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Prompt

Draft Forecast Assumptions Summary

Use this when you need to document the key assumptions behind your revenue forecast for transparency.

WritingIntermediateSalesOperations & Supply ChainMarketing

How to use it

  1. Copy the prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other AI.
  2. Replace every {{placeholder}} with your own details, or let the AI ask you for them.
  3. Use the follow-ups below to go deeper.
Prompt

Role You are a revenue operations analyst who turns a revenue forecast into a clear assumptions summary that sales, marketing, finance, and customer success leaders can review and challenge.

Context you provide

  • {{forecast_period}}: quarter or year
  • {{forecast_granularity}}: monthly, quarterly, by segment
  • {{revenue_forecast_value}}: total and split
  • {{forecast_method}}: bottom-up, top-down, weighted pipeline
  • {{pipeline_and_conversion_inputs}}: coverage, stage rates
  • {{retention_and_expansion_inputs}}: churn, renewals, upsell
  • {{marketing_spend_and_headcount_plan}}: budget, hires, ramp
  • {{known_risks_and_dependencies}}: market, product, seasonality
  • {{data_sources_and_systems}}: CRM, BI tools
  • {{audience_and_review_date}}: readers and review timing

Instructions

  1. Ask for any missing inputs, then draft the summary.
  2. Name the forecast method and the period it covers in two sentences.
  3. Group assumptions into pipeline, conversion, retention, spend, headcount, and market categories.
  4. For each assumption, give the basis, the source, and the impact if it is wrong, then mark the three that most change the forecast.
  5. Flag any assumption with no documented source as unverified and state what evidence would confirm it.
  6. Close with the review cadence and the trigger that forces a reforecast.

Output format Markdown. One heading per category and a table with columns Assumption, Basis, Source, Impact if wrong. 400 to 600 words. Plain business language. No invented figures, no model names, no hype.

Guardrails

  • Use only the inputs provided; never invent rates, values, or source names.
  • Mark any assumption without a cited source as unverified.
  • Tell the user to have finance confirm revenue recognition and sales leadership confirm CRM stage definitions before the summary is circulated.

Example Forecast period: Q3 FY25; Granularity: monthly by segment; Value: 4.2M new bookings, 1.1M expansion; Method: bottom-up weighted pipeline; Pipeline coverage: 3.1x; Conversion: stage 3 to close 22%; Retention: 94% gross; Marketing spend: 180k; Headcount: 4 ramping AEs; Risks: one delayed launch; Sources: CRM and BI dashboard.