This document discusses information architecture (IA) and its importance for managing data effectively within a SharePoint environment. It notes that information is doubling every two years, and information workers spend two hours per week looking for data without finding it or recreating existing information. The solution proposed is implementing an information architecture process to define how data is created, organized, searched, used and managed. Benefits of doing IA for SharePoint include having a site structure based on business needs, guidelines for managing and presenting data, common navigation, and enabling effective searching of content.

2. Why we care about IA
Review of Information Management statistics
published by Gartner shows
 Information is doubling every 2 years
 Information Worker spends 2 hrs. every week looking for data
and not finding it
 2 hours spent on recreating information which already exists
Problem: Business good in creating contents and not effective in
managing it
Solution: The process which can help Business manage data is called
Information Architecture

3. What is Information Architecture
 IA is about defining user experience in
context to data and business process
 IA defines how we create, organize, search,
use and manage data
"It is all about making data more efficient and useful"

4. Why we do Information Architecture
Information Management Challenges
Abundance of
content leads to
information
overload
Poor Navigation and
Data presentation
results in increased
time consumption
for users to navigate
the SharePoint
environment
Poor search
experience as no
data governance
is defined
Non practical
Metadata
structure makes
it very difficult
to use it
"Before you put SharePoint to any use, IA exercise must be done"

5. What will SharePoint get out of IA experience
1. Site structure based on business and functional requirements
2. Guidelines on how to manage and present data
3. Common user navigation across the sites
4. Identify contents using Search effectively

6. What is IA
Process and tools to organize and manage data
Key IA considerations

7. SharePoint IA Artifacts

8. SharePoint IA Artifacts

9. Process transformation with SharePoint IA
Without IA
Challenge
Content duplication in
multiple locations
With IA
Effect
Transformation
Users might access incorrect
information
Data governance will enforce
content tagging avoiding
content duplication
Inefficient search as contents Search takes too much time
are not tagged
and people lose trust in
SharePoint
Content types, Managed
Meta Data will provide
confident search results
Department Sites without IA
creates data silos
IA enforces ILM resulting in
proper document
disposition.
All SharePoint sites to have
common navigation scheme
and data duplication can be
avoided by Taxonomy and
Managed Metadata
Multiple URLs to access
different site
ILM policies not managed.
Risks of regulatory
governance not enforced

10. Project Implementation Approach
Phase I - Assessment
Tasks





End User Survey
ILM Workshops
Content Audit
Metadata Extraction
Content Migration Approach
Deliverables
Logical Architecture, Site map, Content Types, Taxonomy,
Managed Metadata, Security Model

11. Phase II - Development and Implementation
Tasks
 Validate Physical Architecture
 Build Logical Architecture
 Records Center, if required
Deliverables
SharePoint Infrastructure to support IA

12. Phase II - Refinement
Tasks
 Test & Validate Search and Navigation
Deliverables
Data Governance to keep Taxonomy relevant all times

13. Business Effort
40 hours
16 hours
30 hours
8 hours
16 hours

14. Deliverables
Phase
Description
Deliverables
Project Initiation
•
•
•
•
•
Fundamental system
requirements/
Information
Governance Framework
Identify the information and records
management needs of the entire organization
at a high level and to develop an initial
Information governance framework
 Enterprise Information
Lifecycle Model
 Information
Governance Policy
SharePoint Information
Architecture and
Governance Plan
Definition of environment controls that ensure
specific information management policies
 SharePoint
Information
Governance Plan
 SharePoint
Information
Architecture
Framework
 Standard SharePoint
Site Model
Conduct project kickoff meeting
Review project scope and objectives
Identify project participants and resources
schedule meetings and other activities
Develop detailed project plan
 Kickoff meeting
materials
 Project Plan
 Meeting Schedule

15. About SAI Innovations
SAI Innovations provides business technology services
for Enterprise Content Management and CRM consulting.
SAI specializes in Microsoft SharePoint and Dynamics
CRM technologies to develop Cloud or On-premises
solutions. Companies can achieve regulatory compliance
and reduce risk with use of PageLight, our award winning
Document Management solution for SharePoint.
www.sai-innovations.com