The need to classify and categorize corporate information has never been greater. The proliferation of information channels, sources and delivery platforms make managing information a complex business challenge. The issue is further compounded by the fact that, due to the increasing speed of business, information is growing at a rate that far surpasses standard institutional frameworks and controls. Information continues to be recognized as a key source of competitive advantage, and there is an increasing need for the business worker to access relevant information in a timely manner. Information by its very nature is dynamic. Therefore, attempting to set boundaries will result in a cumbersome way to control the flow of information. The key to managing this information is to develop a way to identify, classify and categorize enterprise information. This categorization allows for effective management of content throughout the information lifecycle: capture, storage, retrieval, archival and disposal. The most common way to associate structure around information is to develop and implement a corporate taxonomy. What is Taxonomy? Simply put, taxonomy is a way to classify and assign a structure to information. The structure will consist of many levels and sublevels, referred to as nodes and subnodes, each aligned with a specific type or category of information. Not surprisingly, we work with taxonomies every day. A simple example is the folder structures we create to manage computer files. The files are classified on hard drives in a variety of ways to allow us to store and locate information quickly. Developing a Corporate Information Taxonomy Developing a corporate taxonomy requires a well thought out approach that addresses not only how information will be categorized, but more importantly, how information units relate to each other and how these will be accessed and retrieved at various points in time. There are several standard types of taxonomies, the most common being: Taxonomy Lifecycle Taxonomy design, like any other project, requires a well-executed game plan from requirements to implementation. Taxonomy development typically goes through different stages. Figure 1 depicts a taxonomy development lifecycle.
The key is to follow a structured approach to taxonomy development to ensure that in each stage of the lifecycle, there is a conscious recognition of the end goal: to add business value. Taxonomy development is usually an iterative process. Once the general requirements are gathered and the analysis and development of the taxonomy is complete, it is important to perform a pilot of the taxonomy and apply it to actual business scenarios. The lessons learned from the pilot will serve as input to further refine the taxonomy. Taxonomies are entities that generally change as the organization itself changes and matures. Thus, there is no such thing as a final taxonomy, because it can only reflect a point in the organization’s life span.
Lessons Learned from Enterprise Taxonomy Development
A systematic approach to taxonomy development will go a long way to ensure that the finished product, the corporate taxonomy, is relevant, useable and provides value to the business. The following are some best practices:
Understand information management for the organization. Prior to developing the taxonomy, it is imperative to understand where the organization has been and where it is going. During the preliminary vision stage, information management may run rampant as its possibilities are pushed to the limit. As momentum is channeled and focused into implementation planning, a sense of reality sets in, inevitably controlling and containing the scope. However, for taxonomy to be truly successful, the entire organizational vision for information management (short-term and long-term) should be considered in the design process. An evaluation of how other IT initiatives impact the scope of taxonomy also needs to be factored. Thoroughly analyze the findings and a vision for the future taxonomy should emerge and serve as a directional force. Employing a holistic approach to taxonomy design will ensure the resulting taxonomy is scalable and able to achieve the long-term vision while enabling information systems to be flexible as business dynamics change.
Evaluate the corporate landscape. Once designed and implemented properly, taxonomies can be a powerful tool in an organization, because they provide a common language for employees to reference and allow employees to leverage content in a unified manner. To ensure the taxonomy acts as a unifying force in the organization, it is critical to weigh the following in the design activities:
- Geographic and localization impacts,
- Organizational structure (centralized versus decentralized),
- Content lifecycles and information flows across the organization and
- Usage model - how it is consumed, frequency of use and types of users (creators versus consumers of content internal and external to the corporation).
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