This presentation, delivered by Guillermo Galdamez at the Taxonomy Bootcamp Connect Conference, offers seven practical tips for improving taxonomy governance efforts in your organization - making sure that the taxonomy continues to grow and evolve alongside the organization, and communicating its value to stakeholders to be able to sustain support. The advice in this presentation is based on experience in taxonomy design and governance efforts across dozens of organizations of multiple sizes and various industries.

1. November 16, 2020
HABITS OF HIGHLY
EFFECTIVE TAXONOMY
GOVERNANCE
Guillermo Galdamez
@GGxKM - @EKConsulting
#TaxoBC

2. Guillermo
Galdamez
Senior KM Consultant
Enterprise Knowledge
← Sticky notes make me happy
@GGxKM - @EKConsulting
#TaxoBC

3. ENTERPRISE KNOWLEDGE AT A GLANCE
60+ EXPERT CONSULTANTS
8 AREAS OF FOCUS
▪ KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY & DESIGN
▪ TAXONOMY & ONTOLOGY DESIGN
▪ CONTENT & BRAND STRATEGY
▪ TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS
▪ AGILE TRANSFORMATION
▪ CHANGE MANAGEMENT
▪ ENTERPRISE LEARNING
▪ KNOWLEDGE GRAPHS, SEMANTIC MODELING, AND AI
25+ COUNTRIES
GLOBAL REACH
WITH CLIENTS IN
@GGxKM - @EKConsulting
#TaxoBC

4. The Cost Of Not Having Taxonomy Governance
Redundant, outdated
& duplicate terms
Miss-tagged content Low adoption and
engagement
Finger-pointing and
finger-wagging
Slow turnaround
times
@GGxKM - @EKConsulting
#TaxoBC
Productivity Innovation Collaboration Revenue

5. SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TAXONOMY GOVERNANCE
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
@GGxKM - @EKConsulting
#TaxoBC

6. Follow your North Star
@GGxKM - @EKConsulting
#TaxoBC
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What is your Mission and Vision?
What is your Business Case?
Who are your Stakeholders?
Who are your End Users?
Clear answers to these questions will guide
your decisions and actions

7. Keep your finger on the pulse
@GGxKM - @EKConsulting
#TaxoBC
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Is the taxonomy meeting expectations?
What new business initiatives may require changes to
the taxonomy?
Are user priorities shifting?
Are our terms intuitive and reflective of the
organization’s language?
Anticipate changes to the taxonomy
✔ Open channels for user feedback
✔ Define and track meaningful metrics
✔ Create spaces to converse with business stakeholders

8. Know your tools and the business processes they support
@GGxKM - @EKConsulting
#TaxoBC
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Taxonomies don’t exist in a vacuum
Taxonomies are both enabled and constrained by the enterprise
tools where they are surfaced, and the business processes they
support
Where and how are users viewing the taxonomy?
Who and how is tagging content with the taxonomy?

9. Assemble your team
@GGxKM - @EKConsulting
#TaxoBC
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Be sure to provide guidance on:
● Roles and expectations
● Policies for decision-making
Who gets a seat at the table?
Who gets a voice when making decisions?
Who gets to vote on the decision?
Search
Specialists
Systems
Administrators
Business Area
Representatives
Other KM
Experts

10. Find your rhythm
@GGxKM - @EKConsulting
#TaxoBC
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Expect things to change
Take a proactive approach
Be responsive to your stakeholders
Set a cadence for reviewing and
implementing important changes
alongside your taxonomy
governance team

11. Be nimble and quick
@GGxKM - @EKConsulting
#TaxoBC
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Don’t try to boil the ocean!
There is only so much you can do with limited time & resources
1. Break down requests & initiatives into smaller
chunks!
2. Prioritize by business value/alignment, complexity
and/or resource availability
3. Measure!
4. Create opportunities to reflect and learn

12. Remember to celebrate
@GGxKM - @EKConsulting
#TaxoBC
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Create something to celebrate about
Bring visibility to what you are doing
Showcase business value and business outcomes

13. Follow your north star
Keep your finger on the pulse
Assemble your team
SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TAXONOMY GOVERNANCE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Find your rhythm
Be nimble and quick
Remember to celebrate
Thank You!
Guillermo Galdamez
ggaldamez@enterprise-knowledge.com
@GGxKM
www.enterprise-knowledge.com