Taxonomy Strategies LLC Getting Started with Business Taxonomy

Taxonomy Strategies LLC Getting Started with Business Taxonomy Design Joseph A. Busch, Principal, Taxonomy Strategies LLC Zach Wahl, KM Practice Leader, Project Performance Corporation November 5, 2007 Copyright 2007 Taxonomy Strategies LLC and Project Performance Corporation. All rights reserved.

Who we are: Joseph Busch v Over 25 years in the business of organized information. § Founder, Taxonomy Strategies LLC § Director, Solutions Architecture, Interwoven § VP, Infoware, Metacode Technologies – (acquired by Interwoven, November 2000) § Program Manager, Getty Foundation § Manager, Pricewaterhouse v Metadata and taxonomies community leadership. § President, American Society for Information Science & Technology § Director, Dublin Core Metadata Initiative § Adviser, National Research Council Computer Science and Telecommunications Board § Reviewer, National Science Foundation Division of Information and Intelligent Systems § Founder, Networked Knowledge Organization Systems/Services Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 2 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Who we are: Zach Wahl v Over 10 years managing enterprise KM efforts. § Practice Leader, Project Performance Corporation § Board of Knowledge Management Institute § Creator of Wahl Business Taxonomy methodology v About Project Performance Corporation… § Internationally recognized KM practice has led the design, development, and evolution of taxonomies and knowledge directories for over 160 different organizations. § Customized taxonomy design workshop methodology for “quick-start” successes. § Key clients include; Rockwell Automation, Columbia University, Government of Bermuda, Department of Defense DFAS, Society for Human Resource Management and many other Fortune 1000, government agencies, foundations and associations. § PPC’s iterative methodology focuses on defining real value for the end user with smart and simple solutions. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 3 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

What we do Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 4 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

What we do Organize Stuff Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 5 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Who are you? What sectors do you work in? Your Role v v v Industrial Sector Content Manager Editor Information Architect Usability Expert Librarian Records Manager Knowledge Engineer Ontologist Chief Information Officer Communications Administration v Financial Services § Banking & Insurance v High Tech § Computers, Software & Telecommunications v Heavy Manufacturing § Steel, Automobiles, Aircraft, etc. v Government § Federal, State or local v Manufacturing § Consumer Products, etc. v Medical & Health Care v Mining & Refining § Petrochemicals, Oil & Gas v Pharmaceuticals § Drugs, Biotech Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 6 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

