The test
Run this on one type of document at a time (one client's invoice, one vendor's report, one intake form). Answer yes or no to each.
1. Does it use the exact same layout every time: same columns, same fields, same place on the page?
2. Is the wording the same every time too, not just the numbers: same labels, same headers?
3. Does it come from the same source or template file every time?
4. If the layout changed, would someone tell you before it changed, not after?
5. Could you write down, once, exactly where to find each piece of information, and have that rule stay true forever?
6. Does a person still need to read it to understand what it means, not just where the numbers sit?
7. Is what's inside sometimes different in kind, not just in amount: a free-text note, a client's own wording, an exception?Reading the result
Mostly "yes" on 1-5, and "no" on 6-7: this document is a fixed template. Write a plain rule for where each field lives. No AI needed, and none of the guessing that comes with it.
Mostly "no" on 1-5, or "yes" on 6 or 7: this one genuinely needs reading. Use AI to read it, and keep a person checking what it comes back with. Never let it run unchecked, and if it comes back empty or unsure, that's a sign to look, not a sign to retry.