Review Documentation Standards

A review that produces findings but does not document them is a review that will be repeated when the next reviewer arrives. Review documentation serves three purposes: it communicates findings to stakeholders, it creates an institutional record for the clause library, and it provides a defensible account of what was reviewed and what was found — which matters if the contract produces a dispute and someone asks "did you review this provision?"

1. Annotation Register Every provision that receives a [RISK], [REDLINED], [RECOMMEND], or [CLEARED] annotation is recorded with: the provision reference, the annotation, the plain-English explanation, the risk score, and the recommended action. The register is the primary deliverable of the review — not the marked-up contract, the register.
2. Interaction Map Document every identified provision interaction — which provisions reference each other, which create obligation chains, and which contradict each other. The interaction map is the evidence that the review went beyond individual clause assessment to systemic risk analysis.
3. Decision Record For every [RISK] provision where the business chose to accept the risk, document the decision: who decided, when, based on what rationale. The decision record protects the reviewer and the organization — it proves that the risk was identified, communicated, and consciously accepted, not overlooked.