How do you organize your sock drawer Like this? Or, like this? Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 7 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Agenda v Defining business taxonomy v Planning a taxonomy project v How to Get Started Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 8 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Defining business taxonomy: Agenda v Defining business taxonomy § § § § v v Taxonomy and metadata definitions Examples of taxonomy used to populate metadata fields Explaining traditional taxonomies Defining the business taxonomy Characteristics of the business taxonomy Traditional v. business taxonomy Example of business taxonomy How business taxonomy translates into front-end interface Justification for business taxonomy Easier management – Greater consistency Flexibility to respond to changing needs Foundation for findability and usability Common categorization schemes Planning a taxonomy project How to Get Started Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 9 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Taxonomy and metadata definitions v Primary tools to provide ch se Se ar ow Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information Br structure to unstructured information v Depending on system design and use, may be front-end or back-end functionality v Taxonomy (categorization) is often actualized by applying metadata to documents v Enable Findability Metadata 10 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Taxonomy and metadata definitions Metadata v Data about data. Taxonomy v The classification of organisms in an ordered system that indicates natural relationships. v The science, laws, or principles of classification; systematics. v Division into ordered groups, categories, or hierarchies. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 11 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Examples of taxonomy used to populate metadata fields Metadata Values (As Taxonomy) Audience Metadata Title Internal Executives Managers External Suppliers Customers Partners Author Department Audience Topic Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 12 Topics Employee Services Compensation Retirement Insurance Further Education Finance and Budget Products and Services Support Services Infrastructure Supplies Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Explaining traditional taxonomies Biological/Medical/Library Science Taxonomies “Instantive” Categorization Approach v An overall organizational v Defined by “is a” relationships— system with many branches or sub-branches that organizes their world of information. v Extremely rigid approach each child category is an instance of the parent category. v “Pure” taxonomic approach. Purely subject-oriented. § Consistent and methodical. § Every item has one and only one correct categorization. § Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Reptilia Order Squamata Family Colubridae Genus Pituophis Species Catenifer 13 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Defining the business taxonomy v Categorization structure designed by and for business users § Business users as primary taggers/content contributors § Business users (or their constituents) as primary consumers v Used for both (or either) primary or secondary categorization: § Primary: Navigation, Management § Secondary: Search, Tagging “ When we talk about a taxonomy, we are not only talking about a website navigation scheme. Websites change frequently, we are looking at a more durable way to deal with content so that different navigation schemes can be used over time. ” – R. Daniel “Taxonomy FAQs” Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 14 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Characteristics of Business Taxonomies v Tend to be less rigid and constrained. v Influenced by usability concerns § Minimize number of “clicks” v Often content-driven § Ensure balanced content distribution. v Allow flexibility, redundancy § Items may be organized into multiple categories. § May support multiple taxonomies for disparate audiences. v May use one or more different categorization approaches. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 15 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Traditional v. business taxonomy: Side-by-side comparison Traditional Taxonomy Business Taxonomy v Back-end Visibility v Front-end Visibility/Navigation v Integration & Classification Structure v Navigation & Integration/Classification v Increased Usability v Simplicity v Absolute Granularity v Ultimate Classification Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 16 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Example of business taxonomy Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 17 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Business taxonomy problem: How to pick from > 5, 000 faucets? Refine search by: v Category v Price v Brand v Color/Finish v # Handles v Series Name v Water Filter? v Faucet Spray v Handle Shape v Soap Dispenser? Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 18 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

How business taxonomy translates into front-end interface Metadata Field: Size Taxonomy Values: 4. 5 5. 5 6 6. 5 7 8 … Metadata Field: Type Taxonomy Values: Athletic Inspired Boots Loafers and Slip-ons Oxfords and More Sandals Metadata Field: Color Taxonomy Values: Black Blue Brown Green Grey Ivory … Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information Metadata Field: Brand Taxonomy Values: Antonio Maurizi Bacco Bucci Ben Sherman Bruno Magli … 19 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

