Essential Work Samples for Evaluating Internal AI Use Case Documentation Skills

Effective documentation of internal AI use cases is critical for organizations implementing artificial intelligence solutions. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into business operations, the ability to clearly document use cases, requirements, and implementation details ensures alignment between technical teams and business stakeholders. Well-crafted AI use case documentation serves as a blueprint for development, a reference for implementation, and a knowledge base for future initiatives.

Organizations that excel at documenting AI use cases experience smoother implementations, better stakeholder buy-in, and more successful AI deployments. The documentation specialist serves as a bridge between technical AI teams and business units, translating complex concepts into clear, actionable documentation that guides the entire AI lifecycle from conception to deployment and maintenance.

Evaluating candidates for AI documentation roles requires assessing their ability to gather requirements, understand technical concepts, and communicate clearly through written documentation. Traditional interviews often fail to reveal a candidate's true capabilities in these areas. Work samples provide a realistic preview of how candidates approach documentation tasks and whether they can produce the quality of documentation your organization needs.

The following work samples are designed to evaluate key skills required for effective AI use case documentation: technical writing ability, stakeholder interviewing skills, documentation planning, and the ability to translate complex AI concepts for different audiences. By using these exercises, you'll gain valuable insights into how candidates approach real documentation challenges and their capacity to create documentation that drives successful AI implementations.

Activity #1: AI Use Case Documentation Sample

This activity evaluates a candidate's ability to create clear, comprehensive documentation for an AI use case. Technical writing is the foundation of effective AI documentation, requiring the ability to organize information logically, explain complex concepts clearly, and create documentation that serves the needs of multiple stakeholders.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide the candidate with a brief description of a fictional AI use case (e.g., "An AI-powered customer service chatbot that handles routine inquiries and escalates complex issues to human agents").
• Include basic information about the business problem, stakeholders, and technical approach.
• Allow the candidate 45-60 minutes to create documentation for this use case.
• Provide access to a computer with word processing software or a documentation tool.
• Optionally, provide a template or example of your organization's documentation format.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the AI use case information provided.
• Create comprehensive documentation that includes:
• Executive summary
• Business problem and objectives
• Stakeholders and their requirements
• Technical approach and AI capabilities
• Implementation considerations
• Success metrics
• Potential challenges and mitigations
• Format the documentation professionally and ensure it's accessible to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Be prepared to explain your documentation choices and organization.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After reviewing the documentation, provide feedback on the structure, clarity, completeness, and technical accuracy.
• Highlight one aspect the candidate did particularly well (e.g., "Your executive summary effectively captured the business value").
• Provide one area for improvement (e.g., "The technical approach section could include more detail on data requirements").
• Allow the candidate 10-15 minutes to revise the section needing improvement based on your feedback.

Activity #2: Stakeholder Interview Role Play

This activity assesses the candidate's ability to gather requirements from stakeholders through effective interviewing. Documentation specialists must extract relevant information from subject matter experts who may not always know exactly what information is needed for comprehensive documentation.

Directions for the Company:

• Select an employee to play the role of a business stakeholder (e.g., a marketing manager who wants to implement AI for customer segmentation).
• Provide the role player with a brief on their character, including their knowledge level about AI, their business objectives, and key information they should share only if asked specifically.
• Allow 20-30 minutes for the interview role play.
• Prepare a list of information that should ideally be gathered during the interview (for evaluation purposes).

Directions for the Candidate:

• You will interview a business stakeholder who has requested documentation for an AI use case.
• Your goal is to gather all necessary information to create comprehensive documentation.
• Prepare questions in advance that will help you understand:
• The business problem and objectives
• Current processes and pain points
• Stakeholder expectations and requirements
• Technical constraints or considerations
• Success metrics and evaluation criteria
• Take notes during the interview to capture key information.
• After the interview, summarize the key points you gathered and identify any follow-up questions.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the candidate's interviewing technique, including question quality, active listening, and ability to extract relevant information.
• Highlight one strength in their approach (e.g., "You effectively used follow-up questions to clarify technical requirements").
• Suggest one area for improvement (e.g., "Consider asking more about success metrics to ensure alignment").
• Allow the candidate to conduct a brief follow-up interview (5-10 minutes) focusing on the area for improvement.

