A checklist of everything that commonly goes wrong with Workshop items, to tick off before you upload. Your ticks are saved in this browser.
Most broken Workshop items work perfectly on their creator's PC, because loose files left in the game folder hide what's missing from the VPK. Go through these lists with only your VPK installed (in bms/custom/, see Packing a VPK). Even better, ask a friend to try it on their PC.
Tick each item as you check it. Your progress is saved in this browser, so you can come back to it.
Your files
0 of 12 done
In the game
Remove your loose test files, put just the VPK in bms/custom/, and restart the game before starting.
0 of 9 done
After you publish
Your upload is a new copy, so test that too.
0 of 4 done
If something on these lists fails, Troubleshooting has the usual causes and fixes.