Organizing Knowledge - A Knowledge Manager’s Primer to Taxonomy Development
Attribution: Thanks to Patrick Lambe, author, Organising Knowledge: Taxonomies,
Knowledge and Organizational Effectiveness, Chandos Publishing 2007 for much of the content in this presentation.
This presentation delivers a detailed understanding of taxonomy definitions, taxonomy value (ROI), and taxonomy design methodologies and approaches. It was originally delivered by Zach Wahl and Tatiana Cakici of Enterprise Knowledge at Taxonomy Boot Camp 2019 in Washington, DC.
Best practices, lessons learned, and examples for taxonomy governance and iteration. Developed by Enterprise Knowledge and originally presented for the Knowledge Management Institute.
Enterprise Knowledge - Taxonomy Design Best Practices and MethodologyEnterprise Knowledge
This presentation, origninally presented at the Knowledge Management Institute's KM Symposium on March 27, 2014, addresses the concepts of business taxonomy value, taxonomy design methodology, and taxonomy design best practices. It is intended as an introductory deck for anyone seeking guidance on taxonomy design efforts.
Understand what Governance Is
We start with a definition of governance, its constituent parts, and their purpose
Identify Core Taxonomy Governance Processes
There are certain functions that any governance effort must perform . We show how these apply to taxonomy governance, and why
Identify Standard Processes and Tools
Business and supporting IT organizations already perform tasks that are in many ways similar to those needed for successful taxonomy governance. To minimize new investment in tools and training, it makes sense to use these where possible
Tricks of the Trade
We’ll show some of the detailed considerations that are important when setting up a taxonomy governance effort, and how we’ve handled them
Context
We’ll discuss how taxonomy governance fits in the broader operational context of an organization: specifically, how it connects with an IT organization and with business stakeholders
This presentation delivers a detailed understanding of taxonomy definitions, taxonomy value (ROI), and taxonomy design methodologies and approaches. It was originally delivered by Zach Wahl and Tatiana Cakici of Enterprise Knowledge at Taxonomy Boot Camp 2019 in Washington, DC.
Best practices, lessons learned, and examples for taxonomy governance and iteration. Developed by Enterprise Knowledge and originally presented for the Knowledge Management Institute.
Enterprise Knowledge - Taxonomy Design Best Practices and MethodologyEnterprise Knowledge
This presentation, origninally presented at the Knowledge Management Institute's KM Symposium on March 27, 2014, addresses the concepts of business taxonomy value, taxonomy design methodology, and taxonomy design best practices. It is intended as an introductory deck for anyone seeking guidance on taxonomy design efforts.
Understand what Governance Is
We start with a definition of governance, its constituent parts, and their purpose
Identify Core Taxonomy Governance Processes
There are certain functions that any governance effort must perform . We show how these apply to taxonomy governance, and why
Identify Standard Processes and Tools
Business and supporting IT organizations already perform tasks that are in many ways similar to those needed for successful taxonomy governance. To minimize new investment in tools and training, it makes sense to use these where possible
Tricks of the Trade
We’ll show some of the detailed considerations that are important when setting up a taxonomy governance effort, and how we’ve handled them
Context
We’ll discuss how taxonomy governance fits in the broader operational context of an organization: specifically, how it connects with an IT organization and with business stakeholders
Findability and discoverability of information / records in an organization is dependent on how much it has been worked on in terms of metadata identification, scope notes, etc.
Users are interested in getting the right information that serves their purpose. The content ought to be grouped (classified) so as to enhance its findability. The term taxonomy has bee used in the document to denote indexing.
FORTHCOMING TRAINING IN ELECTRONIC RECORDS MANAGEMENT: Book your slot today from the following Link: http://kenvisiontechniks.com/kenwp/event/electronic-records-information-management/
DMBOK 2.0 and other frameworks including TOGAF & COBIT - keynote from DAMA Au...Christopher Bradley
DAMA DMBoK 2.0 keynote presentation at DAMA Australia November 2013.
