diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index fad51691..bdc0a072 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -5,121 +5,26 @@ on:
     branches: [ main ]
   pull_request:
     branches: [ main ]
-  schedule:
-    - cron: 45 6 * * *
-  # Allows you to run this workflow manually from the Actions tab
-  workflow_dispatch:
 
 jobs:
-  tests:
-    name: ${{ matrix.copier_config.name }} - Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+  build:
+
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
-      fail-fast: true
       matrix:
-        python-version: ['3.9', '3.10', '3.11']
-        copier_config:
-          - name: Base example
-            package_name: example_package # The default package_name
-            extra_flags: ''
-            foldername: base_example
-          - name: No example module
-            package_name: 'drewtonian' # Same module name provided in `extra_flags` on the next line.
-            extra_flags: >-
-              --data project_name=new_science
-              --data package_name=drewtonian
-              --data author_name=Drew
-              --data author_email=ao@aol.com
-              --data project_license=BSD
-              --data mypy_type_checking=basic
-              --data create_example_module=no
-              --data include_notebooks=no
-            foldername: 'black_w_o_example_module'
-          - name: Example module
-            package_name: 'drewtonian' # Same module name provided in `extra_flags` on the next line.
-            extra_flags: >-
-              --data project_name=new_science
-              --data package_name=drewtonian
-              --data author_name=Drew
-              --data author_email=ao@aol.com
-              --data project_license=BSD
-              --data mypy_type_checking=basic
-              --data create_example_module=yes
-              --data include_notebooks=no
-            foldername: 'black_w_example_module'
-          - name: No sphinx docs
-            package_name: 'drewtonian'
-            extra_flags: >-
-              --data project_name=new_science
-              --data package_name=drewtonian
-              --data include_docs=no
-              --data include_notebooks=no
-            foldername: 'no_sphinx_docs'
+        python-version: ['3.9', '3.10', '3.11', '3.12']
 
     steps:
-    
-    - name: Checkout code
-      uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      
-    - name: Set up Python
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+    - uses: actions/checkout@main
+    - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+      uses: actions/setup-python@main
       with:
         python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
-    
-    - name: Install Python dependencies
+    - name: Install dependencies
       run: |
         sudo apt-get update
         python -m pip install --upgrade pip
-        python -m pip install copier mypy
-    
-    - name: Generate package
-      run: |
-        copier copy --vcs-ref HEAD --defaults ${{ matrix.copier_config.extra_flags }} ./ ../test/${{ matrix.copier_config.foldername }}
-        cd ../test/${{ matrix.copier_config.foldername }}
-        cat .copier-answers.yml
-    
-    - name: Build package
-      run: |
-        cd ../test/${{ matrix.copier_config.foldername }}
-        git config --global user.email "tstname@example.com"
-        git config --global user.name "Test Name"       
-        git init --initial-branch=main
-        git add src
-        git commit -m initial
-        pip install .[dev]
-      
-    - name: black checks
-      uses: psf/black@stable
-      with:
-        src: "../test/${{ matrix.copier_config.foldername }}/src"
-   
-    - name: mypy checks basic
-      if: ${{ contains(matrix.copier_config.extra_flags, 'mypy_type_checking=basic') && !contains(matrix.copier_config.extra_flags, 'create_example_module=no') }}
-      run: |
-        cd "../test/${{ matrix.copier_config.foldername }}"
-        mypy src tests
-   
-    - name: mypy checks strict
-      if: ${{ contains(matrix.copier_config.extra_flags, 'mypy_type_checking=strict') && !contains(matrix.copier_config.extra_flags, 'create_example_module=no') }}
-      run: |
-        cd "../test/${{ matrix.copier_config.foldername }}"
-        mypy --strict src tests
-   
-    - name: Install notebook requirements
-      if: ${{ !contains(matrix.copier_config.extra_flags, 'include_notebooks=no') }}
-      run: |
-        sudo apt-get install pandoc
-        pip install -r ../test/${{ matrix.copier_config.foldername }}/docs/requirements.txt
-        cat ../test/${{ matrix.copier_config.foldername }}/docs/requirements.txt
-    
-    - name: Build docs
-      if: ${{ !contains(matrix.copier_config.extra_flags, 'include_docs=no') }}
-      run: |
-        cd ../test/${{ matrix.copier_config.foldername }}
-        sphinx-build -T -E -b html -d docs/build/doctrees ./docs docs/build/html
-    
-    - name: Tests
-      if: ${{ !contains(matrix.copier_config.extra_flags, 'create_example_module=no') }}
+        pip install -e .[dev]
+    - name: Run unit tests with pytest /  pytest-copie
       run: |
-        cd ../test/${{ matrix.copier_config.foldername }}
-        python -m pytest --cov=${{ matrix.copier_config.package_name }} --cov-report=xml
+        python -m pytest
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/smoke-test.yml b/.github/workflows/smoke-test.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..17b96f78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/smoke-test.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# This workflow will run daily at 06:45.
+# It will install Python dependencies and run tests with a variety of Python versions.
+# See documentation for help debugging smoke test issues:
+#    https://lincc-ppt.readthedocs.io/en/latest/practices/ci_testing.html#version-culprit
+
+name: Unit test smoke test
+
+on:
+
+  # Runs this workflow automatically
+  schedule:
+    - cron: 45 6 * * *
+    
+  # Allows you to run this workflow manually from the Actions tab
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        python-version: ['3.9', '3.10', '3.11', '3.12']
+
+    steps:
+    - uses: actions/checkout@main
+    - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+      uses: actions/setup-python@main
+      with:
+        python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+    - name: Install dependencies
+      run: |
+        sudo apt-get update
+        python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+        pip install -e .[dev]
+    - name: List dependencies
+      run: |
+        pip list
+    - name: Run unit tests with pytest /  pytest-copie
+      run: |
+        python -m pytest
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 71c9efde..1e5dea83 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ dev = [
     "black", # Used to format code
     "pre-commit", # Used to run checks prior to committing code
     "pytest", # Used to run tests
+    "pylint", # test pylint in unit tests
     "pytest-copie", # Used to create hydrated copier projects for testing
     "tox", # Used to run tests in multiple environments
 ]
diff --git a/tests/test_package_creation.py b/tests/test_package_creation.py
index 80cc11c0..fc7d8a1e 100644
--- a/tests/test_package_creation.py
+++ b/tests/test_package_creation.py
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import pytest
 import subprocess
 
