Knowledge base software: a practical trial checklist

Prepare several questions before the demonstration. Include an acronym, a phrase used by a new colleague and a question whose answer does not exist. Search as an ordinary reader and record which article appears, how much context the result shows and whether the reader can identify the current version. Repeat after editing an article and note when the result changes. A demonstration using the exact document title tests title lookup; it does not establish whether an unfamiliar reader can find the answer. Keep a record of unsuccessful searches as well as successful ones.

Create a public article, a team-only article and a restricted page. Test each through direct links, search results, embeds and connected tools using the relevant reader accounts. Remove one reader from the team and repeat in a fresh session. Ask how a connected source updates permissions when access changes there. Distinguish the article title appearing in a result from the full article being accessible: both can matter to your review. Record the configuration and the plan used rather than assuming the same controls exist in every edition.

Assign an owner and a review date to a sample policy. Change the policy, request approval and test how a reader sees the approved version while an edit is pending. Reassign ownership when the original author leaves. Ask whether reminders, review history and approval are included features, integrations or manual steps. If the product relies on a manual process, test that process with the team who will maintain it. A field called last updated does not establish that someone checked whether the answer is still correct.

Export a set containing links between articles, an attachment, a restricted document and a version history. Open the export outside the original service and check which parts survived. Record missing relationships, permissions and metadata separately from the article text. For a connected publishing service, test what happens when the source document is moved, access is revoked or the upstream account closes. Ask about redirects for existing public links and measure the work required to publish the sample elsewhere. Keep the export and the read-back result with the dated offer.