Common Search Patterns

Finding Policies and Handbooks

Best approach:

1. Start with S3 company-docs/policies/
2. Search for the policy name or related terms
3. Read the full document, not just snippets

Known locations:

• Employee Handbook: s3://company-docs/policies/employee-handbook.md
• PTO Policy: In the Employee Handbook, Section 4
• Data Retention: s3://company-docs/policies/data-retention.md
• Security Policy: s3://company-docs/policies/security-policy.md

Gotcha: PTO info is in the Employee Handbook, not a standalone doc.

---

Finding Runbooks and Procedures

Best approach:

1. Start with S3 engineering-docs/runbooks/
2. Search for the procedure name
3. Read the full runbook

Known locations:

• Deployment: s3://engineering-docs/runbooks/deployment.md
• Incident Response: s3://engineering-docs/runbooks/incident-response.md
• On-Call Guide: s3://engineering-docs/runbooks/oncall-guide.md

---

Finding OKRs and Planning Docs

Best approach:

1. Start with S3 company-docs/planning/
2. Search for the quarter (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) and year
3. Read the full OKR document

Known locations:

• Q4 2024 OKRs: s3://company-docs/planning/q4-2024-okrs.md
• Company Strategy: s3://company-docs/planning/2024-strategy.md

---

Finding Technical Documentation

Best approach:

1. Start with S3 engineering-docs/architecture/
2. For RFCs, check engineering-docs/rfcs/
3. For wikis, fallback to Notion

Known locations:

• System Overview: s3://engineering-docs/architecture/system-overview.md
• API Design: s3://engineering-docs/architecture/api-design.md
• RFCs: s3://engineering-docs/rfcs/

---

Finding Recent Decisions

Best approach:

1. Start with Slack - search relevant channels
2. Look for threads with many replies
3. Cross-reference with documented decisions

Typical locations:

• Slack: #product-decisions, #engineering, #leadership
• Notion: Decision Log or Meeting Notes

---

Finding Who Knows Something

Best approach:

1. Start with Slack - find recent discussions
2. Note who participated actively
3. Check Notion for page owners

---

Multi-Source Search Strategy

When information might be anywhere:

1. Identify the information type

   • Policies/formal docs → S3
   • Discussions/decisions → Slack
   • Living docs/wikis → Notion
   • Spreadsheets → Google Drive

2. Search primary source first

3. Note timestamps — Newer info may supersede older

4. Cross-reference — Important decisions often exist in multiple places

5. Save what you learn — If the location was surprising, save it

---

Handling "Not Found" Results

If search returns nothing:

1. Try synonyms — "PTO" vs "vacation" vs "time off"
2. Broaden the search — Remove specific terms
3. Check other sources — Info might be in a different system
4. Check parent documents — Info might be in a section of a larger doc
5. Ask for clarification — User might know the exact location