Overview of DMBOK, what's different in 2.0, and how the DMBOK co-exists and successfully interoperates with other frameworks such as TOGAF and COBIT
Updated with revised DMBoK 2 release date
chris.bradley@dmadvisors.co.uk
For KM practitioners, Agile frameworks have long been important for optimizing stakeholder value and satisfaction in KM initiatives. Over 20 years ago, a group of software developers revolutionized their field by introducing the Agile Manifesto to guide their industry in adopting Agile values, frameworks, and practices. However, until now, KM practitioners have lacked a formal framework demonstrating how to apply Agility to KM. In short, it is time to codify these Agile principles in a manner suited for the KM profession. Leveraging the original Agile Manifesto for inspiration, Andrew Politi and Megan Salerno introduced “The Agile KM Manifesto” at KM World 2022. The presentation is designed to initiate a conversation amongst KM practitioners across the industry about this initial version of the Agile KM Manifesto (the 'AKM'), and solicit feedback on future iterations.
Next, the presenters walked through three EK case studies demonstrating how the application of its principles could have saved significant time in those initiatives.
First, we described how a global non-profit approached EK to address duplicate and outdated content, and the lack of content creation standards.
Applicable AKM principle: "Content should only be available to users if it is new, essential, reliable, dynamic, and reusable. If these criteria are not met, the content must be cleaned-up or archived accordingly.”"
Next was a discussion of how national nuclear research laboratory struggled to share and discover knowledge from retiring employees and compartmentalized silos.
Applicable AKM principle: “Tacit knowledge and expertise should be proactively and formally captured and stored in the same manner as explicit knowledge.”
Finally, the presenters described how one of the largest multinational athletic apparel companies struggled to help geographically separated teams collectively and collaboratively reuse knowledge and create content across the globe, even functionally similar focus roles.
Applicable AKM principle: “All KM efforts must leverage a common language. Develop, socialize, and employ a common KM language so stakeholders don't speak past each other and can maintain consensus throughout your KM effort.”
Ultimately, this presentation served to introduce The AKM to the broader community, demonstrate its value, and solicit input from across the industry.
a brief overview and introduction to metadata from how it is used on the web (including seo and tagging) to its use in Flickr and library catalogs by robin fay, georgiawebgurl@gmail.com.
Making KM Clickable: The Rapidly Changing State of Knowledge ManagementEnterprise Knowledge
Initially delivered for the Bangalore K-Community Zoom Meetup: “The Digital Edge: Tech Roadmaps and Impacts on KM on June 15th, this deck covers the key takeaways from the leading Knowledge Management book, 'Making Knowledge Management Clickable,' by Zach Wahl and Joe Hilger of Enterprise Knowledge. The presentation covers definitions and value of KM, offers best practices on KM systems, details key types of KM technologies, and discusses some of the common types of KM solutions such as KM Portals and Knowledge Graphs.
Presentation given at the National Federation of Advanced Information Services (NFAIS) conference: "Improving the User Search Experience" October 2010, in Philadelphia, PA
An overview of the benefits of using both taxonomies and metadata to make your information easier to search. Presentation by Alice Redmond-Neal of Access Innovations, Inc.
This is the three-hour "Taxonomy 101" Presentation delivered at KMWorld 2021 (Virtual, KMWorld Connect). The presentation details taxonomy and ontology definitions, business value, and design methodologies. It also covers the concept of Knowledge Graphs in detail. Special attention is given to the differences between taxonomy and ontologies (both from a use and design perspective).
Big Data Warehousing Meetup: Dimensional Modeling Still Matters!!!Caserta
Joe Caserta went over the details inside the big data ecosystem and the Caserta Concepts Data Pyramid, which includes Data Ingestion, Data Lake/Data Science Workbench and the Big Data Warehouse. He then dove into the foundation of dimensional data modeling, which is as important as ever in the top tier of the Data Pyramid. Topics covered:
- The 3 grains of Fact Tables
- Modeling the different types of Slowly Changing Dimensions
- Advanced Modeling techniques like Ragged Hierarchies, Bridge Tables, etc.
- ETL Architecture.
He also talked about ModelStorming, a technique used to quickly convert business requirements into an Event Matrix and Dimensional Data Model.
This was a jam-packed abbreviated version of 4 days of rigorous training of these techniques being taught in September by Joe Caserta (Co-Author, with Ralph Kimball, The Data Warehouse ETL Toolkit) and Lawrence Corr (Author, Agile Data Warehouse Design).
For more information, visit http://casertaconcepts.com/.
Data Architecture, Solution Architecture, Platform Architecture — What’s the ...DATAVERSITY
A solid data architecture is critical to the success of any data initiative. But what is meant by “data architecture”? Throughout the industry, there are many different “flavors” of data architecture, each with its own unique value and use cases for describing key aspects of the data landscape. Join this webinar to demystify the various architecture styles and understand how they can add value to your organization.
