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Authoring checklist: start to finish

Use this comprehensive pre-flight checklist before handing off your interview for legal review, user testing, or production launch.

1. Document template preparation​

  • Labels Verified: All fields in DOCX and PDF templates are labeled with standard AssemblyLine variable conventions.
  • Clean Filenames: Template files have clean, descriptive names without draft suffixes (e.g. motion_to_dismiss.docx).
  • Overflow Safeguards: Multi-line narrative text areas in PDF templates have matching overflow addenda or auto-scaling enabled.

2. Project setup and metadata​

  • Project Created: Playground project initialized in the Weaver.
  • Metadata Defined: The metadata: block includes title, short title, description, author names, and relevant legal topic tags.
  • Standard Objects Declared: ALPeopleList declared for users and other_parties with appropriate quantity rules.

3. Question screens and plain language​

  • Readable Headings: Screen titles and subquestions are written in plain, accessible language (5th-to-8th grade reading level).
  • Input Field Types: Every field uses the appropriate datatype (e.g., date pickers for dates, currency for dollar amounts, yes/no for booleans).
  • Required vs Optional: Required toggles are properly set, and optional fields are wrapped in conditional logic in templates.
  • Help Text Added: Unfamiliar legal terms are explained using field help popovers.

4. Interview order and flow​

  • Logical Step Hierarchy: Question screens, loops (.gather()), conditional branches (if/else), and progress indicators (set_progress) are sequenced in the Order Builder.
  • Off-Ramp Screens: Exit screens are in place for users who do not qualify or who should not proceed.
  • Review Screen Enabled: A review: screen allows users to inspect and edit their answers before compiling final documents.

5. Document bundles and assembly​

  • Document Bundles Configured: ALDocument and ALDocumentBundle definitions are ordered and labeled cleanly.
  • Conditional Inclusion Tested: Documents that should only appear under certain conditions (e.g. fee waivers, instructions) have verified conditional expressions.

6. Diagnostics and quality verification​

  • Zero Validation Errors: The Errors & Warnings drawer shows no missing IDs, duplicate blocks, or undefined variables.
  • Live End-to-End Test: Successfully completed a full test run of the interview using Open interview, generating and downloading sample court documents.
  • Mobile and Desktop Tested: Screen layouts and touch targets verified in live screen preview on mobile, tablet, and desktop viewports.

7. Version control and publishing​

  • Committed to GitHub: Code pushed to the appropriate GitHub organization repository with a clean commit message.