[TeMPOraL]

You're assuming the intern actually did the job - that he didn't e.g. get bored a third of the way and finished the rest by dragging down the "No" field through the rest of the column in in Excel, and then changing a bunch of random URLs to "Yes".

My experience is that most people assigned with boring, repetitive jobs will either automate some of it or start cutting corners to avoid the work.

(In fact I'm starting to believe that the first runaway evil AI trying to take over the world will get stopped in its tracks, because it will not understand just how different the "on-paper" states of inventory and books in small and medium businesses are from reality.)

[antisthenes]

That's exactly what I would have done given such a task if there was no good way to automate it.

[TeMPOraL]

Many people do think exactly like that, but now realize that the output of such a task is often an input to another one. Garbage in, garbate out applies just as much to decision processes as to computers.

[cestith]

Most computer programs are just very quickly run decision processes, especially in the MIS subfield.

[nickonline]

The task is "find out who is not providing value"

Your solution is to say they all provide value?

[nickonline]

An as your boss I'd do simple random spot checks of some of those urls - you'd be under deeper review in a heartbeat.

The intern's requirements in this job are not "press every link presented" they are "find out who is not providing value for their worth" however the press dgaf about that.

The above is not advanced management techniques, it's basic check work.