Getting an Overview
Create a sample dialog
A simple and cheap way to get an idea of the dialog and its parts is to create a sample dialog. You can do this by writing it down, or even prototyping in a wizard of oz way, and reenacting a computer.
Get an overview
First of all it is important to get an overview of the topics and the scenario that your dialog will happen within. Writing that down can help to get a clear idea.
What we found interesting to look into for that is: Topic, Objective, Identity of the agent and Location / Environment.
Finding user needs
If you want to keep your agent close to the user's needs, then it is helpful to get an overview of what those are.