How it works
Staff find the answer. Owners keep it current.
Knowledge owners set the rules once. Staff just find the answer. Here is what Hazel does at each step, from the search box to the audit log.
Find
Search built for the way staff ask
Hazel uses SharePoint Search and adds what staff need on top of it: suggestions, synonyms, recommended results and links to the exact section that answers the question.
- Suggestions for articles and topics as people type
- Two-way and one-way synonyms, so staff can search in their own words
- Recommended results pinned for common questions, with start and end dates
- A best-matching section with a direct link, even in a long procedure
- Filters by topic, product, regulation, audience and date, with counts that update as you combine them
- A table of contents, find-in-article and “changed since you read it” on every article
- Browse by category or an A–Z topic index, save articles, and tell the owner when something is wrong
Illustrative screen with sample data.
Organize
A taxonomy that routes the work
Articles sit in a category, topic and subtopic, three levels deep. Each category carries its owning team, subject-matter reviewers, approvers and default audience, so approval routing follows the topic.
- Managed metadata in the SharePoint term store, with synonyms on terms
- Merge, move and retire terms as your organization changes
- Topics, products, regulations and regions as filters
Illustrative screen with sample data.
Write
Word in, governed article out
Most organizations start with hundreds of procedures in Word. Each Hazel content type has a real Word template. Hazel reads the headings and the details table of a filled-in template into a draft, and the same approach runs in bulk for migration.
- Content types with their own sections, guidance, required fields, template, workflow and review cycle
- Import matches Word headings to sections: exactly, by alias or by suggestion
- Section-by-section guidance in the editor
- A “Ready to submit?” checklist that catches gaps before approval
- Future effective dates, so changes publish on schedule
- See the approval route, due dates and how many people an article will reach before you submit
Headings, lists, bold, italic and tables come across from Word. Images and complex layouts need some rework.
Illustrative screen with sample data.
Approve
Staged approvals with a clear record
Each stage is assigned to the category’s reviewers or approvers, the owner’s manager or a named group, with a due date in business days. Regulated stages require attestation.
- A word-by-word compare with the version staff see now
- Approve, request changes or reject, with a reason required to send it back
- Authors can’t approve their own work, and each stage needs a different person
- Drafts are locked while in review
- Staff keep seeing the approved version until the new one is approved
- Overdue and escalated tasks flagged, with tasks and reminders in Teams and Outlook
Illustrative screen with sample data.
Records
Version records, required reading and an audit log
Every version keeps its dates in effect, author, approver and change summary. Pick any date and Hazel shows which version was in effect then.
- Required reading set by content type or by article, with a confirmation window
- Confirmations recorded against each version, so you know a change reached its audience
- Articles marked reviewed without changes don’t ask staff to read again
- An audit log of every content, workflow, permission, taxonomy, configuration and read-confirmation event
- Filter the audit log and export it to CSV
Illustrative screen with sample data.
Keep current
Reviews that happen before content goes stale
Each content type has a review cycle. Owners get reminders before a review is due. When it’s overdue, staff see a warning or the article is hidden, depending on the type.
- Mark reviewed, start a new version or retire an article, through an approval route
- Content health by category, with CSV export
- A 12-month review calendar
- Read-confirmation completion by article
- Top searches and searches with no results, with one-click “Add synonym”
- Feedback from staff goes straight to the article’s owner
Illustrative screen with sample data.
Protect
Sensitive content stays contained
Articles are classed as Internal, Confidential or Restricted. Restricted articles use item-level permissions and stay out of sight for anyone outside the named teams.
- Restricted articles hidden from search, browse and suggestions for everyone else
- Restricted articles can’t be printed
- Printed copies of other articles carry an “uncontrolled when printed” notice
- Microsoft Purview retention labels on articles and their versions
- Retired content moves to an archive kept for audit
Illustrative screen with sample data.
Optional
AI answers from governed content
AI answers are off by default. When you turn them on, a suggested answer appears above the results. It quotes the best-matching section and cites it.
- Answers only from published content the person can already open
- Never from restricted content
- Works with Microsoft 365 Copilot or your intranet platform’s own AI
- Your compliance team decides whether and when to switch it on
Illustrative screen with sample data.
Accessibility
Designed to WCAG 2.2 AA
- Full keyboard use with visible focus
- Error summaries on forms
- Reflow down to 320 pixels wide with no sideways scrolling
- Takes your site or intranet theme
A solution accelerator
Built for your organization, installed by iomer
Everything on this page is already designed and proven on SharePoint. iomer builds your organization’s version as a single installation package, with your content types, approval routes, taxonomy, audiences and theme, and installs it in your tenant.
See Hazel with a procedure like one of yours
Book a 30-minute walkthrough set up with a procedure like one of yours, or take the evaluation kit away and come back when you’re ready.