Build Document Index

Build Document Index

Inventory supplied evidence into a stable, reviewable index without deciding what any document proves. Every row is traceable to one supplied file, the source documents stay unchanged, and the index is delivered as a Word .docx file so it can become the front of a bundle or the source register of a chronology.

Workflow

1. Define the index set.
   • Record the matter label, the supplied set (folder, upload or bundle reference) and any practitioner instruction on ordering or numbering.
   • State that the index covers only the supplied and readable documents.
2. Build the source review table.
   • Use the runtime's native review-table or structured document-review feature when available. Do not replace an available native table with prose.
   • Treat each document or coherent file group (an email and its attachments, a contract and its schedules) as a source row. Use these columns: source ID; file name; document date as recorded; document type; author or sender; recipients or parties; description; page or item count; readability; duplicate, version or attachment relationship; and reviewer status.
   • If no native table exists, use the same schema as an internal structured extraction and state in the final document that cell verification and native source navigation were unavailable.
3. Describe each document from its own text.
   • Take the description from the document's title, heading, subject line or opening — quote or closely paraphrase it and give the pinpoint. Never summarise what the document proves or invent a title for an untitled file.
   • Preserve the source's exact date wording before adding a normalised value. Record an undated document as undated; never infer a date from file metadata without saying so.
   • Mark duplicates, near-duplicates, drafts and later versions by linking source IDs. Do not discard any file; a duplicate stays in the index with its link.
4. Number and order the index.
   • Assign stable source IDs in the order supplied unless the practitioner instructs chronological or category ordering. Once assigned, an ID never changes; a re-ordered index keeps the same IDs.
   • Where a bundle numbering scheme is supplied (tab, volume, page range), record it beside the source ID; never renumber the supplied scheme.
5. Create the Word index.
   • Create a new .docx file. If the user supplies an approved index or court-book template, use a working copy and preserve its styles; otherwise use a clean, restrained professional layout suitable for legal review.
   • Include: title and document status; index scope and supplied-source limitation; the index table; a relationships table (duplicates, versions, attachments); unreadable and missing items; review record; and limitations.
   • Use a landscape section when needed for readability. Repeat table headings across pages, allow rows to expand and do not shrink text to force the table onto fewer pages.
   • Mark the document DRAFT - HUMAN REVIEW REQUIRED. Use reviewer names, firm branding or matter identifiers only when supplied or approved.
6. Check integrity and gaps.
   • Confirm that every supplied file appears exactly once as a row or as a linked member of a file group, and that every row points to a supplied file.
   • List unreadable, password-protected, corrupt or empty files, missing attachments referred to in a document, and broken numbering sequences.
   • Confirm that the output is a valid .docx, opens successfully and contains the expected sections and rows. Use the runtime's document preview when available and inspect every page for clipped text, broken tables and unreadable entries. If visual inspection is unavailable, state that limitation in the document and result status.

Result contract

Lead with READY FOR HUMAN REVIEW, READY WITH QUALIFICATIONS, NOT READY or OUTSIDE SCOPE.

Index scope: <matter label; supplied set; ordering instruction>
Source review table: <native table reference or structured fallback>
DOCX index: <filename; valid and opened; visual QA status>
Index table: <source ID; bundle reference; file name; recorded and normalised
  date; type; author; recipients; description and pinpoint; pages;
  readability>
Relationships: <duplicates, versions and attachments by source ID>
Unreadable or missing: <file; reason; practitioner action>
Review record: <unreviewed | corrected | verified, with human reviewer details
  only when supplied>
Limitations: <supplied-source boundary; description and dating limits>

Use READY FOR HUMAN REVIEW when every supplied file is indexed and a valid .docx passed the available document checks. Use READY WITH QUALIFICATIONS when the .docx remains useful despite unreadable files, undated items or unavailable visual inspection. Use NOT READY when the supplied set cannot be identified reliably or the runtime cannot create a valid .docx. Use OUTSIDE SCOPE when the request requires a finding about relevance, privilege, credibility, admissibility, weight or merits.

Fail closed

Never invent a title, date, author, recipient, page count or relationship. Never omit a supplied file or merge distinct documents into one row. Never describe what a document proves, label it relevant or irrelevant, or mark it privileged — those are practitioner decisions handled in other workflows. Do not claim the index is complete beyond the supplied and readable set. Do not alter, send, file, publish or disclose source documents or the index without separate human authorisation. Do not substitute Markdown, PDF, a spreadsheet or prose-only output for the required .docx index.