The answer exists in a long procedure, but staff keep asking the same question. You turn the procedure into an FAQ. Now the answer is easier to find, but the sequence needed to complete the work has disappeared.
Choose a knowledge format according to the user's task. A FAQ addresses a question, a procedure explains a sequence and a decision tree helps select a route from stated conditions. The same approved rule may need more than one view, but its meaning and ownership should remain consistent.
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Identify the point of difficulty
Ask whether the person cannot find the answer, cannot follow the steps or cannot decide which rule applies. These problems can look similar in an inbox while needing different explanations.
For an illustrative document-request process, staff may know the normal steps but struggle when a client cannot supply one item. Rewriting every step into shorter sentences will not settle the exception decision.
Start with one actual question and observe what information resolves it. Do not redesign the whole knowledge library before understanding the immediate task.
Match the format to the job
Use this working guide:
FAQ: the reader has a recognisable question with a bounded answer.
SOP: the reader needs to carry out ordered steps.
Decision tree: the next route depends on clear conditions.
Reference sheet: the reader needs stable names, values or definitions.
Worked example: the reader needs to understand how a rule applies.
These are editorial choices, not a universal information architecture. Avoid forcing a complicated judgement into a yes-or-no tree simply because the diagram looks tidy.
An illustrative exception route
The question is what to do when a client lacks a required document. A short FAQ can explain that alternatives depend on the service and point to the correct route.
The procedure can show how to record the issue and obtain a decision. A decision tree can help only if the conditions and authorised alternatives are actually agreed.
If the rule requires case-specific judgement, make that human decision visible. Do not ask AI to invent branches that imply an approved policy.
Use AI to propose views, not new rules
Give the approved source and ask for a draft in the selected format. Require it to identify any condition that cannot be expressed without interpretation.
Compare the proposed view with the original rule. Check whether exceptions remain attached to the right step and whether a shortened answer has changed who may decide.
Keep one governing source and a clear maintenance relationship. Several independently edited copies can make information harder to trust even when each is easy to read.
Check the format with a user
Ask a colleague to answer the original question or walk through the case using the draft. Note where they need to guess, search elsewhere or request an explanation.
Use those observations to improve the view. A successful knowledge format reduces uncertainty at the point of work, while making the source and unresolved decisions easier to identify.
For related practical guidance, see creating usable procedures and preparing business knowledge sources.
Hili Consulting can help choose a useful format for an approved business rule. Arrange a free 30-minute consultation and bring one example of the work you want to improve.