Taxonomy and Terminology: The Crossroad of Controlled VocabularyContent Rules, Inc.
Many people are confused about taxonomy and terminology. And with good reason. Both taxonomy and terminology use words – often the same words. They are both ways of controlling your vocabulary. However, taxonomy and terminology are used for different purposes. In this presentation, we define taxonomy and terminology. We examine how they are different and where they intersect. We also cover some best practices for managing them both.
JSON Data Modeling in Document DatabaseDATAVERSITY
Making the move to a document database can be intimidating. Yes, its flexible data model gives you a lot of choices, but it also raises questions: Which way is the right way? Is a document database even the right tool?
Join this live session on the basics of data modeling with JSON to learn:
- How a document database compares to a traditional RDBMS
- What JSON data modeling means for your application code
- Which tools might be helpful along the way
You Need a Data Catalog. Do You Know Why?Precisely
The data catalog has become a popular discussion topic within data management and data governance circles. A data catalog is a central repository that contains metadata for describing data sets, how they are defined, and where to find them. TDWI research indicates that implementing a data catalog is a top priority among organizations we survey. The data catalog can also play an important part in the governance process. It provides features that help ensure data quality, compliance, and that trusted data is used for analysis. Without an in-depth knowledge of data and associated metadata, organizations cannot truly safeguard and govern their data.
Join this on-demand webinar to learn more about the data catalog and its role in data governance efforts.
Topics include:
· Data management challenges and priorities
· The modern data catalog – what it is and why it is important
· The role of the modern data catalog in your data quality and governance programs
· The kinds of information that should be in your data catalog and why
Building and Using SharePoint-Friendly File PlansJohn F. Holliday
Configuring a SharePoint 2010 records repository involves many steps that must be properly orchestrated in order to achieve the desired results.
As an example, most RM solutions use content organizer rules to route incoming records to a particular document library or folder so they can be associated with specific information policies and retention schedules. But configuring the content organizer requires that the site columns, content types, document libraries, folders and other components are constructed beforehand. The situation is even more challenging when working with target locations external to the site collection being configured.
This session will show how InfoPath 2010 can be leveraged to reduce the complexity of records center configuration by capturing all of the required elements in one place, and then pushing them out in various ways, depending on your overall information architecture strategy.
Theory-based Learning Analytics: Notes & Examples from Learning & Sensemaking
Learning Analytics & Knowledge 2011, Banff, Canada
Simon Buckingham Shum
Knowledge Media Institute
Open University UK
http://simon.buckinghamshum.net
http://open.edu
@sbskmi
Findability and discoverability of information / records in an organization is dependent on how much it has been worked on in terms of metadata identification, scope notes, etc.
Users are interested in getting the right information that serves their purpose. The content ought to be grouped (classified) so as to enhance its findability. The term taxonomy has bee used in the document to denote indexing.
FORTHCOMING TRAINING IN ELECTRONIC RECORDS MANAGEMENT: Book your slot today from the following Link: http://kenvisiontechniks.com/kenwp/event/electronic-records-information-management/
DMBOK 2.0 and other frameworks including TOGAF & COBIT - keynote from DAMA Au...Christopher Bradley
DAMA DMBoK 2.0 keynote presentation at DAMA Australia November 2013.
Overview of DMBOK, what's different in 2.0, and how the DMBOK co-exists and successfully interoperates with other frameworks such as TOGAF and COBIT
Updated with revised DMBoK 2 release date
chris.bradley@dmadvisors.co.uk
For KM practitioners, Agile frameworks have long been important for optimizing stakeholder value and satisfaction in KM initiatives. Over 20 years ago, a group of software developers revolutionized their field by introducing the Agile Manifesto to guide their industry in adopting Agile values, frameworks, and practices. However, until now, KM practitioners have lacked a formal framework demonstrating how to apply Agility to KM. In short, it is time to codify these Agile principles in a manner suited for the KM profession. Leveraging the original Agile Manifesto for inspiration, Andrew Politi and Megan Salerno introduced “The Agile KM Manifesto” at KM World 2022. The presentation is designed to initiate a conversation amongst KM practitioners across the industry about this initial version of the Agile KM Manifesto (the 'AKM'), and solicit feedback on future iterations.
Next, the presenters walked through three EK case studies demonstrating how the application of its principles could have saved significant time in those initiatives.
