QUILL's Polish Framework

The polish pass is not proofreading. Proofreading catches typos and grammar errors. The polish pass evaluates the document as a complete communication object: does every element serve the reader? Is every sentence earns its place? Does the document deliver what it promised in the first page? Is the argument coherent from end to end? Would a client who reads only the first and last pages understand what they need to do? These are not proofreading questions — they are editorial questions, and they require a reader who approaches the document fresh.

1. Pass 1: Structure and argument Read only the headings, the first sentence of each section, and the final recommendation. Does the document's argument hold together at the structural level? Is there a logical flow from findings to analysis to implications? Are there sections that seem to break the logical sequence? Structural problems identified in this pass are fixed before moving to the prose level — rewriting a paragraph beautifully and then discovering the paragraph is in the wrong place is wasted effort.
2. Pass 2: Prose and precision Read every sentence. Identify: sentences that hedge when the analysis supports a stronger claim; sentences that state the obvious; sentences that are grammatically correct but say nothing; and sentences that use ten words where four would do. Cut or tighten each one. The prose pass should reduce the word count by ten to twenty percent without removing any substantive content.
3. Pass 3: Client-readiness Read the document as the client will read it — someone who has not spent the last three weeks living inside the engagement. Does every reference assume knowledge the client may not have? Does every acronym appear with its full form on first use? Does every visual carry a clear label and source? Does every recommendation name an owner? The client-readiness pass catches the assumptions that are invisible to a writer who has been too close to the work.