SkillsSkill 5 of 5
Write so a busy person can decide
Lead with the ask, the deadline and your recommendation, then the one number that decides it.
Worked example
Turn a long AI draft into an email your manager can answer
The draft has every fact and no ask. Lead with what you need.
The question
At Larkhaven, a fictional grocery-delivery company, a produce supplier has told you, the operations intern, that it can’t fill Saturday’s order. 300 customer orders are affected. The operations lead must choose a fix by 3pm Friday and reads email between meetings. An AI tool has written a 300-word draft that lists everything.
| Extra cost ($) | What happens | |
|---|---|---|
| Buy from a backup supplier | 450 | All 300 orders arrive complete; its produce is untested |
| Deliver those orders on Sunday | 0 | Last time, 12% of delayed orders were cancelled |
| Remove the items and credit customers | 1800 | $6 credit per order |
Invented data. Larkhaven earns about $15 margin per order. The 12% comes from one earlier delay.
Hi Dana, I hope your week is going well! I wanted to share a quick update regarding our produce supply situation for this weekend and walk through some of the considerations and potential paths forward that we might want to think about…
“Write the email you would send the operations lead. What goes first, and what do you recommend?”
Your turn
Say your answer out loud, or jot notes below. Both work. Or skip to the worked answer.
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A strong answer, step by step
Open each step in turn. This is one strong answer, not the only one.
Step 1: Put the ask and the deadline first
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Keep the AI draft’s friendly opening; it sets a good tone before the ask.
Tempting, but it misses something. The lead reads email between meetings. A paragraph of greeting pushes the 3pm decision out of sight.
Open with background on the supplier so the lead understands before deciding.
Tempting, but it misses something. The lead needs a decision by 3pm, not the story. Background can follow the recommendation.
Subject: “Decision by 3pm: Saturday produce shortfall, 300 orders.” First line: I recommend the backup supplier at $450.
The strong move. A busy reader can act from the subject and first line alone.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Subject: “Decision by 3pm: Saturday produce shortfall, 300 orders.” First line: “I recommend the backup supplier at $450. Reply yes, or pick another option below.””
Why it works: A busy reader can act from the subject and first line alone.
Step 2: Price the option that looks free
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Recommend delivering on Sunday: it costs $0, so it’s the cheapest option.
Tempting, but it misses something. Last time 12% of delayed orders were cancelled: 36 of 300 orders at $15 margin is about $540, more than the $450 backup.
Price the delay: 12% of 300 is 36 cancellations, about $540 of margin, more than the $450 backup. Credits cost $1,800.
The strong move. The numbers decide the recommendation and show the ‘free’ option isn’t.
Recommend credits: customers get money back, so nobody is unhappy.
Tempting, but it misses something. Credits are the most expensive option: 300 orders × $6 is $1,800, four times the backup.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Delaying to Sunday looks free, but last time 12% of delayed orders were cancelled. That’s 36 of 300 orders, about $540 of margin, more than the $450 backup, before counting annoyed customers. Credits cost $1,800.”
Why it works: The numbers decide the recommendation, and they show the ‘free’ option isn’t.
Step 3: Cut what the reader doesn’t need
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
One short line per option and one for the risk: the backup’s produce is untested. No greeting, no background.
The strong move. Short respects their time and keeps the ask hard to miss.
Keep every detail from the AI draft; a complete email can’t be wrong.
Tempting, but it misses something. Complete isn’t clear. 300 words read between meetings hide the one decision you need by 3pm.
Leave out the untested produce, so the recommendation looks stronger.
Tempting, but it misses something. Hiding the backup’s main risk lets the lead decide without it. One line keeps the email honest.
See how a strong candidate says it
“One short line per option and one for the risk: the backup supplier’s produce is untested. No greeting paragraph, no background they already know.”
Why it works: Short isn’t rude. It respects their time and makes the ask hard to miss.
Step 4: Say what would change your recommendation
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
End with “Let me know what you think!” to keep it open.
Tempting, but it misses something. It invites discussion instead of a decision. The lead has until 3pm and needs a yes or a choice.
Say the recommendation is final, so the lead doesn’t second-guess it.
Tempting, but it misses something. The lead decides, not you. Naming the one assumption, the 12% cancellation rate, helps them check it.
Add: if you expect fewer than 10% of delayed orders to cancel, Sunday is cheaper. I’ll place the backup order when you reply.
The strong move. Below 30 cancellations, the lost margin is under $450, so the lead knows exactly which assumption to challenge.
See how a strong candidate says it
“I’d add: “If you expect fewer than 10% of delayed orders to cancel, Sunday is cheaper.” Then the next step: I’ll place the backup order as soon as you reply.”
Why it works: It gives the reader the one assumption worth challenging and a clear next step.
The answer, in short
- Decision
- Recommend the backup supplier at $450, with the ask and the 3pm deadline in the subject and first line.
- Because
- Delaying risks about 36 cancellations and $540 of margin, more than the $450 backup; credits would cost $1,800.
- What would change it
- Evidence that fewer than 10% of delayed orders would cancel (30 orders, $450 of margin), or that the backup’s produce isn’t good enough.
Common traps
- Sending the AI draft because it is complete.
- Burying the ask under background.
- Treating the delay as free.
- Listing options without a recommendation.
Check your answer
- Could the reader act from the subject and first line?
- Did I recommend one option?
- Did I show the number that decides it?
- Did I say what would change my mind?
Want feedback on how you’d answer? Practice “Write so a busy person can decide” with an AI interviewer on Socratify.
Last reviewed Nov 9, 2026