial duties, such as creating work schedules, creating or implementing staff training, matching staff expertise to situations, or analyzing performance of offices.Perform market research on cultural demandPerform material and energy flow analysesPerform regular machine maintenancePerform securities valuation or pricing.Perform tests on weapons or substancesPerform what-if analysisPlan and coordinate planting, fertilizing, and harvesting
Every task here came from the work, not from a feature list — which is why the prompts name what you want done and never the button that does it. The tool changes; the work does not.
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The rest of the map
Same library, five ways in.