Explainable Spreadsheet Formula — Formula & Sanity-Check Prompt for Office Coordinators

A formula that looks plausible can quietly point at the wrong column. This prompt writes one formula for your Excel or Google Sheets calculation, with cell-reference reasoning, a plain-English explanation, and a human-checkable manual test case. Its distinctive approach is an explicit range/schema gate and manual test case, not just a formula generator: if essential references are missing, it asks up to two focused questions instead of inventing column assignments, sheet names, criteria, or sample values, and it never claims to have executed the formula in a real workbook. No rankings, sales, career, productivity, or engagement result is promised. What's included: a copyable prompt, an input-field guide, sample calculations, and three dry-run cases, including the source prompt text, clearly labeled sample outputs, and a human-review step. This is a text-based digital product; no AI subscription, external account, or files are supplied with it — you use an AI chat tool of your choice. How it works: (1) Describe the workbook columns and the computation. (2) Paste the filled prompt into your chat AI. (3) Insert the result in a copy of your sheet and compare it with the manual check. Made for office coordinators maintaining Excel or Google Sheets who need to translate a calculation request into an understandable formula with a test case, and designed to be usable from copied inputs without specialist prompt-writing knowledge. FAQ: Does it access my Excel file? No — it works from the mapping and sample values you paste. Will it calculate every possible edge case? No — it provides a manual check and flags assumptions; you must validate your workbook. What if I do not know the column letters? It asks for the missing mapping rather than guessing. Examples use fictional/sample scenarios. Outputs depend on the input and model, and must be reviewed before use. No live platform integration, automated submission, or independent outcome validation is included.