How business taxonomy translates into front-end interface…for YOUR BUSINESS Metadata Field: Topic Metadata Field: Locale Taxonomy Values: Manufacturing Benefits Infrastructure Quality Safety … Taxonomy Values: North America Europe Asia South America … Metadata Field: Document Type ? Taxonomy Values: Forms Policies Procedures Reports News … Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information Metadata Field: Department Taxonomy Values: HR Sales and Marketing Communications Shipping … 20 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Justification for business taxonomy v Easier information management v Flexibility to respond to changing needs v Foundation for findability and usability Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 21 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Effectiveness of business taxonomies v Categorize in multiple, Main Ingredients independent, categories. v Allow combinations of categories to narrow the choice of items. v 4 independent categories of 10 nodes each have the same discriminatory power as one hierarchy of 10, 000 nodes (104) • • • Easier to maintain § Easier to reusue existing material § Can be easier to navigate, if software supports it § Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information Chocolate Dairy Fruits Grains Meat & Seafood Nuts Olives Pasta Spices & Seasonings Vegetables Meal Type • • • Breakfast Brunch Lunch Supper Dinner Snack Cooking Methods Cuisines • • • African American Asian Caribbean Continental Eclectic/ Fusion/ International Jewish Latin American Mediterranean Middle Eastern Vegetarian • • • • Advanced Bake Broil Fry Grill Marinade Microwave No Cooking Poach Quick Roast Sauté Slow Cooking • Steam • Stir-fry 42 values to maintain (10+6+11+15) 9900 combinations (10 x 6 x 11 x 15) 22 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Easier management – Greater consistency: Overall enterprise taxonomy goals for the EPA v Provide a single methodology for categorizing information across offices, programs, and regions. v Reduce the time it takes to successfully target and find cross-Program/Region information § Enable and enforce content linking across the agency v Build common agency-wide terminology resources § Eliminate multiple, ambiguous taxonomies § Eliminate multiple glossaries, abbreviations and acronyms v Group things differently depending on the context § e. g. , ground water with drinking water, or ground water with water quality v Get the right content to the right people in the right format at the right time. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 23 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Flexibility to respond to changing needs Steve v Respond to innovation § New product or service launch Michae l v Respond to disruption § The boss wants something done now v Target / personalize content § RSS feeds § Tailored portals v Assemble new site quickly § Unfunded mandates Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 24 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Foundation for findability and usability v For a product catalog, e. g. , Home. Depot. com § Conversion rate increases – 20% increase. Petersen § Lift in average order size. – 20% increase. Petersen v For knowledge workers, e. g. , call center support staff § Time saved – 36% faster than search. Chen & Dumais. v For knowledge workers, e. g. , analysts § Increase in productivity – 25% productivity increase from not re-creating content. Taylor. – Estimated productivity loss exceeded $10 M per year—about $500 per employee per year. Nielsen. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 25 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Common categorization schemes – Strive for topical taxonomy Method Definition Examples Hardest Easiest Facet-based Information categorized into multiple taxonomies or “stackonomies” based on unique but pervasive characteristics including topic, function, etc. Wines by region France > Alsace Wines by type White > Chardonnay Wines by price Subjectoriented Information categorized by subject or topic. Ø Instantive - each child category is an instance of the parent category Ø Partitive - each child category is a part of the parent category water pollution, soil pollution, air pollution… Functional Information categorized by the process to which it relates employment, staffing, training Organizational Information categorized by corporate departments or business entities. Human Resources, Marketing, Accounting, Research… Document Type Information categorized by the type of document presentations, expense reports, press releases … Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 26 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Planning a taxonomy project: Agenda v v Defining business taxonomy Planning a taxonomy project § § § § § § v Top down v. bottom up approach Primary risks and challenges Lack of understanding Complexity Compliance Resistance to change Delay and avoidance What do you need to get started? Understand your audience Understand your publishers Understand your platform Understand your content Understand your limitations Define your use cases Project best practices Common roles and responsibilities Iterative design plan Communications, education and marketing Governance plan: The four keys to governance End user focus Leverage existing metrics: Passive and active How to Get Started Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 27 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Top down v. bottom up approach – we’re focusing on top down Top down approach Bottom up approach v Keep it broad and shallow § 6 -12 top-level categories. § 2 -3 levels deep. v Focus mainly on the primary, top- v Essentially boiling the ocean v Identify frequently occurring noun phrases in text—thousands and thousands of them. v Identify every possible category, and then try to sort them into meaningful groups. v Obsess over the naming of each taxonomy node. level concepts § Keep it simple (elegant) v Be inspired by schemes that already exist and are being used § § Industry standards. Local practices. v When appropriate, use universally applicable divisions § Business activities. v Focus on the names of people, places, organizations and things— Save the true topics for last. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 28 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Primary risks and challenges v Lack of understanding v Complexity v Compliance v Resistance to change v Delay and avoidance Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 29 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Lack of understanding v Why are we building this taxonomy § What is the business problem that we are trying to solve v Who are the end users § Are they being involved in building the taxonomy § Observe what end users do and how they are do it – Review query logs and web analytics – Sales conversion and order size statistics v Business not consumer (or end user) perspective § Org chart thinking § Combining apples with oranges – Confusing Document types and Department names with Topics Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 30 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Complexity v Perception that complexity validates your worth (knowledge) v The tendency is to make the taxonomy more complex than it needs to be § Every possible category is described instead of just the ones needed today. § Adding categories, but not removing any. § Focus on categories that relate to what the most important content is about, or the most common user tasks. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 31 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Compliance v Compliance is a key driver for taxonomy projects § e. Discovery – records management. § SOX / FDIC – transparency in corporate decision-making. § HIPPA – medical records security (and communication) v Avoiding penalties for breaching regulations § EPA-regulated industries. § FDA-regulated products (food and drugs) § USDA-approved labels. § CMS quality improvements. v Following required procedures. § Insurance claims. § Telecommunication service rates. § Customer support and complaints. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 32 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Resistance to change Lack of: Awareness Reinforcement Desire Ability Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information Knowledge 33 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Delay and avoidance ! Not invented here – We’ve been working on our taxonomy for the past 5 years. Inertia – We’ve always done it this way. $ Unfunded mandate – We don’t have the resources to do this. X Insubordination – I don’t want to do this. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 34 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

