Clarity wins; a condition disappears
At a hypothetical small manufacturer, a manager must choose a bracket supplier before approving an order. The team prefers an AI model’s clear summaries, making it tempting to stop reading the originals. But liking the prose does not establish that the delivery promise survived.
The quote says, “Delivery: five working days after drawing approval.” The summary says, “Delivery in five working days.” The buyer needs the brackets five working days after ordering to finish a customer job. Accepting that summary could select an unsuitable supplier.
The clock starts at approval
Summarization omitted the starting event; the source document still contains it. Ordering alone does not establish drawing approval. A clear summary cannot serve as a guarantor of delivery.
Before approving, compare the summary’s Delivery field with the original delivery clause. Confirm the duration and the event that starts it. Missing “after drawing approval” stops approval: ask the supplier to confirm an arrival date against the buyer’s deadline.
The original must remain available to the reviewer; checking only another summary would leave the same missing condition untested.
Two workflows, one review queue
Assume 24 quote packs this week, four reviewer hours available, and these illustrative handling times. Manual review takes eight minutes per pack: 24 × 8 = 192 minutes. Checked automation requires 60 minutes of setup this week plus four minutes per pack verifying decisive terms against originals: 60 + 24 × 4 = 156 minutes.
Both fit the 240-minute limit. Choose checked automation under these assumptions; it frees 36 reviewer minutes. The source check must fit inside each four-minute review. Time a complete source check before relying on that allowance, including finding the clause and recording unresolved terms.
A smaller queue changes the choice
Now suppose only eight packs arrive, with setup still required. Manual review takes 8 × 8 = 64 minutes; checked automation takes 60 + 8 × 4 = 92.
Keep manual review. With these assumed times and setup required, automation saves time only above 15 packs. If verification takes longer, recalculate; preference ratings cannot establish workload or reliability.