The task and original case
Report outreach responses using both sent and delivered denominators. This exercise uses a fictional ledger and sends no messages. The work sample is an observation report and delivery-exception list, with a cutoff that prevents pending replies from silently becoming permanent nonresponses.
| Case element | Value or requirement |
|---|---|
| Inputs | Fictional ledger:10 messages sent,8 delivered,2 replies. No messages are sent by this exercise. |
| Build | A response-rate report and a delivery-exception list. |
This is an original invented exercise. It is independent practice, with no employer assessment or open-vacancy claim. Download the inputs, attempt your own result, then open the separate answer key.
Data and worked inputs
Build a result another person can follow
Use ten sent messages, eight delivered and two recorded replies. Define one message per row, delivery status and reply status at a declared cutoff. For this case, assume the two replies belong to delivered messages and count one responding recipient per message, regardless of multiple reply events.
Calculate replies divided by sent and replies divided by delivered separately. A PivotTable may summarize the statuses; inspect numeric aggregation under Microsoft's guidance. Retain the two undelivered cases in an exception list. Do not change “no reply as of cutoff” into a statement that the recipient will never respond.
Sources[1]
Check the worked result
Replies per sent message are 2 ÷10 =20%. Replies per delivered message are 2 ÷8 =25%. The different percentages come entirely from the denominator. Both can be useful when labelled, but a generic response-rate headline conceals which population was observed.
The two delivery exceptions are not measured recipient refusals. Likewise, the two replies do not establish a partnership, a positive answer or a converted opportunity; those outcomes would need their own status fields and evidence.
Make the failure visible
Record several reply events from one recipient and verify that the recipient-response count does not increase under the chosen rule. Test an unknown delivery status and keep it distinct from confirmed undelivered. If a later reply arrives, update the cutoff and status rather than quietly rewriting the earlier report.
Revise it and ask someone to reproduce it
Ask a peer to add one newly received reply from a previously delivered message. At the later cutoff, replies per sent become 30% and replies per delivered 37.5%, assuming delivery counts are unchanged. Preserve both snapshots and explain the timing change. The exercise remains an invented analysis, with no authorization to contact anyone.
- Sent, delivered and replied counts reconcile to distinct statuses.
- Both response ratios name their denominators.
- Pending replies and delivery failures are not described as refusals.
Describe the work accurately
After completing your own version, you could adapt this project bullet: “Built an independent outreach measurement ledger with sent and delivered denominators, delivery exceptions and dated reply observations.”
Use Projects or Independent practice as the heading. Keep the input files, result and revision together. Describe only your own completed work; the invented numbers are model outputs, not employer results or measured business impact.