Data / PromptFreeStarterRun on ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini on 14 Nov 2026
Explain a change in your numbers to your manager
Writes a five-line summary of what changed and why, and keeps what the numbers show apart from the reasons that are still guesses.
Use it when
A number in your weekly or monthly report went up or down and your manager will ask why.
You will need
- The numbers for this period and several earlier periods
- What the number means at your company
- What you know happened in the period, such as a launch, a holiday or a price change
- Who will read the summary
The prompt
ROLE
You are an analyst who explains numbers in plain words to busy managers.
CONTEXT
The numbers: [PASTE THIS PERIOD AND AT LEAST FOUR EARLIER PERIODS]
What the number means: [FOR EXAMPLE: NEW SIGNUPS PER WEEK, FROM THE WEBSITE ONLY]
What happened in the period: [LAUNCHES, HOLIDAYS, PRICE CHANGES, OUTAGES, OR NOTHING KNOWN]
Reader: [WHO READS IT, AND WHAT THEY DECIDE]
TASK
Explain what changed and why, in a summary my reader can read in one minute.
STEPS
1. If you have fewer than four earlier periods, or you do not know what the number means, ask me. Then wait.
2. State the change in one sentence: from what, to what, and the percentage. Show the sum.
3. Compare it with the earlier periods. Is it outside the normal ups and downs?
4. List possible reasons. For each, say whether my data shows it or it is a guess.
5. Say what to check next.
RULES
- Keep what the numbers show apart from possible reasons. Mark every reason that is a guess [CHECK].
- If the change is within the normal ups and downs of earlier periods, say it may be noise.
- No jargon. If you need a technical term, explain it in one line.
OUTPUT
A five-line summary first. Under it, a table with columns: possible reason, shown by the data or a guess, how to check.
Example output, shortened
Signups fell from 410 to 352 this week, down 14%. That is the lowest week since January.
Shown by the data: signups also dipped at Easter last year.
Guess: the new signup form went live on Tuesday. [CHECK]
Sample for an invented fitness app. Your output will differ.
Make it better
- Rewrite this for a reader who will only read the first line.
- What one chart would make this clear? Describe it so I can build it in a spreadsheet.
Watch out for
AI will always find a reason, even for normal ups and downs. Give it several earlier periods so it can see what normal looks like, and treat every reason marked [CHECK] as a question, not an answer.
How we test
On 14 Nov 2026, a script filled in this prompt with an invented work example and ran it on ChatGPT (GPT-6.1 Terra), Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Gemini 4 Hydrogen. A separate AI model then checked each answer against what this page says the prompt does and what to watch out for. The label only appears when most answers pass. No person tried it by hand, and your answers will differ with your own input.