Owner: VP FP&A. Timing: before the next management review and Q4 forecast lock.
FREE WORKING TOOL
AA Decision Brief
Eight questions before AI starts answering. Use it to make the decision, evidence, context, and data restrictions explicit before ChatGPT produces a polished analysis of the wrong problem.
AI suggests×Analyst decides
USE IT WHENThe analysis matters enough that somebody will act on it.
Forecasts, operating decisions, marketing performance, RevOps, BI, recommendations, and any analysis you need to explain with confidence.
COMPLETED EXAMPLE · FP&AIllustrative · not a client result
- Separate the lower-margin product mix shift.
- Remove the freight accrual true-up.
- Reconcile the mid-quarter standard-cost update.
- Measure the normalized price/rate effect after those adjustments.
If it is, pricing or sourcing action may be warranted. If it is not, do not turn a mix and timing variance into a structural margin story.
FILLED-IN DECISION BRIEFSee all eight answers in one completed FP&A example.
Open the Completed ExampleUse the example as a model, then load it into the working tool above and adapt it to your own decision.
USING THIS WITH A TEAM?
Give important analysis the same clear starting point.
When several people own forecasts, recommendations, dashboards, or AI-assisted analysis, a shared brief can reduce rework and surface missing context before a polished answer starts driving the conversation. In the Private AI Analysis Lab, your team applies the Seven C's to a real company problem with direct guidance from Stephen.