# Chatbot knowledge-base readiness checklist

Template v1 - 2026-10-18 - MiniAI Labs - https://miniailabs.in/resources/templates/
Free to use and adapt for your own projects. A generic template, not a client document.

Use this before anyone builds an assistant that answers from your content. Work through it with the people who answer customer questions today. Tick a box only when the answer is yes and you can point to where it is written down. "Not sure" counts as no.

Project: ____________________   Prepared by: ____________________   Date: ____________

## 1. Scope: what the assistant may and may not answer

- [ ] We have listed the questions customers ask most, taken from real tickets, chats, emails or call notes, not from memory.
- [ ] Each of those questions has one approved answer somewhere in our content.
- [ ] We have written a never-answer list: topics the assistant must hand to a person (for example complaints, refunds above a limit, account security, legal or medical questions).
- [ ] We know who the assistant serves (prospects, customers, staff or a mix) and whether they should see different content.
- [ ] We have chosen the languages for the first release.

Never-answer list:

1. ____________________
2. ____________________
3. ____________________

## 2. Source inventory

List every source the assistant might read, one row per source.

| Source | Where it lives | Owner | Format | Last reviewed | Audience | Include? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Help centre or FAQ pages | | | Web pages | | Public | Yes / No |
| Product or service descriptions | | | | | | |
| Policies (returns, cancellations, delivery, privacy) | | | | | | |
| Internal how-to notes | | | | | Staff only | |
| Approved replies or macros | | | | | | |

- [ ] Every included source has a named owner who will keep it current.
- [ ] We know which source wins when two disagree, for prices, policies, hours and limits.

## 3. Content quality

- [ ] The same topic is not described in two places with different details.
- [ ] Out-of-date pages are deleted or clearly marked, not left for the assistant to find.
- [ ] Policies state their conditions in words, not only in images or screenshots.
- [ ] Scanned PDFs and screenshots that matter have a text version.
- [ ] Each page covers one topic under a clear title, so a passage read on its own still makes sense.
- [ ] Prices, opening hours and limits each live in one place, so one edit updates every answer.

## 4. Access and sensitive content

- [ ] Nothing in the included sources is staff-only, unless the assistant is for staff only.
- [ ] The included sources contain no customer personal data, such as names or order details pasted into examples.
- [ ] If the assistant must look up an order or an account, that lookup goes through an API with its own permissions, not through the knowledge base.
- [ ] We know where the indexed copy of our content will be stored, and who can read it.

## 5. Freshness

- [ ] The builder will be told when content changes: by a webhook, a scheduled re-index or a named person.
- [ ] We have agreed how soon a content change must reach the assistant: ____________
- [ ] Someone will review unanswered and handed-off questions every week and turn them into new or better content.

## 6. Test questions (the start of your evaluation set)

Collect real questions before launch: everyday ones, hard ones, badly phrased ones, and ones the assistant must refuse or hand off.

| ID | Real question, as asked | Expected answer, in short | Source page | Hand off? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | | | | Yes / No |
| T-02 | | | | |
| T-03 | | | | |
| T-04 | | | | |
| T-05 | | | | |

- [ ] Every topic on the never-answer list has test questions, to check the hand-off.
- [ ] The owner of each source has agreed the expected answers for its topics.

How to grow and grade this set: https://miniailabs.in/resources/guides/evaluating-ai-systems/

## 7. Hand-off to a person

- [ ] We know where handed-off conversations go (an inbox, a helpdesk queue or live chat), who watches it, and in which hours.
- [ ] Outside those hours, the assistant says when a person will reply instead of promising an immediate answer.
- [ ] The hand-off carries the conversation so far, so the customer does not have to repeat it.

## 8. Sign-off

| Role | Name | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content owner | | | |
| Support lead | | | |
| Privacy or legal reviewer (if personal data is involved) | | | |

Ready to build when sections 1 to 4 are fully ticked. Sections 5 to 7 can be finished during the build, but before launch.