A checklist for your next document review.

Use it with the documents you already have.

Download the plain-text checklist and worksheet, or print this page using your browser. Work through it alongside the original documents. Adapt the fields to your workflow while keeping the originals and unresolved questions visible.

Download the checklist (.txt)

The checkboxes below are temporary and are not saved after a reload. A checked step is not an approval and does not mean the documents agree. Use the downloaded worksheet to retain your review.

Twelve steps, from scope to handover

• 1. Define the review scopeList the document types, records, fields and versions being compared. Record what is outside this review.
• 2. Keep the original documentsRecord each filename, reference, issue date and version. Retain amendments without overwriting earlier originals.
• 3. Confirm record relationshipsCheck parties and shared references. Keep uncertain pairings pending; equal totals or similar names are not proof.
• 4. Verify item identityCheck SKU, specification, size and other relevant attributes. Ask for evidence when a description is incomplete.
• 5. Record quantities and their unitsCopy both source values. Different units remain not comparable; a stated pack size does not create an automatic match.
• 6. Record prices and their basesKeep currency, pricing unit and stated discounts visible. Do not silently convert currency, units or derive net-price equivalence.
• 7. Check dates and missing fieldsRetain the original date text and flag ambiguity. Distinguish an omitted field from an explicit zero or agreed value.
• 8. Review split lines with evidenceAggregate only confirmed same-product lines with the same unit and currency. Retain every source row used in the sum.
• 9. Separate charges from item differencesCheck freight and other stated charges separately. Explain the total difference without double-counting its components.
• 10. Attach sources to each findingRecord left and right values, files, pages and line references. Distinguish Difference, Consistent, Needs information and Not comparable.
• 11. Record the reviewer’s decisionKeep Not reviewed distinct from the finding. Record follow-up, or an accepted difference with reason, evidence, reviewer and date.
• 12. Hand over unresolved workList open questions, owners and next actions. Retain the review version and reconsider affected findings when documents change.

Record one finding before moving on.

Here is a completed finding record from our synthetic price-difference example. Its review state remains open.

Make open questions easy to pick up.

Keep a short list of unresolved items with the person responsible and the next action. An incomplete record relationship, different units and an unreviewed price difference are distinct issues; avoid flattening them into a single “failed” status.

Retain the document and review versions used for the check. If a source changes, reconsider affected findings and decisions. Do not overwrite an older review or carry its decisions forward without checking their basis.

For details on the two comparison stages, read purchase order vs. order confirmation and order confirmation vs. invoice.