An employee asks when a customer can cancel an order. The assistant finds two documents: an old onboarding deck says 48 hours, while the current policy says 24. Both excerpts look relevant. The problem is not a lack of information; it is knowing which information governs this particular case.

Decide which document governs

Ask a business owner to define authority for each topic. A published policy may govern standard orders, while a signed customer agreement may govern an exception. The rule is not simply “pick the newest document.” An updated training deck does not necessarily override an approved policy, and a policy for one region may not apply to another.

Record the source owner, approval status, effective date, and scope. Where a newer version replaces an older one, record that relationship explicitly. Keep material needed for historical review separate from the default set used for current answers.

Use scope before similarity

In the cancellation example, the assistant first needs to know the order type and which policy applies. Then it can look for relevant passages in the eligible sources. A highly similar excerpt is not useful if it applies to a different product or time period.

If an important fact is missing, ask a focused question rather than assuming it. For example: “Is this a standard order or an order with a separate cancellation agreement?” Where a rule cannot be resolved, give the reader the sources and route the decision to the policy owner.

Show the evidence behind the answer

An illustrative answer might say: “For standard orders placed after the effective date, the current policy gives a 24-hour window. The onboarding deck shows 48 hours, but that version has been superseded. Check the agreement separately for a custom order.”

Link the applicable source and identify its effective date. Do not cite a document merely because it mentions the topic; the cited passage should support the answer and its scope.

Test updates, not just initial answers

  • Ask the same question before and after a policy change.
  • Include a current policy, an outdated copy, and a legitimate exception.
  • Check that a regional rule is not presented as universal.
  • Verify that an unresolved conflict results in escalation, not an invented compromise.
  • After updating the source, check that the assistant actually retrieves the revised version.

Track conflict-related errors separately from ordinary retrieval misses. Repeated conflicts may reveal unclear ownership or duplicated documents, which a better prompt alone will not fix.

For the broader setup, see our knowledge base guide. To discuss a pilot with versioned sources, contact Storm Nova Labs.