What do you need to get started? v Audience Taxonomy design projects seldom do (and never should) exist in a vacuum. Unless the project managers and designers recognize and adapt to the project constraints, the project is doomed to failure or obscurity. v Publishers/Content Managers v Technology v Content v Scope/Resources Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 35 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Understand your audience v End users drive the language and complexity of the structure. § Who are they? § Who is the lowest common denominator? § Define the “spectrum of experience: New Employee Tenured Employee Technophobe Technophile Young Old Native Speaker Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information Foreign Language 36 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Understand your publishers v Publisher determine the reasonable complexity of a taxonomy/metadata strategy: Acceptable amount of time per document § Number of metadata fields § Complexity of taxonomy § Business Users Information Professional Part-time (Volunteer) Dedicated Position Few Publishers Many Publishers Diverse Publisher Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information Homogenous Publishers 37 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Understand your platform: CM, DM, RM, Portal, Enterprise v Taxonomy design seldom works outside the context of a business mission, typically tied to a technology: Web Content Management Portal Document Management Records Management Looser Less Complex Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information Tighter More Complex 38 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Understand your content: How much? v More content typically equals more time to re-tag with new taxonomy and metadata design v Explore iterative approaches to re-tagging v Take advantage of effort to clean out old or obsolete content v Consider alternatives: § Auto-categorization tools § Tagging services Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 39 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Understand your content: How is it tagged? v Typically, content does not have “salvageable” metadata § Metadata mappings often don’t work. § But working with existing metadata can provide quick wins. v Be willing to reduce fields to improve quality. v Use business rules to automate content tagging. § Tag top-level content first – Tag landing pages for major sections – Lower-level pages inherit tags from top-level pages § If content originated in this department, then tag it with pre- defined values. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 40 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Understand your limitations v Many, if not most Relax: you’re not alone. Few taxonomy design project are perfectly resources and funded. The most important thing is to START the process. Recognize you can make due with given resources as long as you begin the process correctly and build from there. taxonomy project fit within the context of a large project and are driven by artificial limitations: § Schedule § Budget § Personnel Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 41 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Define your use cases v Understand how/why you will be using taxonomy and metadata. v Define who your content managers are in order to understand their capabilities: § Willingness to manually enter fields. § Ability to properly tag content. v Define your audience to understand their needs: § Sorting needs. v Communicate benefits to all users Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 42 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Key components to a successful taxonomy project: Project best practices v Incremental, extensible process that identifies and v v v v enables users, and engages stakeholders. Keep your audience in mind. Strive for subject-based categorization. Be consistent. Control depth and breadth. Make a long-term investment. A means to an end, and not the end in itself. Not perfect, but it does the job it is supposed to do—such as improving search and navigation. Improved over time, and maintained. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 43 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Common roles and responsibilities: Committees v Governance Board – Review overall strategy of taxonomy and define the type of appropriate content v Taxonomy Team – Approve requests for new folders and ensure the value of content placement and metadata v Content Managers – Approve and edit content v Content Owners – Publish content and apply metadata Group Publish Content Edit/Move Content Approve Content Request Content or Folders ● Taxonomy Team Content Managers ● Content Owners ● Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information ● Create/Edit Folders ● ● 44 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Iterative design plan Identify business case Planning Maintain & evolve Discovery Form taxonomy team Tag content Testing & review Build taxonomy Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 45 Form focus group Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Communications, education and marketing v Give users the ability to learn about the taxonomy by a range of means: § § § One-on-one meetings Live presentations/ Workshops Documentation Animated Tutorials Context Sensitive Help White Papers v Create two-way communications and prove it means something § § § Document decisions and archive all input Make all feedback available to end users Provide means of communication via the system v Market the value of the taxonomy and effective metadata use – mandates will not be sufficient Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 46 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Define governance v Apply the core governance principles to your taxonomy and metadata strategy: § Roles and Responsibilities – – Managers – Reviewers § Policies – – For naming – Required Fields § Procedures – – For reviewing and approving metadata placement – For acting on poor metadata application Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 47 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