First, we described how a global non-profit approached EK to address duplicate and outdated content, and the lack of content creation standards.
Applicable AKM principle: "Content should only be available to users if it is new, essential, reliable, dynamic, and reusable. If these criteria are not met, the content must be cleaned-up or archived accordingly.”"
Next was a discussion of how national nuclear research laboratory struggled to share and discover knowledge from retiring employees and compartmentalized silos.
Applicable AKM principle: “Tacit knowledge and expertise should be proactively and formally captured and stored in the same manner as explicit knowledge.”
Finally, the presenters described how one of the largest multinational athletic apparel companies struggled to help geographically separated teams collectively and collaboratively reuse knowledge and create content across the globe, even functionally similar focus roles.
Applicable AKM principle: “All KM efforts must leverage a common language. Develop, socialize, and employ a common KM language so stakeholders don't speak past each other and can maintain consensus throughout your KM effort.”
Ultimately, this presentation served to introduce The AKM to the broader community, demonstrate its value, and solicit input from across the industry.
a brief overview and introduction to metadata from how it is used on the web (including seo and tagging) to its use in Flickr and library catalogs by robin fay, georgiawebgurl@gmail.com.
Making KM Clickable: The Rapidly Changing State of Knowledge ManagementEnterprise Knowledge
Initially delivered for the Bangalore K-Community Zoom Meetup: “The Digital Edge: Tech Roadmaps and Impacts on KM on June 15th, this deck covers the key takeaways from the leading Knowledge Management book, 'Making Knowledge Management Clickable,' by Zach Wahl and Joe Hilger of Enterprise Knowledge. The presentation covers definitions and value of KM, offers best practices on KM systems, details key types of KM technologies, and discusses some of the common types of KM solutions such as KM Portals and Knowledge Graphs.
Presentation given at the National Federation of Advanced Information Services (NFAIS) conference: "Improving the User Search Experience" October 2010, in Philadelphia, PA
An overview of the benefits of using both taxonomies and metadata to make your information easier to search. Presentation by Alice Redmond-Neal of Access Innovations, Inc.
This is the three-hour "Taxonomy 101" Presentation delivered at KMWorld 2021 (Virtual, KMWorld Connect). The presentation details taxonomy and ontology definitions, business value, and design methodologies. It also covers the concept of Knowledge Graphs in detail. Special attention is given to the differences between taxonomy and ontologies (both from a use and design perspective).
Big Data Warehousing Meetup: Dimensional Modeling Still Matters!!!Caserta
Joe Caserta went over the details inside the big data ecosystem and the Caserta Concepts Data Pyramid, which includes Data Ingestion, Data Lake/Data Science Workbench and the Big Data Warehouse. He then dove into the foundation of dimensional data modeling, which is as important as ever in the top tier of the Data Pyramid. Topics covered:
- The 3 grains of Fact Tables
- Modeling the different types of Slowly Changing Dimensions
- Advanced Modeling techniques like Ragged Hierarchies, Bridge Tables, etc.
- ETL Architecture.
He also talked about ModelStorming, a technique used to quickly convert business requirements into an Event Matrix and Dimensional Data Model.
This was a jam-packed abbreviated version of 4 days of rigorous training of these techniques being taught in September by Joe Caserta (Co-Author, with Ralph Kimball, The Data Warehouse ETL Toolkit) and Lawrence Corr (Author, Agile Data Warehouse Design).
For more information, visit http://casertaconcepts.com/.
Data Architecture, Solution Architecture, Platform Architecture — What’s the ...DATAVERSITY
A solid data architecture is critical to the success of any data initiative. But what is meant by “data architecture”? Throughout the industry, there are many different “flavors” of data architecture, each with its own unique value and use cases for describing key aspects of the data landscape. Join this webinar to demystify the various architecture styles and understand how they can add value to your organization.
Taxonomy and Terminology: The Crossroad of Controlled VocabularyContent Rules, Inc.
Many people are confused about taxonomy and terminology. And with good reason. Both taxonomy and terminology use words – often the same words. They are both ways of controlling your vocabulary. However, taxonomy and terminology are used for different purposes. In this presentation, we define taxonomy and terminology. We examine how they are different and where they intersect. We also cover some best practices for managing them both.
JSON Data Modeling in Document DatabaseDATAVERSITY
Making the move to a document database can be intimidating. Yes, its flexible data model gives you a lot of choices, but it also raises questions: Which way is the right way? Is a document database even the right tool?
