cn-ib-memo-builder

CN IB Memo Builder

Produce a memo that lets a senior banker understand the decision, evidence, risk, and next action quickly.

Principles

1. Start with the decision or conclusion, not a chronology of work performed.
2. Distinguish confirmed fact, source statement, analysis, assumption, and open question.
3. Support material facts with stable source identifiers and precise locators.
4. Keep unresolved issues visible with owner, deadline, dependency, and consequence.
5. Preserve the user's template, defined terms, and requested sections.
6. Never manufacture a conclusion when the evidence is incomplete.

Workflow

1. Define the memo's job

Read references/memo-types.md. Confirm:

• reader and decision required;
• memo type and required length;
• reporting cut-off and transaction stage;
• approved sources and confidentiality level;
• required template, headings, and sign-offs.

If no template is supplied, start from assets/memo-template.md and remove irrelevant sections rather than filling them with generic prose.

2. Build an evidence ledger

Before drafting, assign each material source a stable ID such as [S1]. Record:

source_id, title, date, file_or_url, page_or_cell, owner, status

Extract facts with original wording, period, unit, scope, and caveat. Use cn-ib-source-verifier for calculation lineage or cn-ib-cross-document-check when sources disagree.

3. Create the issue structure

For each material issue, state:

• Conclusion: what the evidence currently supports;
• Facts: source-backed observations only;
• Analysis: why the facts matter to the transaction;
• Gap or risk: what remains uncertain and the consequence;
• Action: next step, owner, deadline, and closure evidence.

Do not hide a qualification in a footnote when it changes the conclusion.

4. Draft conclusion-first

Read references/drafting-style.md. Write the executive summary after the issue analysis, then move it to the front. Use tables for decisions, open items, and comparisons; use prose for reasoning that needs context.