Retrieval-augmented generation can make organisational knowledge conversational, but a polished chat interface does not guarantee trustworthy answers. The information pipeline matters more than the prompt alone.
Build a governed corpus
Clean documents, preserve useful structure, attach ownership and dates, remove duplicates, and carry source permissions into the search index.
Retrieve for the question
Combine semantic and lexical search, apply metadata filters, rerank candidates, and return enough surrounding context to preserve meaning.
Evaluate grounded behaviour
Test retrieval recall, citation accuracy, answer support, refusal behaviour, and permission enforcement with real questions from intended users.
Strong technology begins with the complete operating context. Connect the disciplines early, validate against real constraints, and design for the lifecycle—not merely the launch.