Maintain a connected map of product knowledge
Connect code, documentation, support issues, and feature context so changes can be understood across the product.
How this works
Connect code, documentation, support issues, and feature context so changes can be understood across the product. Use this when product knowledge is spread across documents, decisions and implementation references and teams need to understand how concepts connect. The map should preserve source authority and change history rather than create a new unsupported narrative.
Define a small set of entity and relationship types, extract evidence-backed connections, and maintain them as sources change. Distinguish documented relationships from proposed links. Use questions and contradictions to identify knowledge gaps for owners to resolve.
Before you start
Knowledge sources
Select current product documents, decision records and relevant technical references.
Map schema
Agree entity types, relationship meanings and owner fields.
Update process
Define how changed or retired sources affect the map.
Prepare the inputs
- source_index
- Required
ID, version, owner, date and access
Preserve source restrictions and authoritative status.
- entity_schema
- Required
concepts, features, metrics, decisions and systems
Avoid vague relationships that cannot be interpreted.
- relationship_evidence
- Required
source passages supporting links
Require evidence or an explicit proposed-link status.
- questions
- Required
team queries and discovered gaps
Use them to improve coverage without inventing answers.
Implementation, step by step
Inventory the sources
- Identify current, historical and conflicting material.
- Record coverage and avoid treating a document's presence as proof it is authoritative.
Checkpoint: The source index is reviewable.
Extract entities
- Normalize names and aliases for the chosen concept types.
- Keep unresolved duplicates separate until evidence supports a merge.
Checkpoint: Stable entities have source references.
Create relationships
- Link entities using explicit evidence and defined relationship types.
- Distinguish depends_on, measures, implements and supersedes rather than using a generic connection.
Checkpoint: The map has interpretable edges.
Validate with questions
- Answer representative product questions through the map and cited sources.
- Identify missing links and contradictory paths for owner review.
Checkpoint: The map supports actual team use.
Maintain changes
- Refresh affected entities and edges when sources change.
- Retire stale relationships with history instead of silently deleting their context.
Checkpoint: The map has a current version and correction log.
Decisions along the way
Two documents define a concept differently
Keep the conflict visible and ask the owner to resolve it.
Link is plausible but unstated
Mark it proposed rather than established.
Source access is restricted
Preserve that restriction in map views and answers.
What you will produce
product-knowledge-map.json
JSONA source-grounded connected knowledge representation.
Include: entities · relationships · evidence · versions · status
knowledge-gaps.md
MarkdownA queue for improving product documentation.
Include: question · missing_link · conflict · owner
Check the result
- Sample relationships and open their supporting passages.
- Verify aliases do not merge different concepts.
- Test current versus historical questions separately.
- Check restricted sources cannot leak through map summaries.
When something goes wrong
Source is removed
Mark dependent links unsupported until replacement evidence exists.
Entity matching creates a false merge
Split the entity and repair affected edges.
Update process misses a changed decision
Use owner review to correct the map and record the gap.
A worked example
SYNTHETIC EXAMPLE · NOT A REPORTED BUSINESS RESULT
Request
Synthetic: map reporting permissions.
Inputs
Document D3 says editors can export reports; decision D4 supersedes an older rule that allowed viewers. Feature F2 implements the export screen.
Expected result
Synthetic result: link F2 to D4 and editor permission, retain D3 if consistent, and mark the viewer rule historical. Do not answer a current question from the retired rule.
Run a small pilot
Start small
Map one product area and several recurring team questions.
Record the baseline
Record search time and unsupported or missing connections.
Agree success criteria
Agree source traceability and answer coverage before expansion.
Stop or revise
Stop relying on map answers when authoritative conflicts remain unresolved.
Keep the scope clear
- The map organizes evidence and does not replace product ownership or specifications.
- Source access restrictions apply to derived relationships and answers.
Check before using
Review generated links and descriptions. A graph can encode incorrect relationships and needs change-aware maintenance.
Business activities
- Maintain shared company knowledge
- Plan products and business changes
FROM A RECIPE TO YOUR WORKFLOW
Bring the company context together.
This workflow needs reliable inputs before it needs a better prompt. Moat8 Vault brings working information into a readable archive for the AI tools you use.
For this recipe: Repository and documentation · Support and bug reports · Feature and business context
Start with one recurring task, agree which sources to use, and review the first result with your team.
Discuss this workflow