How do I start building?
Expected completion 10 minutes.
Plan, plan, plan
Make a plan! Why? By starting with a general plan, you can ensure that your bot is purposefully created to solve a certain problem or pain point. It doesn’t have to be detailed. It doesn’t have to list out every question and answer, but having a general framework or outline will smooth out the process and help you to quickly identify issues.
This session will guide you through how to start planning your bot in 3 main steps. At the end, you will interact with a bot that will give you some personalised advice on what to consider as you plan your bot. By the end, you will be armed with all the information you need to create a plan for your bot.
Your well-drafted plan will:
- ensure your bot collects all the information required.
- act as a reference to check your bot for mistakes.
- allow you to build faster because you already know what needs to be done.
- reduce the amount of time you spend editing and changing things in the bot later on.
There are 3 main steps to developing the plan for your bot.
Step 1: Identify variables
Identify all the information the bot needs to collect from the user. We call each piece of information a variable. So, what variables does your bot need in order to give guidance, interview the client, automate a document, or send an automated email, and how will this intake information differ in each scenario?
For example, when automating a document, the manual tasks include:
- Identify each piece of information in your document needed from the user.
- Copy and paste them into a separate document.
- Now you have a rough list of variables! Keep this list handy…
Step 2: Create order
Your plan should include how your bot will collect this information. Consider how it is normally done manually while planning. Break the task into parts and decide: in what order should this information be collected?
Order is important because some of the information that needs to be collected is dependent upon previous responses. You might need to know what the probation period is for an employment agreement, but you only need to ask that question if the user responds that there is a probation period. The order in which you collect these pieces of information has a great effect on the user experience.
If you’re unsure about exactly how to organise, don’t worry. At the end of this session you can interact with a bot that will give you personalised tips on things to consider as you make your plan.
Step 3: Document your plan
Document your plan so that it can be properly and efficiently used while creating your bot. Based on the intended purpose of your bot, your plan might be outlined as a script that interacts back and forth with the user, a more complex mind map, or even a decision tree when multiple points of conditional logic are necessary to provide guidance and advice. Overall, the plan should be organised in a way that makes sense for you and your team.
Make a plan!
Whether you use a mapping tool such as Miro or Whimsical, or you prefer the simplicity of a word document or pen and paper, take the time now to document your plan as wholly as possible to ensure your bot will save you time in the long run.
Want more detailed guidance on how to create a plan for your bot? Have a brief chat with the bot below, and it will give you a personalised guide for what to consider when planning your bot!
Now head over to the next session, Certification Homework, to learn what you need to do over the next week before starting Module 3.