End user focus v Recognize that users may think about and look for information in different ways v Understand your business practices and use the most appropriate categorization method(s) v Consider multiple taxonomies for disparate audiences v Use familiar vocabulary and organizational schemas to ensure a logical browsing experience. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 48 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Leverage existing metrics: Passive and active v Active (Survey/Interviews) § Perform online and in-person interviews § Provide feedback mechanisms on every screen § Conduct pre- and post-rollout surveys v Passive (Usage Monitoring) § Identify components that are not being used in order to address § § improvements Alert administrators to empty folders, too many documents, or a proliferation of other components Identify most popular components in order to learn from them Identify the terms users are searching for and the folders in which they are browsing to provide similar content Identify inactive users to address their issues Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 49 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

How to get started: Agenda v Defining business taxonomy v Planning a taxonomy project v How to Get Started § The workshop concept § Recommended workshop configuration § Primary goals § Sample agenda § Exercise 1: Define value statement § Exercise 2 a: Define audience types § Exercise 2 b: Define audience differentiators § Exercise 3: Define verbs § Exercise 4: Define nouns/topics § Find commonalities § Identify non-topical terms § Rinse and repeat § Review of total methodology § The 9 steps to successful taxonomy design § Success stories Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 50 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

The workshop concept v A working session that includes § Problem-solving, and § Hands-on activities To involve participants in a accomplishing practical task. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 51 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Recommended workshop configuration: FDA Taxonomy Committee Selection Criteria v Represent internal business functional areas § IT (CIO, Web Operations, Systems Administration, Application Development, etc. ) § Communications and Public Affairs. § Administration (HR, Financial Management, etc. ) v Represent program areas § Biologics, Devices, Radiological Health, Drugs, Food Safety, Nutrition, Veterinary Medicine and Toxicology. § Regional offices, Regulatory Affairs and Office of the Commissioner. v Have information management responsibility related to any or many phases of the content lifecycle § § § Planning. Creation. Management. Publication. Archiving. v Be of a manageable size – a minimum of 6 and maximum of 12 members. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 52 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Primary goals v Surface business value of taxonomy. v Involve taxonomy stakeholders and end users. v Discover high-level taxonomy that can be modified and extended over time. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 53 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Sample agenda 9: 00 -10: 00 Introductions and project overview. 10: 00 -11: 15 Exercise 1: Information seeking use case exercise and discussion. 11: 15 -11: 30 Break 11: 30 -12: 45 Exercise 2: Identify and agree on intranet audiences. 12: 45 -1: 30 Lunch 1: 30 -2: 45 Exercise 3: identify and group tasks (what you do and what other people want to do on the intranet) 2: 45 -3: 00 Break 3: 45 -4: 30 Exercise 4: Identify and group topics. 4: 30 -5: 00 Summarize and discuss next steps. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 54 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Exercise 1: Define value statement EPA Success measures – Usage metrics v Reduce FOIA requests/costs. v Expand use to include different types of people (new audiences) v Improve customer satisfaction survey results § Score higher on American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) government-wide survey. v Improve OMB Performance and Accountability Reports (PARS) § Show cause and effect especially between regulation & measured outcome, e. g, arsenic removed from water and health. § Provide more visibility for research pages. v Reduce cost per unique user (UU) § Increase Webstats (page hits) v Increase number of successful website searches. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 55 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Exercise 2: Define audience types and differentiators Audiences v “I should get the official stance of the organization on an issue … not a bunch of items dated from around the same time. ” v Our 1. 