An illustrative proof card

Consider a company that prepares a weekly internal operations summary. This is a test design, not a reported result.

Workflow:

Convert approved source notes into a first-pass internal summary.

Baseline window:

Four ordinary weekly cycles using the current process.

Leading indicator:

Time from complete source notes to an accepted first pass.

Quality threshold:

Every factual statement traces to an approved source; required sections are present; a named reviewer accepts the summary.

Full effort counted:

Setup, source preparation, generation, review, correction, and exception handling.

Stop:

A protected source is exposed, a critical claim cannot be traced, or reviewer burden crosses the pre-agreed ceiling.

Change:

The first pass is useful only for one section or source type, so the workflow narrows.

Scale:

The bounded process meets the threshold across the agreed sample, and the next volume increase has an owner and review capacity.

The card does not forecast savings. It defines the evidence required before making a larger claim.