ADM.10:4.1 - Fix the obligation and the question being answered

Identify who owes what to whom, for which subject, quantity or usable condition, purpose and relevant time. Recover the operative agreement, decision or rule and its actual fulfillment condition. Include a change, suspension, allocation or permitted offset only when it matters to this obligation.

State the receiving question: whether the obligation was fulfilled by a particular date, what is still established as outstanding, why two accounts differ, or which corrective action is now needed. A historical statement and a present payment decision may require different evidence.

If the fulfillment rule is unavailable or disputed, obtain its competent interpretation. A ledger label cannot supply the missing rule. Use ADM.3 for a material effective-time question.