1 Value of Taxonomies in Knowledge Management Joe Schehr VP Knowledge Management and Technology Solutions LexisNexis

A few definitions Taxonomy - A hierarchically structured list of controlled terms or phrases. Thesaurus – A network of term relationships (broader, narrower, synonymous, related) Indexing – Assigning terms/phrases to document entities 2

Definition Knowledge management is the art or science of collecting organizational data and, by recognizing and understanding relationships and patterns, turning it into usable, accessible information and valuable knowledge. (Computerworld, October 22, 2001) 3

Hypotheses Knowledge management cannot happen without effective indexing Indexing is not effective without a taxonomy or some form of a controlled terms list (e.g. a thesaurus) 4

5 Manage Content Publish Content Use Content Workflow - key elements Enterprise KM Solutions Taxonomies and Indexing (effectively applied across each of these workflow elements) enable them to succeed.

PROCESS CONTENT TECHNOLOGY PEOPLE Technology should enable taxonomy creation/maintenance and indexing. Technology should enable the use of the taxonomy to manage content. KM Solution Elements 6 People should be involved in creating and maintaining the taxonomy. The taxonomy should reflect the vocabulary of the people Indexing should be integrated naturally into the workflow process. If content is indexed, then its potential for reuse is increased. Common indexing across internal and external content is valuable.

7 KM Critical Success Factors Organizing/classifying content Finding content Sharing content Indexing and Taxonomies apply across each of these factors.

8 Design your own solution CUSTOM NEWS ALERTS, SEARCH FORMS AND MORE

9 Conclusion Knowledge management cannot happen without effective indexing Indexing is not effective without a taxonomy or some form of a controlled terms list (e.g. a thesaurus)