Join this live session on the basics of data modeling with JSON to learn:
- How a document database compares to a traditional RDBMS
- What JSON data modeling means for your application code
- Which tools might be helpful along the way
You Need a Data Catalog. Do You Know Why?Precisely
The data catalog has become a popular discussion topic within data management and data governance circles. A data catalog is a central repository that contains metadata for describing data sets, how they are defined, and where to find them. TDWI research indicates that implementing a data catalog is a top priority among organizations we survey. The data catalog can also play an important part in the governance process. It provides features that help ensure data quality, compliance, and that trusted data is used for analysis. Without an in-depth knowledge of data and associated metadata, organizations cannot truly safeguard and govern their data.
Join this on-demand webinar to learn more about the data catalog and its role in data governance efforts.
Topics include:
· Data management challenges and priorities
· The modern data catalog – what it is and why it is important
· The role of the modern data catalog in your data quality and governance programs
· The kinds of information that should be in your data catalog and why
Building and Using SharePoint-Friendly File PlansJohn F. Holliday
Configuring a SharePoint 2010 records repository involves many steps that must be properly orchestrated in order to achieve the desired results.
As an example, most RM solutions use content organizer rules to route incoming records to a particular document library or folder so they can be associated with specific information policies and retention schedules. But configuring the content organizer requires that the site columns, content types, document libraries, folders and other components are constructed beforehand. The situation is even more challenging when working with target locations external to the site collection being configured.
This session will show how InfoPath 2010 can be leveraged to reduce the complexity of records center configuration by capturing all of the required elements in one place, and then pushing them out in various ways, depending on your overall information architecture strategy.
Theory-based Learning Analytics: Notes & Examples from Learning & Sensemaking
Learning Analytics & Knowledge 2011, Banff, Canada
Simon Buckingham Shum
Knowledge Media Institute
Open University UK
http://simon.buckinghamshum.net
http://open.edu
@sbskmi
Running head GLOBALIZATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT .docxcowinhelen
Running head: GLOBALIZATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
GLOBALIZATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
GLOBALIZATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Name
Institution
Advices:
The document needs to be well written: tone of writing, grammar, punctuation, formatting indent, paragraphs, title, sentences structure and so on.
Considering all of the changes and learning that has been accomplished in your field of study during the past two decades, what have you studied or seen as innovative or linked to the creation of new knowledge? Needs to be included in the essay.
During your course of study, you have been exposed to the areas of distance learning and virtual teams (whether working as a group or with your instructor(s) on a one-on-one basis), so you have seen innovation in terms of moving the classroom from a physical location into a virtual state. With this virtual state in mind, more and more organizations have been able to operate globally to a larger degree. Thus, the sharing of knowledge between organizations has become a valued commodity in the workplace and marketplace. Needs to be included in the essay.
Specifically, as you write your response to this question, you may want to incorporate how your current level of knowledge can be used in an innovative way to help strengthen or increase the knowledge in your field. Also, you may want to consider how your experience in distance learning has changed or not changed your views on globalization, distance learning, and/or knowledge management. Needs to be included in the essay.
Abstract
Globalization and knowledge management deals with the application of knowledge, tools and methodologies in the coordination of the complex and unique project. In accordance to the definition, project knowledge can be regarded as useful, resourceful information that enables implementation of the project concerning the objectives that is time to be taken, the execution cost and the quality of the outcome. Knowledge in organisational activities has been confirmed by researchers as fundamental for building competitive advantages of firms and business. This paper aims to document the results of the survey concerning the use of knowledge management practices in international organizations and shows that knowledge management as a helpful tool in the globalization process.
Introduction (It goes in the second page) (Each paragraph needs to be indent) (You have long paragraphs, it needs to be distributed)
Basing your information on the striping and downsizing of the organizations’ core assets in the 19th century, knowledge always surpassed the downsizing aspects. Most of the organization came into realization on the lost assets thus established a framework for managing their existing and future know-how on the assets. Progressively, the companies are focused on the establishment of explicit management in the knowledge assets and seek to leverage the experiences, know-how as well as th ...
