Draft a reply to an auditor question and list what to confirm

About this exercise

An auditor asked about a large journal entry. Write a prompt for a plain-text draft reply under 90 words using only facts from the support below, followed by a line starting "To confirm before sending:" with exactly 2 questions for the controller. The reply states facts and does not state any accounting conclusion, such as when depreciation starts or whether the asset is ready for use.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Concluding in-service date. The AI writes 'placed in service Jan 11' as the answer. Try: Add: "Do not state the in-service date; list installation dates as facts."
• Missing the confirm line. The AI sends a finished reply with no questions for the controller. Try: Add: 'After the reply, "To confirm before sending:" with exactly 2 numbered questions.'
• Vague support. The AI says 'invoice and delivery documents' without numbers. Try: Say: "Name the documents with their numbers."
• Markdown extras. The AI adds bold labels, headings and a closing note. Try: Say: "Plain text, no bold. Output only the lines asked for."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits. Try: Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each line short.

What a strong prompt includes

• Describes the entry
• Cites support
• Avoids conclusions
• Asks for the confirm line
• Caps length

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