Decide what the summary is for
A summary for deciding whether to approve a proposal is different from a summary for preparing questions. Tell the tool who will use the summary and what they need to do next. Otherwise it may compress the document without preserving what matters.
Ask for traceable output
Request page numbers, headings, or quoted phrases that help you return to the source. Not every file format preserves page references, so treat citations produced by the model as navigation hints until you confirm them.
- Main conclusion or requested decision
- Evidence supporting it
- Deadlines, costs, and named responsibilities
- Exceptions, risks, and unresolved questions
Review the high-consequence details
Do not verify every sentence with equal effort. Start with the details that would change a decision: money, timing, scope, legal obligations, safety, and statements attributed to people.
Practise on real work
Build a decision brief
Use a public report or a document your organization permits you to process.
Prompt to adapt
Use only this document. Prepare a one-page decision brief with: the main point, the decision required, supporting evidence, costs or deadlines, risks, and questions the document does not answer. Add page or section references. Do not infer missing facts.
Judgment checks
- Can you locate every important claim in the original?
- Did the summary preserve exceptions and conditions?
- What would change your decision if the summary were wrong?
Keep these points
- Name the decision the summary must support.
- Ask for evidence and unresolved questions.
- Verify high-consequence details in the source.