Symposium 2015 : NASA and Talent Management: Close Encounters of the Three KindsPMI-Montréal
Through its flexible model of knowledge and learning services, NASA meets the development needs of practitioners, project teams, and the organization. By linking business strategy to knowledge and learning approaches, NASA provides an integrated and systematic approach to address critical skillsets for technical, leadership, and business capabilities. This approach optimizes individual competence, project team performance, and organizational learning in a way that enables NASA to meet the changing needs of its workforce.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Jon Boyle has served in several capacities in public and private sector organizations, from industrial production lines and overseas military combat units to multinational corporations, NASA flight facilities, and academia. He possesses expertise in Cognitive Neurosciences, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Knowledge Management, Group Processes, Human Resources and Workforce Development, Business Strategy, Technology-Enabled Learning, Research and Development, and Process Improvement.
Jon currently serves as the NASA Agency Deputy Chief Knowledge Officer (InuTeq), where he contributes to the development of the overall NASA Technical Workforce through Knowledge Services. He earned a B.A. in Psychology and Biology from the University of Southern Maine; a M.Ed. from Boston University; a M.A in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from George Mason University; and a Ph.D. in Human Development from Virginia Tech, as well as participating in diverse training and certifications in technology, project management, quality-related topics, acquisition and procurement, leadership, and coaching. He currently teaches several undergraduate and graduate programs and maintains an active research and publication agenda. Jon lives in the DC Metro area with his wife Allyson, son Zachary, and twin daughters Bevin and Riley. His son Christopher recently returned from Afghanistan where he serves as a Blackhawk Crew Chief in the U.S. Army and is now stationed at Fort Belvoir, VA.
Professor Dagobert Soergel's talk (2009 CISTA Award Recipient): Task-centric ...kristenlabonte
"The task-centric revolution. Weaving information into workflows." Systems should be centered around tasks, not applications. This talk will present ideas and techniques towards the design of task-centric systems.
Knowledge Management in Project-Based OrganizationsOlivier Serrat
Projects ought to be vehicles for both practical benefits and organizational learning. However, if an organization is designed for the long term, a project exists only for its duration. Project-based organizations face an awkward dilemma: the project-centric nature of their work makes knowledge management, hence learning, difficult.
Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy of Educational ObjectivesEzr Acelar
This was for EDUC 202 (Facilitating Learning).
Includes the old taxonomy, the revised taxonomy, the differences between the two as well as the two dimensions of the revised taxonomy and practical guide in using the revised taxonomy.
The Role of Taxonomy and Ontology in Semantic Layers - Heather Hedden.pdfEnterprise Knowledge
Heather Hedden, Senior Consultant at Enterprise Knowledge, presented “The Role of Taxonomy and Ontology in Semantic Layers” at a webinar hosted by Progress Semaphore on April 16, 2024.
Taxonomies at their core enable effective tagging and retrieval of content, and combined with ontologies they extend to the management and understanding of related data. There are even greater benefits of taxonomies and ontologies to enhance your enterprise information architecture when applying them to a semantic layer. A survey by DBP-Institute found that enterprises using a semantic layer see their business outcomes improve by four times, while reducing their data and analytics costs. Extending taxonomies to a semantic layer can be a game-changing solution, allowing you to connect information silos, alleviate knowledge gaps, and derive new insights.
Hedden, who specializes in taxonomy design and implementation, presented how the value of taxonomies shouldn’t reside in silos but be integrated with ontologies into a semantic layer.
Learn about:
- The essence and purpose of taxonomies and ontologies in information and knowledge management;
- Advantages of semantic layers leveraging organizational taxonomies; and
- Components and approaches to creating a semantic layer, including the integration of taxonomies and ontologies
Similar to Organizing Knowledge: A Knowledge Manager’s Primer to Taxonomy Development (20)
2. Why Organize Knowledge?
¢ Knowledge organization is a fundamental
precondition for managing knowledge effectively.
(Lambe, Organising Knowledge 2007)
¢ Taxonomies play an integral role in organizing
knowledge.
3. What Taxonomies Do
¢ Structure and organize.
— Taxonomies organize knowledge and information, as well as
work and resources.
¢ Help establish common ground.
— Taxonomies provide standardized vocabularies and public,
consistent ways of organizing information.
¢ Help span boundaries between groups.
— Taxonomies act as boundary objects if they form a common
frame of reference for two or more distinctive communities.
¢ Help in sense-making.
— Taxonomies can draw our attention to important, actionable,
and relevant things.
¢ Aid in the discovery of risk and opportunity.
— The process of developing a taxonomy (taxonomy work)
helps the organization to recognize its knowledge and
information in context.
