Create a copy-paste prompt pack for supply chain work in [BUSINESS AND PRODUCTS]. Our planning horizon is [PLANNING HORIZON], service objective is [SERVICE TARGET], and operating constraints are [CONSTRAINTS AND POLICIES]. Available data sources are [DATA AVAILABLE]. Do not invent demand, lead times, capacity, supplier commitments, costs, inventory, or delivery dates. Treat AI output as planning support, not authorization to place orders, change allocations, or make supplier commitments. Provide six numbered prompts, each 100–150 words, with fill-in placeholders: 1. Demand-versus-forecast review by SKU and location. 2. Inventory health review covering on-hand, on-order, safety stock, days of supply, excess, and stockout risk. 3. Supplier or lane risk brief covering lead-time variation, minimum order quantity, capacity, quality, and mitigation options.
4. Shortage allocation recommendation that states the allocation rule and customer-service impact. 5. Expediting decision brief comparing cost, timing, and risk against the expected shortage. 6. S&OP handoff summary for commercial, operations, and finance stakeholders. Every prompt must require an assumptions register, source date/time, units of measure, and exceptions or data-quality gaps. Require the response to distinguish facts, calculations, and recommendations. Demand that it show the formula for any days-of-supply, fill-rate, or inventory calculation and flag when inputs use incompatible units or dates. Before answering, check that each prompt avoids false precision and includes an owner and decision needed. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [BUSINESS AND PRODUCTS] | Describe the business, products, SKUs, and fulfillment model. | US direct-to-consumer skincare brand; 38 finished-goods SKUs assembled by two contract manufacturers |
| [PLANNING HORIZON] | State the weekly, monthly, or quarterly period being planned. | Rolling 13 weeks, reviewed every Monday |
| [SERVICE TARGET] | Enter the service-level or fill-rate target and how it is measured. | 95% weekly line fill rate by fulfilled order lines |
| [CONSTRAINTS AND POLICIES] | List constraints such as MOQ, shelf life, capacity, budgets, allocation rules, and approval limits. | Bottles have 12-week lead time and 10,000-unit MOQ; no expired product may ship; expedite freight over $8,000 needs VP approval |
| [DATA AVAILABLE] | List available files or fields and their reporting dates. | Weekly SKU-location forecast, open POs, warehouse on-hand, supplier lead-time history, and campaign calendar through September 20 |
How to use
- Identify the data cut-off date and make sure all source files use compatible units and SKU definitions.
- Select a prompt, replace its placeholders, and attach or paste the relevant current data.
- Validate calculations, exception flags, and proposed actions with the planner who owns the decision.
- Follow up with: “Recalculate using the attached revised forecast and list only actions that need approval this week.”
Variations
Supplier meeting
Use this to prepare a fact-based supplier discussion.
Prepare a supplier-meeting agenda and question set for [SUPPLIER] concerning [PARTS OR SKUS]. Use this performance data: [DATA]. Our upcoming demand and constraints are [DEMAND AND CONSTRAINTS]. Return a one-page brief with performance facts, dates and units, risks, questions on capacity, lead time, quality, and recovery plan, requests requiring written commitment, and internal fallback options. Separate verified facts from hypotheses. Do not promise volumes, pricing, or schedule changes. Ask up to 3 questions only if an essential fact is missing.
Inventory transfer
Use this when deciding whether to rebalance inventory between locations.
Assess proposed inventory transfers among [LOCATIONS] for [SKUS] using [INVENTORY, DEMAND, AND TRANSIT DATA]. Consider safety stock, reserved inventory, shelf life, transfer lead time, handling cost, customer priority, and receiving capacity. Return a transfer table with origin, destination, quantity, rationale, expected service impact, risks, and approvals needed. Show the calculation basis and flag data dates that are stale or mismatched. Do not recommend moving inventory already committed or unavailable. Ask up to 3 questions if required.
Disruption playbook
Use this when a supplier, port, carrier, or facility disruption occurs.
Create a 72-hour supply disruption response plan for [EVENT] affecting [PRODUCTS OR LANES]. Known facts are [VERIFIED FACTS]; unknowns are [OPEN QUESTIONS]. Return immediate containment actions, stakeholder owners, customer-impact scenarios, inventory and shipment checks, supplier or carrier questions, decision thresholds, communication checkpoints, and a recovery-data list. Clearly label assumptions and do not claim delivery dates without a confirmed source. Include safety, regulatory, and quality holds where relevant. Ask up to 3 questions only if needed.
Tips
- Use a single snapshot date for demand, inventory, and open orders; mixed cut-off dates create misleading shortage recommendations.
- Specify whether quantities are units, cases, pallets, or currency and include conversion factors for multi-pack products.
- Keep forecast error separate from supply variance so an action plan does not blame a supplier for a demand-planning problem.
- Have a named decision owner validate allocation and expedite recommendations before changing customer commitments.
FAQ
Can AI forecast demand from my spreadsheet?
It can help inspect patterns and formulate scenarios, but it may misread columns or assumptions. Validate outputs against your planning system and known promotions, seasonality, and constraints.
What data should I remove before sharing it with AI?
Follow your company’s data policy and remove unnecessary customer, employee, pricing, and contract data. Keep the SKU, date, unit, and source details needed for the analysis.
Can it choose which customers receive scarce inventory?
It can structure options, but allocation should follow approved rules and accountable commercial decisions. Make the priority rule explicit in the prompt.