+import pytest
+
 
 def successfully_created_project(result):
     """Basic assertions that indicate the copier was able to create a project"""
@@ -55,6 +57,22 @@ def unit_tests_in_project_run_successfully(result, package_name="example_package
     return pytest_results.returncode == 0
 
 
+def docs_build_successfully(result):
+    """Test that we can build the doc tree.
+
+    !!! NOTE - This doesn't currently work because we need to `pip install` the hydrated
+    project before running the tests. And we don't have a way to create a temporary
+    virtual environment for the project.
+    """
+
+    sphinx_results = subprocess.run(
+        ["make", "html"],
+        cwd=(result.project_dir / "docs"),
+    )
+
+    return sphinx_results.returncode == 0
+
+  
 def github_workflows_are_valid(result):
     """Test to ensure that the GitHub workflows are valid"""
     workflows_results = subprocess.run(
@@ -160,13 +178,22 @@ def test_code_style_combinations(copie, enforce_style):
     assert black_runs_successfully(result)
 
 
-def test_smoke_test_notification(copie):
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "notification",
+    [
+        [],
+        ["slack"],
+        ["email"],
+        ["email", "slack"],
+    ],
+)
+def test_smoke_test_notification(copie, notification):
     """Confirm we can generate a "smoke_test.yaml" file, with all
     notification mechanisms selected."""
 
     # provide a dictionary of the non-default answers to use
     extra_answers = {
-        "failure_notification": ["email", "slack"],
+        "failure_notification": notification,
     }
 
     # run copier to hydrate a temporary project
@@ -177,6 +204,56 @@ def test_smoke_test_notification(copie):
     assert black_runs_successfully(result)
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "doc_answers",
+    [
+        {
+            "include_docs": True,
+            "include_notebooks": True,
+        },
+        {
+            "include_docs": True,
+            "include_notebooks": False,
+        },
+    ],
+)
+def test_doc_combinations(copie, doc_answers):
+    """Confirm the docs directory is well-formed, when including docs."""
+
+    # run copier to hydrate a temporary project
+    result = copie.copy(extra_answers=doc_answers)
+
+    assert successfully_created_project(result)
+    assert directory_structure_is_correct(result)
+    assert black_runs_successfully(result)
+    assert (result.project_dir / "docs").is_dir()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "doc_answers",
+    [
+        {
+            "include_docs": False,
+            "include_notebooks": False,
+        },
+        {
+            "include_docs": False,
+            "include_notebooks": True,
+        },
+    ],
+)
+def test_doc_combinations_no_docs(copie, doc_answers):
+    """Confirm there is no 'docs' directory, if not including docs."""
+
+    # run copier to hydrate a temporary project
+    result = copie.copy(extra_answers=doc_answers)
+
+    assert successfully_created_project(result)
+    assert directory_structure_is_correct(result)
+    assert black_runs_successfully(result)
+    assert not (result.project_dir / "docs").is_dir()
+
+    
 def test_github_workflows_schema(copie):
     """Confirm the current GitHub workflows have valid schemas."""
     extra_answers = {