Project: review a depot replenishment workbook

Last updated: 2 Oct 202619 min read

project

Prepare a reviewed Stock-sheet patch for fictional depot workbook Inventory October v7. Rows 2 through 48 hold SKU, on-hand, inbound, reserved, and threshold fields. The project output is a copied workbook plus a cell-level change ledger, calculation evidence, and an export check. A prompt proposes formulas and explains the business rule; a workbook tool applies approved changes. Never use the model's arithmetic explanation as the final calculation record.

Establish the input contract

Name the exact workbook version and Stock sheet. Check that rows are SKU records, units are whole items, and B through E have the approved meanings. The only editable cells are F2:F48. Archive and Stock thresholds stay untouched. Ask the assistant for a proposed formula, intended fill range, two hand-check cases, and a cell diff. If it proposes =B2+C2-E2 or a fixed $B$2 reference, reject it before applying the patch.

Apply and inspect the patch

Use =B2+C2-D2 in F2 and fill down with relative references. For RM-47, 18+7-9=16 and threshold 20 means reorder review. For RM-58, 31+0-12=19 against threshold 18 means no reorder. For RM-63, 4+11-2=13 against threshold 15 means reorder review. The preview must list old and new formulas by cell. Reject any change to E19, Archive, styles, or validation. Reopen the edited copy in the target spreadsheet application, recalculate, scan F2:F48 for errors, and independently check the three rows. A supplier label that literally reads =1+1 must stay text in any export. Test the final output in the receiving application, then match its hash to the reviewed file.

Source: Inventory October v7; Stock rows 2..48.
Allowed patch: F2:F48 = B+C-D; all other cells preserved.
RM-47: 16 < 20 reorder; RM-58: 19 >= 18 no; RM-63: 13 < 15 reorder.
Reject: stale display, changed E19, formula-typed supplier label.
Release: recalculated file, cell diff, application check, matching hash.

Performance and operating cost

Proposing a uniform formula for N rows takes O(N) patch entries if every changed cell is listed; independent arithmetic is O(N) for a full simple-row pass. Workbook save and recalculation may cost more when unrelated formulas or links are present. Review a structural diff as well as F2:F48, since a writing library may alter validations or metadata outside the requested range. Keep the original file for rollback and preserve the exact reviewed output hash.

Common Mistakes

Do not accept an edit plan without an allowlisted range and base version.
Do not infer a clean release from correct formula text while displayed values remain stale.
Do not export formula-looking supplier text without a tested text boundary.

Connected lessons

prompt engineering

spreadsheets