Summarize before you forward (L1)
Nobody reads the 40 page vendor PDF, the board pack, or the long thread. The rule is simple: anything long you forward gets a five bullet summary and a stated ask on top. One prompt, every team, no tooling.
The steps
- 01
Publish the summary format
Tool: ChatGPT
Five bullets, the decision being asked for, and open questions. Same format everywhere so readers learn to scan it in ten seconds. Owner: chief of staff or ops lead. DoD: format posted in the company handbook.
- 02
Set the forwarding rule
Tool: Slack
Long document with no summary gets sent back. This is a norm, not a tool rollout, and it only holds if leadership follows it first. Pitfall: leaders exempting themselves. DoD: leadership posts summaries for two weeks straight.
- 03
Keep the source attached
Tool: Manual
The summary always links the original. Summaries are an entry point, never a replacement, especially for contracts and security documents. Owner: everyone. DoD: no summary posted without a source link.
- 04
Spot check accuracy monthly
Tool: Claude
Pick three summaries a month and check them against the source. Publish any miss so people calibrate how much to trust a summary. Owner: ops lead. DoD: monthly accuracy note posted.
Tools in this playbook
Next playbooks
Unfamiliar terms are defined in the AI and Revenue Dictionary. Related frameworks live in the framework library.