Taxonomy Bootcamp 2011 Avoiding the Autobiographical Taxonomy: Creating the Right Taxonomy

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Taxonomy Bootcamp 2011 Avoiding the Autobiographical Taxonomy: Creating the Right Taxonomy 11/31/2011 Gary Carlson, Principal - Gary Carlson Consulting www.garycarlsonconsulting.com

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Taxonomy Bootcamp 2011 Avoiding the Autobiographical Taxonomy: Creating the Right Taxonomy 11/31/2011. Gary Carlson, Principal - Gary Carlson Consulting www.garycarlsonconsulting.com. Gary Carlson Roles: consultant taxonomist product manager Services: Information Strategy - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of Taxonomy Bootcamp 2011 Avoiding the Autobiographical Taxonomy: Creating the Right Taxonomy

Pearson Taxonomy Workshop 3/10/2010

Taxonomy Bootcamp 2011

Avoiding the Autobiographical Taxonomy:Creating the Right Taxonomy11/31/2011Gary Carlson, Principal - Gary Carlson Consultingwww.garycarlsonconsulting.com11

Gary Carlson

Roles: consultant taxonomist product manager

Services:Information StrategyTaxonomy ManagementRFP DevelopmentTaxonomy Assessments and WorkshopsBusiness Case Development

Tags: taxonomy, information management, content management, knowledge management, e-commerce and intranet, SharePoint, Ontologies, healthcare, finance, etc.

Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#2John Cusack on Taxonomies ???

High Fidelityhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQvOnDlql5g

Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#Know ThyselfIs the taxonomy a reflection of the taxonomist??

Is the taxonomy a reflection of the organization??

- Does the taxonomy reflect the needs of actual users??The right users??

- Does the taxonomy reflect the goals of the organization??

Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#Taxonomy Boring DefinitionCollection of terms and relationships between terms used to describe a domain. (And hopefully created to address a real business problem)

ThesauriControlled VocabulariesOntologiesControlled value listsFolksonomies?etcTerms or relationships may or may not have rich attributes associated with them

Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#5Taxonomy Interesting DefinitionOK, maybe interesting to some, but hopefully it is a less boring definition to others

This is a codification of an organizations expertise as it relates to products, customers, workflows, business constraints, etc. Taxonomies and attributes are designed to bridge the gap between content and customer

Directly support revenue, brand health and operational efficiencyCopyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#Set the stage for taxonomies as a corporate asset6How we categorize things is insightful

Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#How we categorize things often tell us more about the categorizers than the stuff being categorized7A quick story

When taxonomies get a bad haircutCopyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#DOD example8

Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#

Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#

Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#Some ExamplesCopyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#

Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#Pearson org chart13

Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#What does this say about Apple or Apples assumptions about their customers.14Creating the Right TaxonomyWho are you creating it for?User Use CasesOrganization

Why are you creating it?What are the goals?Can you measure them?

What is it about?Are you sure?

Where will it be used?Internally?Different platforms?

Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#Who is it for?John Cusack was categorizing his records for himself not his record store.

Who is going to depend on your taxonomyCustomersInternal UsersOther systemsCopyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#Why are you creating it?Get content to the right location?Support search and navigation?System Integration?Support publication?Provide Tags for tagging?

Describe your Company Products, Services, etc.

High Fidelity To allow John Cusack to wallow in nostalgia while listening to music

Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#An ApproachCopyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#A Multi-faceted Assessment Approach

Address todays needs and future-proof for tomorrowCopyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#An Assessment Approach

Fitness for Business Goals:

Taxonomies should reflect the company business goals and be relevant to requirements, content, and users.

RevenueBrand HealthOperational EfficiencyComplianceCopyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#An Assessment Approach

General Taxonomy Quality:

Taxonomies should adhere to principles for unambiguous concepts that are mutually exclusive, consistency in organization, and parsimony.Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#An Assessment Approach

Technical Fitness:

Taxonomies should be usable within the targeted content and publishing systems.

IntegrationsAlignment with functionalityWorkflowsCopyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#An Assessment Approach

Governance:

Taxonomies should be maintained using standard processes that meet the needs of all stakeholders.Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#SpecificationsAssessmentsAssessment Summary and Success MetricsProject RequirementsGovernance AuditTaxonomy AuditMetadata AuditContent ReviewBusiness DriversGovernance DesignTaxonomy DesignMetadata DesignInformation ModelProject Goals/MetricsSystem ReviewSteps in Building the Right TaxonomyCopyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#Sample Sources of Analysis for the AssessmentSourceDetailsExisting informationIn depth analysis of the existing information and the processes that deliver it to the websiteIT infrastructureIn depth analysis of the applications and integration points storing and managing the informationInternal workflows & governanceReview of the content creation and editorial process with an emphasis on areas where data consistency could be improvedIndustry best practicesIncorporation of lessons learned and best practices in the industry.Internal expertise of the employeesExtensive interviews with employees who are on the ground as these insights are often the quite valuable.LegalReview of any legal implications or requirements in the content creation and publication processAnalyticsUsage, web metrics, sales information, etcxxxCopyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#25Things to Think AboutWhat is the business justification for the taxonomy project?!! Can you measure results??Dont assume one size fits allChoose user access points wiselyProvide tools and education for effective use of the taxonomyMake sure youre adding valueBalance theory with practical needsCopyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#26Measurement is something often neglected by metadata developers- whether its testing effectiveness of the schema at accomplishing the business objective or measuring the match with user needs, this is critical for determining successTrying to make your metadata do too much can cause a top-heavy system that will crash under its own weight. Do what you need to do to satisfy your objectives, not everything at onceOnly some of your metadata elements will be useful to users at the outset of their engagement. Use the others in context once theyve started down a path.Dont show what youve done, show the users what they can do- use your metadata to help them get to what they want. Your users arent interested in your elegant schemas and classifications, they want quick access to the information. Dont build metadata because you can or want to, build it for what your users and business need.Although a thoughtful approach is essential, at some point you have to implement, and you need to step back from thinking to doing. You may not always get it right, but youll learn and with experience be better at coming up with solutions that work.Trust, privacy, and other larger issues also arise with metadata. These are often outside the technical solution space, but should be considered when using metadata, particularly about peopleQuestions?Thank You

Gary Carlson

www.garycarlsonconsulting.comgary@garycarlsonconsulting.comCopyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#Sites referenced in this presentationHigh Fidelityhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQvOnDlql5g

Applewww.apple.com

Pearson Educationhttp://www.pearsoned.com/

Copyright 2011 Gary Carlson Consulting - [email protected]#