Information Audit as a Holistic
Approach: A Case Study
Emily A. Langley
Miller Brewing Company
June 10, 2003
Agenda
• Project Background
• Audit Design and Methodologies
• Results and Conclusions
Project Background
• Project Background
• Audit Design and Methodologies
• Results and Conclusions
Situational Analysis
• Businesses are dependent upon information for success
• Information exists in various forms and places
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Databases
Filing cabinets
Employee hard-drives
Reports
Journals
People
Situational Analysis
• Businesses are dependent upon information for success
• Information exists in various forms and places
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Databases
Filing cabinets
Employee hard-drives
Reports
Journals
People
Perspective
• Library and Information Science holds key to successful
management of information
• Common Limiting Beliefs
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Librarians
Librarians
Librarians
Librarians
shelve books
manage the library
separate from core business
lack technology expertise
• Information Specialists (a.k.a. librarians)
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Expertise information management
Systematically analyze organizational information needs
Design information systems
Lead cross functional team
In 2001 Miller Brewing Company’s
Brewing Research and Quality
Assurance Division sought to
improve “information
warehousing and
communication”
processes
Team Objectives
Assess Current Information
Management Practices
Improve
Information
Warehousing
and
Communication
Gain Insight into Perceived
Barriers to Access
Identify Information Needs
Define Customer Requirements
Contribute to the Division’s
Knowledge Management Strategy
Establishing Direction
Information seeking behaviors
- Information organization
- User focused systems design
- Reviewed Research
-
Discussions
- An Information Audit provided a means to collect
the data to necessary to meet our objectives
Conclusions
- Customer needs cannot be separated
from the information source
- Avoid segmented approach
Holistic Approach ??
• Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines holistic as:
as
– “relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than
with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts”
• Team to develop an understanding of relationships
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–
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Creation
Seeking
Organization
Storage
Retrieval
Dissemination
What is an Information Audit?
• Dr. Jay Liebowitz:
– “By discovering what knowledge is possessed, it is then possible to
find the most effective method of storage and dissemination. It can
then be used as the basis for evaluating the extent to which change
needs to be introduced to the organization”
• Susan Henczel:
– “a tool that can be used to not only identify strategically significant
information resources, but to also identify those tasks and activities
that create knowledge and those that rely on the transfer of
knowledge from other areas of the organisation”
• No agreed upon definition
Liebowitz, Jay, Rubenstein-Montano, Bonnie, McCaw, Doug, Buchwalter, Judah, and Browning, Chuck. 2000 The Knowledge Audit. Knowledge and Process
Management, 7(1), 3-10.
Henczel, Susan. The Information Audit as a First Step Towards Effective Knowledge Management: an Opportunity For The Special Librarian. Inspel
34(2000)3/4, 210-226
Information Audit Objectives
• Determine the following:
− Inventory information types
− Assess if information and systems supported strategic operations
− Determine importance of data/information generated
− Understand relationships between data, information and systems
• Identify gaps
− Quality information
− Systems
− Processes
• Map information flows
• Issue recommendations
Audit Design and Methodologies
• Project Background
• Audit Design and Methodologies
• Results and Conclusions
Issues to be Resolved
Who will conduct the audit?
Team
- External Consultants
- Team
How to collect the data?
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Observation
Systems Usage
Focus Groups
Questionnaires
Interviews
Questionnaire
Interviews
Data Collection Tool Design
Questionnaire
- Easy to use
- Clear instructions
• Question Design
- Length
• Avoid Bias
• Pilot
Interview
- Structured style
- Training for team
- Practice
Data Collection
• Near 100% response rate required
• Announcement by Division Head
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Objectives of audit
Benefits to participants
Importance of project
Deadline for completion
• Questionnaire Cover letter
• Interviews
Data Analysis
• How much data did we collect?
• Team member strengths:
– Statistical analysis
– Graphical representation of data
– Organization of information
• Basis for recommendations
• Vision of future state
Results and Conclusions
• Project Background
• Audit Design and Methodologies
• Results and Conclusions
Results
• 96% response rate
• Average 22.7 percent of time seeking information
AND...
Needs Identified
Internal Information
• Common format & process
– Capture
– Organization
• Central repository
− Searchable
− Easy to use
− Web based
• Integration
− Information
− Data
− Systems
• Who is the expert?
External Information
• Additional Resources
- Industry and market trends
− Current Awareness
− Technical support
− Competitive intelligence
Recommendations
• House internal information
Increase IT Capability &
Build the Infrastructure
• Make information easily accessible
• Facilitate collaborative processes
Develop processes
and procedures
• Capture
• Organize
• Better disseminate
Increase Information
Center Services
and Resources
• Web access
• Increase Current Awareness
Increase promotion
and training
• Current resources
• Current technology
• Electronic delivery
What’s Happened Since
• Improved and Customized Library services
• Support to Enterprise initiatives
– Intranet
– Knowledge Management
Critical Success Factors
• Visible support from executive management
• Communication of objectives and benefits
• Representation from all stakeholder groups
• Understanding design principles for data collection
tools
• Piloting the questionnaire and interview
• Considering people in every step of the process
Conclusion
• Information Audit provides:
– Means to gather data
– Basis for strategic decision making
• Library and Information Science provide a
foundation to:
– Manage all types of information
– Define information requirements
– Identify solutions to fill customer needs
Acknowledgements
Information Warehousing and
Communication Team:
• Bernardo Alatorre
• Patricia Bower
• Dick Duncombe
• John Engel
• Cyndy Gant
• Ray Kanzleiter
• Karen Krey
• Emily Langley
• Aki Murakami
• Troy Rysewyk
• Yue Zhou
Thank You
for Additional Support to:
to
• John Seabrooks
• David Ryder