Documentation & Knowledge Base Checklist for Agency & Consulting

Create a global standards space and client-specific spaces in Confluence or Notion, and mirror the structure in GitHub repos. Use consistent naming conventions so project managers can find assets without context switching.

Use Markdown with MkDocs or Docusaurus versioned in GitHub or GitLab. Host on Pages or Netlify and keep docs in the code repo to enable PR reviews and traceability.

Define terms and tags for industries, capabilities, and components to reduce ambiguity across clients. Link terms directly from SOWs and API docs for consistency.

Provide reusable templates for README, SOW, onboarding guide, API reference, and changelog. Store them in a Notion template gallery or /docs/templates with variables ready for reuse.

Set up least-privilege access across Confluence, Notion, and repos with Google Workspace or Okta. Map roles by client and audit quarterly for compliance.

Adopt a style guide and wire up Vale, prettier, and markdown link checks in CI. Consistent language and link health reduce review time and production defects.

Transform intake form data into a README summarizing goals, stack, environments, and contacts. Link Slack channels, Jira boards, and meeting cadences for quick orientation.

Build parameterized SOW sections for scope, SLAs, and timelines to minimize manual edits. Render to PDF from source control and track revisions to prevent drift.

List decision makers, roles, and escalation paths with meeting frequency. Embed Slack channel links and email groups to reduce delays.

Reference Vault or 1Password for secrets and forbid storing them in docs. Include staging and prod URLs, IAM roles, DNS and CDN providers, and backup procedures.

Publish a milestones page with a RACI chart that maps to Jira epics. Visible responsibilities reduce unmanaged dependencies and handoff gaps.

Capture architecture decisions as ADRs with tradeoffs and a risk log with mitigations. Share with the client to align expectations early.

Keep the OpenAPI file in the repo and render docs via Redoc or Stoplight. Regenerate on every merge so clients always see current endpoints.

Ship a collection with environment variables, pre-request scripts, and example responses. Use shared workspaces so client developers can reproduce calls quickly.

Explain OAuth, JWT, and HMAC with token lifetimes, scopes, refresh logic, and 429 handling. Include diagrams and copy-paste curl for testing.

Provide install and run steps with copy-paste snippets and starter scripts. Use mock keys to validate flows without real credentials.

Use GitHub Actions or GitLab CI to lint Markdown, validate the OpenAPI spec, and build the docs site. Publish to Pages on merge to main to prevent stale references.

Map error codes to likely causes and fixes with sample payloads. Add playbooks for CORS issues, webhook retries, and common timeouts.

Maintain a CHANGELOG with dated entries using Added, Changed, and Fixed sections. Clear summaries help account managers communicate impact.

Generate release notes by pulling labeled PR titles and Jira tickets. Template links to docs and migration steps to cut manual effort.

Define checklists for web, mobile, and data with accessibility and performance budgets. Include browser and device matrices to standardize testing.

Document rollback steps, blast radius assessment, and client communication templates. Assign on-call roles and escalation paths for faster recovery.

Schedule deploys with approval gates and client signoffs that respect campaigns. Avoid weekend releases to reduce risk.

Store screenshots, logs, and coverage reports in a structured folder and link from release notes. Evidence supports audits and SOC 2 readiness.

Create playbooks for SEO audits, analytics setup, and migrations with steps and outputs. Include tool configs and sample deliverables to improve margin per client.

Tag docs by client, industry, capability, and deliverable type. Consistent labels improve search, dashboards, and cross-client reuse.

Run link and freshness reports and assign owners to update or archive outdated pages. This keeps the knowledge base trustworthy.

Maintain living pages for recurring questions and recorded answers from office hours. Centralizing answers cuts meeting time and repeat support tickets.

Publish approved responses and code samples as snippets for account managers and developers. Tools like TextExpander or repo snippets standardize communication.

Export docs, transfer ownership, revoke access, and perform a postmortem before archiving. A clean handoff protects IP and accelerates future work.