4. Taxonomies are
¢ The science, laws, or principles of classification
(thefreedictionary.com)
¢ For the purposes of Knowledge Management (KM)
an effective taxonomy has three key attributes:
— A taxonomy is a classification scheme
— A taxonomy is semantic
— A taxonomy is a knowledge map
5. Classification Schemes
¢ Classification schemes are designed to group
related things together so that if you find one thing
within a category it is easy to find other related
things in that category.
¢ Classification schemes can be informal and ad-hoc
(like organizing your DVD collection) or formal and
standardized (like the Dewey Decimal Classification
System)
6. Semantic
¢ Taxonomies in KM are primarily semantic, meaning
they provide a fixed vocabulary to describe their
knowledge and information assets (as opposed to
codes or numbers)
¢ Taxonomies express the relationships between
terms in the taxonomy.
¢ If you take all the labels in a taxonomy and put
them in alphabetical order you have a controlled
vocabulary.
¢ If you take each term in your controlled vocabulary
and describe its relationships with other terms in
the taxonomy you get a thesaurus.
7. Knowledge Map
¢ A good taxonomy should provide the user an
immediate grasp of the overall structure of the
knowledge domain, and the ability to accurately
anticipate what resources might be found.
¢ The taxonomy should be comprehensive,
predictable and easy to navigate.
The combined features of classified, semantic, and a knowledge
domain map makes a taxonomy act as an artificial memory device
8. Taxonomy Work
¢ Taxonomies are products that can be used,
however the processes that produce them are more
important than the taxonomies themselves
because the organization must closely examine its
knowledge and information in context.
¢ Taxonomies are comprised of the following work:
— Listing, creating and modifying categories of knowledge
domains.
— Standardizing, mapping, representing and discovering
native vocabularies and categories within those
domains.
— Negotiating common norms across the enterprise.
9. Taxonomy Forms
¢ Lists ¢ Matrices
— The most basic form and a — Most effective when
foundation for more categorizing along two or
complex ways of three dimensions.
representing taxonomies. ¢ Facets
¢ Trees — A base taxonomy
— A command structure that comprising only one of the
represents the transition fundamental dimensions in
from general to specific or which content can be
from whole to part. analyzed.
¢ Hierarchies ¢ System maps
— A very specific kind of tree — Visual representations of
structure that is consistent knowledge domains where
and predictable. proximity and connections
between entities are used
to express their
relationships.
There are practical implications of the different taxonomy forms, and it is
necessary to know when to use each form, and the issues that can arise
from their use
10. Taxonomy Project Steps
q Step 1 – Meet project sponsor q Step 8 – Facet analysis
q Get the sense of purpose and rationale; map
the project scope including knowledge domains q Identifying those subject area aspects that
and stakeholders resonate with the majority of stakeholders
q Step 2 – Engage stakeholders q Step 9 – Test and observe
q Validate project map and understand their q Validate the structure (content and design)
needs
q Conduct a pilot
q Step 3 – Refine the project purpose
q Get the sponsor’s agreement q Step 10 – Plan the instantiation of your
q Step 4 – Design your approach taxonomy
q Build or buy; simple or complex; form q Determine the tools needed to support the
q Step 5 – Build your communication plan instantiation and anticipate usability issues
q Identify the benefits, audience, approach q Step 11 – Integrate the taxonomy into the
q Step 6 – Start the process for taxonomy existing infrastructure
governance q Plan how and where to infuse the taxonomy;
q Governance mechanism is a body of
stakeholders involved in design, validation, integrate with KM, Records Management,
communications and change management others; implement change management plan
activities
q Step 12 – Secure the governance process
q Step 7 – Collect vocabularies and organizing
q Periodically review the taxonomy and make
principles
q Includes mapping, observation and evidence
adjustments as needed
gathering
11. Taxonomy Work and KM
¢ Most taxonomy work must be weaved into the broader
knowledge and information infrastructure.
¢ Since that infrastructure is complex and ever changing,
the task of the taxonomist is to optimize taxonomy
effectiveness:
— Taxonomy consistency and standardization must be
sufficient for effectiveness and the meeting of your goals, but
no more.
¢ An effective taxonomy sits between Chaos and Order
and mediates the two.
¢ The goal is to help create that which allows collectives
of people to work together effectively, to organize and
exploit their knowledge for common use and to discover
new things.
Thanks to Patrick Lambe, author, Organising Knowledge: Taxonomies,
Knowledge and Organizational Effectiveness, Chandos Publishing
2007 for much of the content in this presentation.