Commercial agreements tend to get read quickly and signed quickly — usually because a deal has momentum and nobody wants to be the one slowing it down. That instinct is understandable. It is also how avoidable problems make it into contracts.
1. What does "done" actually mean?
Many disputes trace back to a mismatch between what each side thought "completion" or "delivery" meant. Before signing, it's worth asking whether obligations are defined precisely enough that both sides would describe them the same way six months later.
2. Who bears the risk if something goes wrong?
Liability and indemnity clauses are often the least-read part of an agreement and the most consequential. A useful exercise is to imagine the worst plausible outcome and trace, clause by clause, who would actually pay for it.
3. How does either party exit the agreement?
Termination rights are easy to overlook when a relationship is starting well. They matter considerably more once it isn't. Understanding notice periods, cure periods and exit costs in advance avoids negotiating them under pressure later.
The strongest contracts are not the ones that anticipate every scenario — they are the ones that make the important scenarios clear.
4. What happens to shared information afterward?
Confidentiality and data-handling obligations frequently outlive the commercial relationship itself. It's worth being clear on what survives termination and for how long.
5. Is the agreement internally consistent?
Agreements assembled from multiple templates or negotiated over several rounds sometimes contain clauses that quietly contradict one another. A final read for internal consistency — not just individual clauses — is time well spent.
None of this replaces a considered review of the specific agreement in front of you. But asking these questions early tends to surface the issues worth spending real attention on.