Governance. The very word is a little intimidating, isn’t it? Implications of outside authority imposing limits and regulations. The expectation of conformance. The repercussions that follow failure to comply.
So why should we embrace the concept of governance? Because just as, when done thoughtfully and fairly by our political bodies, when we apply it to our content and taxonomy it results in a better world. A more consistent, predictable world, where decisions are made based on documented rationale and best practices and roles and responsibilities are clearly communicated.
Taxonomies are particularly vulnerable to breakdown if not carefully managed. They can be complex to construct and maintain, but are nearly useless if not kept accurate and current. And when we build functionality that uses them, we place valuable user experiences at risk if we aren’t maintaining them on an ongoing basis.
In the first of a two-part series, we’ve just published a new article called Introduction to Taxonomy Governance. The article discusses the why governance matters and what it consists of, from strategy to operations. In part two, we’ll discuss how to set up and manage a taxonomy governance team.