3 million realtor members are not technically savvy. v [On current website, it's] “hard for the user to really get a grasp of what's going on. ” § Association Executives Policy Makers Consumers Lawyers & Legal Counsel Media NAR Members NAR Staff NAR Leadership e. g. , Joe Realtor trying to find information about diversity. Differentiators Geographic Areas v Aggregation (2 d level pages) mostly reflect the org chart. Property Types Business Activities Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 56 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Exercise 2: Define audience types and differentiators Audiences Differentiators Multiple Audiences Patients Family & Friends Press & Public Clinicians & Providers Worried Well v Audience Situation: Audience situation(s) to whom the conference is relevant. v Perspective: Overall tone of the content – emotional, clinical or practical. v Clinical Characteristics: Specific cancer type(s) or other clinical characteristics discussed during the conference, or relevant to the conference. Differentiators Situation Perspective Clinical Characteristics Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 57 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Exercise 3: Define verbs – What people want to do NASA Taxonomy use case domains v Project Manager § “I’d like to see all documents at a certain level in the WBS. ” E. g. , All planning docs relating to project management. v Scientist § “I’d like to see what types of data were returned on earlier missions using a particular instrument to help with the Science Definition Goals of my new proposal. ” v Cognizant Engineer § “I’d like to see all problem failure reports on a sub-system I designed and flew 5 years ago so I can incorporate the lessons learned into my current mission. ” v Project Information Management Engineer § “I’d like to see the status of all Phase B documents that I need to prep for an upcoming CDR gate review so I know we’re ready. ” v Operations Engineer § “The space craft is experiencing some behavior anomalies. I’d like to look at all quality control records and test results relating to the specific subsystem that’s producing errors, so we can figure out how to fix the system and continue the mission. ” Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 58 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Exercise 4: Define nouns/topics Absolute Auctions • ADA • Advocacy • Agency Disclosure • Americans with Disabilities Act • Appraisal • Auctions • Benefits • Blackberry • Branding • Brokerage Management • Brownfields • Business Activity • Business Issues • Business Lifecycle • Buying • Closing • Commercial Finance • Commercial Green Buildings • Commercial Real estate • Commercial Research • Compliance • Computer Software • Computers • Consumer Surveys • Conventional Residential Lending • Customer Follow-Up • Development Impact Fees • Digital Cameras • Digital Photography • Diversity • Downzoning • Economic Forecasts • Economic Indicators • Environmental Issues • Errors & Omissions Insurance • Ethics • Fair Housing • Farm Land • Governance • Government Affairs • Green Roofs • Ground Leases • Growth Management • Health • Hiring • History • Hotel / Motel Properties • Housing Statistics • Human Resources • Inclusionary Zoning • Industry Surveys • Insurance Availability • International Real Estate • International Research • Issues • Keeping Customers • Land • Lead-Based Paint • Leadership • Legal • Legislative Affairs • Liability • License Laws • Listing • Lobbying • Low-Income Housing Tax Credits • Luxury Homes • Marketing a Brokerage • Membership • Military Base Closings • Minimum Bid Auctions • Mold & Health Issues • Multi-Family Properties • NAR Membership • Negotiating • Networking Computers • New Homes • Office Properties • Offices • Online Auctions • PDA • Personal Marketing • Property Types • Property Values • Prospecting • Real Estate Transfer Taxes • Recruitment • Remote Access • Representation • Research & Analysis • Reserve Auctions • Residential Real Estate • Resorts • Retail Properties • Retaining Customers • Retaining Top Personnel • Retention • Risk Management • Sales Meetings • Second Homes • Selling • Smart Growth • Stigmatized Homes • Tax Issues • Taxes • Technology • Underground Storage Tanks • Water Rights • Website Development • Wireless Access • Workplace Trends • Zoning Laws • Zoning Ordinances Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 59 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Find commonalities v Advocacy & Lobby § Business Issues • Commercial Finance • Conventional Residential Lending • Diversity • Environmental Issues • Fair Housing • License Laws • Smart Growth • Tax Issues v Brokerage Management § Human Resources & Benefits • Leadership • Marketing a Brokerage • Offices & Facilities • Recruitment & Hiring • Retaining Top Personnel • Risk Management • Sales Meetings • Workplace Trends v Business Activity & Lifecycle § Appraisal & Property Values • Auctions • Buying • Representation • Selling v Legal & Liability Topics § Agency Disclosure • Compliance • Health & Environment • Insurance • Taxes • Zoning & Land v NAR & Membership § Branding • Ethics • Governance • History • Membership v Property Types § Commercial • International • Land • Residential • Resorts & Second Homes v Research & Analysis § Commercial Research • Consumer Surveys • Economic Indicators & Forecasts • Housing Statistics • Industry Surveys • International Research v Technology § Website Development • Computer & Networking Hardware • Computer Software • Cameras & Photography • Wireless & Remote Access Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 60 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Identify non-topical terms for additional metadata fields v Content types § Listserv • Magazine • News Service Report • Newsletter • Research Publication • Statistics v Organizations § Affiliates • Association Executives • Board • Business Specialties • Committees • Communications Division • Executive Offices • Government Affairs Division • Legal Affairs Division • Marketing & Business Development Division • Research Division v Geographic Areas § Countries • NAR Regions • SMSAs • States v Audiences § Association Executives • Policy Makers • Consumers • Lawyers & Legal Staff • Media • NAR Members • NAR Staff • NAR Leaders Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 61 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Rinse and repeat v The taxonomy should be built in an iterative fashion, with more content and broader review for each iteration. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 62 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Exercise: About Us… v Dunder Mifflin Inc. (stock symbol DMI) is a micro-cap regional paper and office supply distributor with an emphasis on servicing smallbusiness clients. With a corporate office in New York City, Dunder Mifflin has branches in Buffalo, Albany, Utica, Scranton, Akron, Camden, Nashua and Yonkers. v Dunder Mifflin Inc. provides its customers quality office and information technology products, furniture, printing values and the expertise required for making informed buying choices. We provide our products and services with a dedication to the highest degree of integrity and quality of customer satisfaction, developing long-term professional relationships with employees that develop pride, creating a stable working environment and company spirit. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 63 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Exercise: Our products… What is Dunder Mifflin Infinity? Our Products… v v v Dunder Mifflin Infinity (DMI) is the new online division of Dunder Mifflin, Inc. Paper Company. DMI was designed to reinvent the business of selling paper. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 64 Binders Calculators & Office Machines Calendars & Planners Cardstock Envelopes & Forms Filing Supplies Labels Office Furniture & Accessories Paper Storage and Organizers Writing Utensils Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Exercise: Identify topics for Infinity taxonomy 1. Brainstorm nouns/topics (10 minutes) 2. Identify commonalities category groups (5 minutes) v Form groups of no more than 10 v Appoint a recorder. Appoint a reporter v Brainstorm topics (use Post Its) v Group topics into categories Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 65 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Review of total methodology v Know the ROI case – what is the benefit you want and what can you afford in the way of tagging, software, and other expenses. v Know the content to be categorized and the people who will use it. Have an idea of the UI they will use to access the content. v Get the team together. v Go through the process, in an iterative manner. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 66 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

The 9 steps to successful taxonomy design Identify business case Planning Maintain & evolve Discovery Form taxonomy team Tag content Testing & review Build taxonomy Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 67 Form focus group Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Success story: International Monetary Fund country -related terminology v Impact on research and editorial activities: $2. 6 M/year § Speed up processing by higher level staff § Enable self-service by everyday users. § Improve accuracy of documents and publications. v Impact on IT Operations: $1. 25 M/year § Save time maintaining applications that require updating by usingle source. § Save time merging data from multiple applications using ETL processing, etc. § Save time developing new applications. Taxonomy Strategies LLC The business of organized information 68 Project Performance Corporation Simplifying the complex

Taxonomy Strategies LLC Questions? Joseph A. Busch, + 415 -377 -7912, jbusch@taxonomystrategies. com http: //www. taxonomystrategies. com Zach Wahl, +703 -626 -6976, zwahl@ppc. com www. businesstaxonomy. com; www. ppc. com November 5, 2007 Copyright 2007 Taxonomy Strategies LLC and Project Performance Corporation. All rights reserved.