Activity #3: AI Documentation Planning Exercise

This exercise evaluates the candidate's ability to plan documentation for a complex AI implementation. Effective documentation requires thoughtful planning to ensure all aspects of the AI use case are captured and presented in a logical, accessible manner.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide a description of a complex AI implementation scenario (e.g., "An enterprise-wide AI system for predictive maintenance across multiple manufacturing facilities").
• Include information about multiple stakeholders, technical components, data sources, and business objectives.
• Allow 30-45 minutes for the planning exercise.
• Provide paper or digital tools for creating an outline or documentation plan.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the complex AI implementation scenario provided.
• Create a comprehensive documentation plan that includes:
• An outline of all documentation deliverables needed
• The structure and key sections for each deliverable
• Stakeholders who should contribute to or review each section
• Information gathering approaches for each section
• Timeline for documentation development
• Approach for maintaining and updating documentation
• Be prepared to explain your planning decisions and how they address the complexity of the implementation.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the comprehensiveness, organization, and practicality of the documentation plan.
• Highlight one aspect the candidate planned particularly well (e.g., "Your approach to versioning documentation across implementation phases is excellent").
• Suggest one area for improvement (e.g., "Consider how technical diagrams could enhance understanding of data flows").
• Allow the candidate 10-15 minutes to revise their plan based on your feedback, focusing on the improvement area.

Activity #4: Technical Concept Translation Exercise

This activity assesses the candidate's ability to translate complex AI concepts into clear explanations for different audiences. Effective AI documentation specialists must bridge the gap between technical teams and business stakeholders through accessible, audience-appropriate communication.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a description of a complex AI concept or algorithm (e.g., "How transformer models work in natural language processing").
• Identify three different audience personas: a C-level executive, a business analyst, and an IT implementation team.
• Allow 30-45 minutes for the exercise.
• Provide access to a computer with word processing software.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the technical AI concept provided.
• Create three different explanations of the same concept tailored to each audience:
• For the C-level executive: Focus on business impact, value, and strategic implications (1 paragraph)
• For the business analyst: Explain how it works at a functional level and its practical applications (2-3 paragraphs)
• For the IT implementation team: Provide a more detailed technical explanation with relevant implementation considerations (1 page)
• Ensure each explanation is appropriate for the audience's technical knowledge and information needs.
• Be prepared to explain your approach to tailoring content for different audiences.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the clarity, accuracy, and appropriateness of each explanation for its intended audience.
• Highlight one audience adaptation the candidate did particularly well (e.g., "Your executive summary effectively communicated value without technical jargon").
• Suggest one area for improvement (e.g., "The explanation for the IT team could include more specific implementation considerations").
• Allow the candidate 10-15 minutes to revise the explanation for the audience that needs improvement.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should these exercises take in total?

The complete set of exercises would take approximately 3-4 hours if conducted sequentially. We recommend selecting 1-2 exercises most relevant to your specific documentation needs or spreading them across multiple interview stages. The documentation sample and stakeholder interview are particularly valuable for initial assessment.

Should we provide real company AI use cases for these exercises?

While using real examples provides context, we recommend creating fictional scenarios based on your actual use cases to protect confidential information. Ensure the scenarios reflect the complexity and types of AI implementations your organization typically handles.

How should we evaluate candidates who have experience with different documentation tools than we use?

Focus on the content, structure, and clarity of their documentation rather than tool-specific formatting. The core skills of organizing information logically and communicating clearly transfer across tools. You can also ask candidates about their adaptability and experience learning new documentation systems.

What if our organization doesn't have standardized AI documentation practices yet?

These exercises are even more valuable in this case. Pay attention to candidates who bring structure and best practices to their work samples. Their approach might inform your organization's documentation standards. Ask candidates to explain their documentation choices to understand their thinking process.

How can we make these exercises accessible for remote candidates?

All these exercises can be adapted for remote interviews using video conferencing and collaborative documentation tools. For the stakeholder interview, a team member can play the role via video call. Provide clear time expectations and ensure candidates have access to necessary tools before the interview.

Should we share our evaluation criteria with candidates beforehand?

Providing general guidance about what you're looking for (clarity, completeness, audience-appropriateness) helps candidates understand your expectations. However, specific evaluation criteria can remain internal to ensure authentic work samples. The goal is to see how candidates naturally approach documentation tasks.

Effective AI use case documentation is a critical success factor for organizations implementing artificial intelligence solutions. By using these work samples to evaluate candidates, you'll identify individuals who can create clear, comprehensive documentation that bridges the gap between technical capabilities and business needs. The right documentation specialist will help your organization build a knowledge foundation that supports successful AI implementations and enables continuous improvement of your AI initiatives.

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