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Knowledge Base
Content Planner Guide
A phase-by-phase guide to planning a knowledge base project — from discovery and audit through information architecture, content strategy, writing schedules, and launch handoff.
01
Discovery and scoping
Before writing a single article, understand the content landscape. Gather source materials, identify the primary audience, map the user journey, and agree on scope and timeline.
Collect source materials: FAQs, tickets, SOPs, product notes
Identify primary audience: customers, employees, or both
Map the user journey and key question clusters
Define scope, timeline, and article priority
Agree on platform: Zendesk, Notion, Confluence, custom, or undecided
02
Knowledge audit
Review all existing content sources to identify what you have, what is missing, what is outdated, and what needs rewriting. Produce a content inventory and priority list.
Review existing FAQs, help articles, and documentation
Review support tickets and chat logs for repeated questions
Review onboarding materials, SOPs, and product notes
Identify missing articles and outdated content
Build a priority content map ranked by impact
03
Information architecture
Design the structure of the knowledge base before writing begins. Define categories, subcategories, naming conventions, tagging logic, and navigation hierarchy.
Define category and subcategory structure
Set article naming conventions
Design tagging and labeling logic
Map navigation hierarchy
Create the knowledge base sitemap
04
Content strategy and templates
Define what each article should do before writing begins. Create a content backlog, set article types, define tone and style, and build templates for consistency.
Build article backlog with types and priorities
Define article templates for each format
Write tone and style guide
Set formatting standards and writing rules
Define AI chatbot readiness standards
05
Content planning and scheduling
Plan writing assignments, set review checkpoints, and create a publishing schedule that aligns with platform readiness and team availability.
Assign articles to writers or reviewers
Set first-draft and review deadlines
Plan publishing order by audience priority
Coordinate platform setup alongside writing
Define ownership and maintenance responsibilities
06
Launch and handoff
Review the complete content set, run quality checks, confirm platform setup, and hand off the knowledge base with a maintenance plan and ownership structure.
Run quality review across all articles
Confirm help center setup and navigation
Create article ownership tracker
Deliver maintenance plan and update schedule
Set up analytics to track performance after launch