Write a short summary that keeps the important qualifiers

Shortening a document can turn a proposal into a decision or drop a cost limit. Start with a short complete memo you can verify line by line before trying longer material. A short summary is useful only if it preserves the facts that matter.

Practice goal: Write a source-linked summary and action list that distinguishes decisions, suggestions, assigned work and missing information.

Use only the invented information below. Do not paste real emails, personnel records, customer details or confidential business records. Changing a name does not establish permission to upload a real record.

• [F1] The following is the entire fictional memo, dated 2026-11-02. It concerns a paper mock-up of a shop display, not a launch or customer activity. Line M1: “We approved making a paper mock-up of the display layout. Installation and public launch are not approved.”
• [F2] M2: “The materials cap for the mock-up is $180. Staff time has not been estimated; the cap is not a total project budget.” M3: “Hana will draft the layout by Thursday 2026-11-05 at 15:00.”
• [F3] M4: “Quinn will check the draft after receiving it. No check deadline has been agreed.” M5: “A weekend social promotion was suggested. No promotion, discount or posting date was approved.”
• [F4] M6: “We need the owner to decide whether installation should proceed after the mock-up check. No installation date is set.” M7: “No spending or customer-response results are reported in this memo.”
• [F5] Write a summary of at most 90 words, followed by an action list. Cite M1–M7 beside the relevant facts. Include what was approved, the materials-only cap and unknown staff time, Hana’s task/deadline, Quinn’s task with no agreed deadline, and the undecided installation/promotion. Do not invent an approval, cost, deadline, owner assignment or outcome.
• [F6] Change case: replace M5 only with “The owner approved drafting one promotion proposal for later review. Publication and a discount are not approved; no drafting owner or deadline is assigned.” Explain what may change in the summary and what must remain unknown. Every other line stays the same.

You can complete this on paper or in a local document. No external account, upload or purchase is needed.

Draft your answer before reading the correction. Optional: use only this fictional prompt in a tool your organization permits. Do not connect accounts, upload other files or send messages for this task.

Using only the full memo M1–M7 in F1–F4, produce the F5 summary and action list with source-line references. Preserve negatives and scope limits. Then explain F6 separately without changing the original answer. Do not treat a proposed plan, draft approval or source citation as evidence of completed work.

Complete fictional facts:
- [F1] The following is the entire fictional memo, dated 2026-11-02. It concerns a paper mock-up of a shop display, not a launch or customer activity. Line M1: “We approved making a paper mock-up of the display layout. Installation and public launch are not approved.”
- [F2] M2: “The materials cap for the mock-up is $180. Staff time has not been estimated; the cap is not a total project budget.” M3: “Hana will draft the layout by Thursday 2026-11-05 at 15:00.”
- [F3] M4: “Quinn will check the draft after receiving it. No check deadline has been agreed.” M5: “A weekend social promotion was suggested. No promotion, discount or posting date was approved.”
- [F4] M6: “We need the owner to decide whether installation should proceed after the mock-up check. No installation date is set.” M7: “No spending or customer-response results are reported in this memo.”
- [F5] Write a summary of at most 90 words, followed by an action list. Cite M1–M7 beside the relevant facts. Include what was approved, the materials-only cap and unknown staff time, Hana’s task/deadline, Quinn’s task with no agreed deadline, and the undecided installation/promotion. Do not invent an approval, cost, deadline, owner assignment or outcome.
- [F6] Change case: replace M5 only with “The owner approved drafting one promotion proposal for later review. Publication and a discount are not approved; no drafting owner or deadline is assigned.” Explain what may change in the summary and what must remain unknown. Every other line stays the same.

Authored flawed sample, not an actual provider response:

The $180 project is fully approved and Hana will launch it Thursday at 15:00. Quinn must finish checking by Friday. Weekend discounts will increase customer response. All staffing costs are included. The team has already completed the mock-up.

1. M1 approves a paper mock-up only. It explicitly does not approve installation or launch. M3’s Thursday deadline is for Hana’s draft, not opening a display or completing the whole project.

2. M2 limits materials to $180 and leaves staff time unestimated. Calling $180 the total project cost drops a decisive qualifier. M7 reports neither actual spending nor customer outcomes.

3. M4 assigns Quinn the check after receiving the draft but supplies no deadline. Friday is invented. M6 identifies an owner decision still needed, not an installation task already assigned.

4. M5 is only a suggestion for a weekend promotion, with no promotion, discount or posting date approved. A source-line reference is useful only when that line supports the exact claim.

5. Under F6, drafting one promotion proposal is now approved, but publication and a discount remain unapproved. Its drafting owner and deadline are still unassigned. This change does not authorize installation, change Hana’s deadline or establish any outcome.

One supported correction:

Supported summary (under 90 words):

Only a paper mock-up is approved; installation and launch are not (M1). Materials are capped at $180; staff time is unestimated (M2). Hana drafts by 5 November at 15:00 (M3). Quinn checks after receiving it, with no agreed deadline (M4). Promotion remains a suggestion, without approved discounts or posting date (M5). The owner’s installation decision and date remain unresolved (M6). No spending or customer results are reported (M7).

Action list:

• Hana: draft layout by 2026-11-05 at 15:00 (M3).
• Quinn: check after receiving the draft; deadline not agreed (M4).
• Decision needed from owner: whether installation should proceed after the check; no date set (M6).
• Do not schedule or publish the suggested promotion (M5).

Changed M5 only: Drafting one promotion proposal is approved for later review; drafting owner and deadline are unassigned. Publication and a discount remain unapproved. Leave every other summary statement unchanged.

Check your answer:

• Distinguish mock-up approval from installation/launch and promotion status.
• Keep the $180 materials scope and unknown staff time.
• Preserve Hana’s exact task/deadline and Quinn’s dependency without inventing a deadline.
• Check each M-reference against the complete line; flag absent results and decisions.
• Apply the changed M5 only to proposal-drafting authority, not to publication or other tasks.

Different wording can satisfy these checks. Recheck the facts after any rewrite.

A longer source needs its own completeness and verification plan; a token limit is not a promise that every clause was considered. Check current tool, format and account limits before any separately authorized use. Some tools process PDF visuals directly within documented limits, so external OCR is not a universal prerequisite. This text-only practice requires no upload, contract interpretation or confidential memo. Do not replace required full-document or qualified review with an AI summary.

Use these references for guidance on checking sources, handling information and presenting your work clearly. The business facts and sample answers in this lesson are fictional.

• Generative Artificial Intelligence Profile
• Protecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business
• Use Clear and Understandable Content
• Upload files to Claude

Practise checking and revising with the supplied facts. Completing this exercise does not qualify you for professional work or give you permission to use real records, send messages or publish content. For real work, follow your organization’s data, review and approval process.

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