For any ECM, intranet, document management or compliance project, a well thought through and practical taxonomy is a must. This usually consists of:

• One of more hierarchies that are used to determine the structure of site collections, sites, libraries and metadata
• Additional metadata to allow people to find, group and sort information quickly
• Forming these in ways that translate well to SharePoint (because this isn't a given!)

We use a proven methodology to engage with teams to get the "file and find" simplicity they need, as well as organisation-wide consistency. This includes:

	Make-over existing or fresh start	We can review your existing taxonomy and recommend changes, or start afresh. This can include coverage for SharePoint, file shares, intranet/internet and also paper records.
	Process and Tools	We usually run workshops with teams to determine what information they interact with. The sessions tend to be lively and engaging as we use tablet PC's and mindmaps to build the taxonomy live. Following this, the taxonomy gets tightened up and then tested against real content.
	SharePoint ready	A common mistake is engaging consultants who may be great at taxonomies but don't have in depth knowledge and experience of how to translate these into SharePoint. Our approach takes into account SharePoint's strengths and weaknesses, to get the best fit.
	FASC modelling	Our consistent approach for functional classifications simplifies filing and finding for users. We use the Function-Activity-SubActivity-Case model. This includes identifying and explicitly building in important case files.
	Other hierarchies	Other hierarchies are also catered for, depending on the organisation. This can include: geographic location, teams, subject matter expertise, assets.
	Backing into recordkeeping and compliance	While it would be great to be able to park determining retention and disposal to "later", it is much better to understand and build this into the taxonomy up front. This is because the taxonomy will be used to drive the rules and actions that determine when content is disposed.
	Many sectors, many taxonomies	Our model taxonomies speed up the process and reduce the risk and cost. Sectors include: Health Education Science Utility Local Government Professional Services Engineering Corporate Services (for all organisations)
	Self sufficiency options	Our partnership approach also allows you to do the bulk of the taxonomy development, using our tools, processes and peer review/mentoring from our experts. We also have a range of training events that can help you avoid common traps and build confidence.