Worked examples

Reproduce the demos yourself

The exact examples from the live session. Copy a data block into Claude, then paste the matching prompt below it. Tweak, then point it at your own real work.

🔒 This is fake, anonymized data — safe to paste anywhere. When you switch to real numbers, keep anything sensitive on your own approved tools.

1 · Month-close commentary Tell the story

Turn actuals-vs-budget into a board-ready narrative — the driver, the forward-looking implication, and the risks. The total looks flat; the story is underneath.

Sample data — paste first

PROJECT MARLIN — Cruise Terminal Development
Month-end reporting pack · June 2026 · Figures in USD 000s
Reporting currency USD; project is EUR-denominated (Mediterranean). Work ~55% complete.

CAPEX — YEAR TO DATE (USD 000s)
Category                    Budget YTD   Actual YTD   Variance    Var %
Construction (GMP)              42,000       45,800    (3,800)    -9.0%
Design & Engineering             6,500        6,200        300    +4.6%
Permitting & Legal               3,200        1,900      1,300   +40.6%
Owner's Costs (PM, insurance)    2,800        3,050      (250)    -8.9%
Financing Costs (IDC)            4,100        4,600      (500)   -12.2%
FF&E / Fit-out                   1,500          400      1,100   +73.3%
Contingency (drawn)              3,000        1,200      1,800   +60.0%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL                           63,100       63,150       (50)    -0.1%

SUPPORTING NOTES
- Construction: includes a $2.1M change order for additional marine/quay works,
  plus ~$1.0M steel & concrete escalation vs budget. ~$0.7M of the overrun is
  unfavorable EUR to USD translation (budget 1.09; average actual 1.06).
- Permitting & Legal: environmental permit slipped from Q2 to Q3 2026; ~$1.2M deferred, not saved.
- Financing Costs: EURIBOR ran above plan and the facility was drawn ~6 weeks earlier than budget.
- FF&E / Fit-out: back-half weighted; procurement starts Q4. Underspend is timing.
- Contingency: $1.2M drawn (40% of $3.0M) against ~55% completion. $1.8M remains.
- Schedule: substantial completion still targeted for Q1 2027; the marine change order used ~3 weeks of float.

The prompt

You are a senior FP&A analyst at CTI, a cruise-terminal developer. Above is this month's actuals-vs-budget for Project Marlin. Write the executive commentary for the MBR: 3-4 short paragraphs for a board audience. For each material variance, give the likely driver, the forward-looking implication, and flag any risk. Be specific, no filler, no jargon. Flag anything you're unsure of rather than guessing. Then give me 3 headline bullets to open the review.

What to notice: it explains why, not just what; it sees past the flat total to the real construction overrun; it flags uncertainty instead of bluffing. Then push once — "sharpen the risk section" — to see iteration.

2 · Reconciliation exceptions Do the data

Match two sources and get back only the problems — with a hypothesis for each. Review the exceptions, not every line.

Sample data — paste first

BANK RECONCILIATION — Operating Account · June 2026 · USD

SOURCE 1 — GL CASH DISBURSEMENTS (our books)
Ref     Date       Payee                          Amount
GL-2091 2026-06-03 Meridian Medical Supplies       12,480.00
GL-2092 2026-06-04 Coastal Diagnostics              3,150.00
GL-2093 2026-06-07 Harbor Anesthesia Group          8,900.00
GL-2094 2026-06-10 Bayside Radiology Partners       5,240.00
GL-2095 2026-06-12 Gulfstream Facilities Mgmt       6,700.00
GL-2096 2026-06-14 Seawind Laboratory Svcs          2,015.00
GL-2097 2026-06-18 Meridian Medical Supplies        4,360.00
GL-2098 2026-06-21 Coral Reef Pharmacy              1,890.00
GL-2099 2026-06-25 Anchor Health Staffing           9,750.00
GL-2100 2026-06-28 Tidewater Cleaning Co              720.00

SOURCE 2 — BANK STATEMENT DEBITS (per bank)
Date       Description                              Amount
2026-06-04 Meridian Medical Supplies               12,480.00
2026-06-05 Meridian Medical Supplies               12,480.00
2026-06-06 Coastal Diagnostics                      3,510.00
2026-06-11 Bayside Radiology Partners               5,240.00
2026-06-15 Seawind Laboratory Svcs                  2,015.00
2026-06-19 Meridian Medical Supplies                4,360.00
2026-06-22 Coral Reef Pharmacy                       1,890.00
2026-06-26 Anchor Health Staffing                    9,750.00
2026-06-29 Tidewater Cleaning Co                       720.00
2026-06-30 Monthly account service charge              185.00

The prompt

You are a meticulous staff accountant. Above are two sets of records: the GL disbursements and the bank statement. Match them and return ONLY the exceptions — unmatched items, amount mismatches, and likely duplicates. For each, show both sides, the difference, and your best hypothesis for the cause. Put it in a table sorted by dollar impact. Do not guess a match you're unsure of — list it as "needs review."

What to notice: you review ~5 exceptions, not 19 lines; it proposes a cause; it's honest about the low-confidence ones. (There's a duplicate payment and a transposition hiding in there.)

3 · Audience-tailored rewrite Bonus

The prompt

Here's my core message: [paste your message]. Rewrite it three ways — (1) board: concise, strategic; (2) operations: direct, action-oriented; (3) lender: precise, risk-aware. Keep the facts identical; change only tone, emphasis, and length.

4 · Document intake Bonus

The prompt

(Upload an invoice or W-9.) Extract these fields into a table I can paste into our system: vendor, address, tax ID, invoice #, date, line items, amounts, total, terms. Flag any field you can't read clearly instead of guessing.

Remember: AI is an intern. Hire ten. You're the owner — always review before it goes out.