Start with a task rather than every file
An AI knowledge base connects suitable information with search or answer generation. Its value depends on helping people complete a specific task. Importing every file is not a useful initial success criterion.
Choose service instructions or recurring product enquiries, for example. Identify users, source owners and pilot boundaries, including decisions that still require personal approval.
Classify sources by authority
An approved work instruction and an old personal note do not carry equal weight. Check validity, version, owner and access. Historical documents may still be useful, but their context must be clear.
Begin with a small, coherent set of sources. Record responsibility, update procedures and what happens when a source is deleted or access is withdrawn.
Keep a source register with clear ownership
Record each source’s purpose, authoritative version, owner, permitted roles and update process. Fictional example: service handbook · complaints · version 3 · service lead · service team · review after each process change.
Separate specialist ownership from technical operations. The specialist decides which statement applies; IT configures access and connections. Assign a deputy so that the new process does not depend on one person again.
Agree acceptance criteria before the pilot
Define the tasks participants should complete and the sources they may access. Use accounts with different permissions; a successful administrator demonstration is insufficient.
Assess answer quality in a separate review. The linked guide to evaluating AI answers includes fictional test cases and a reusable recording template.
Judge the actual workflow
Measure whether relevant information is easier to find and how much review a draft requires. Compare similar tasks. One fast attempt does not establish sustained time savings.
Define blocking errors before rollout. Unauthorised disclosure and invented commitments deserve different treatment from awkward wording.
Where chifty fits
Knowledge provides the source base; Chat and Office apply approved information in their workflows. Discuss suitable sources, roles and deployment for the installation.
Start with a bounded project and expand after review. Updates, permissions and specialist ownership remain ongoing responsibilities.
Useful next steps: