Information audit
Encyclopedia
The Information Audit extends the concept of auditing holistically from a traditional scope of accounting and finance to the organisational information management
system. Information
is representative of a resource
which requires effective management
and this led to the development of interest in the use of an IA.
Prior the 1990s and the methodologies
of Orna, Henczel, Wood, Buchanan and Gibb, IA approaches and methodologies focused mainly upon an identification of formal information resources (IR). Later approaches included an organisational analysis and the mapping
of the Information flow
. This gave context to analysis
within an organisation’s information systems and a holistic
view of their IR and as such could contribute to the development of the Information Systems Architecture
(ISA). In recent years the IA has been overlooked in favour of the systems development
process which can be less expensive than the IA, yet more heavily technically focused, project
specific (not holistic) and does not favour the top-down analysis
of the IA.
by reference to both people and existing documents, in order to establish the extent to which they are contributing to an organisation’s objectives” In summary, the term audit
itself implies a counting, the IA being much the same yet it counts IR and analyses how they are used and how critical they are to the success of a given task.
s by the information professional, from complying with freedom of information legislation
to identifying any existing gaps
, duplications, bottlenecks or other inefficiencies in information flows and to understand how existing channels can be used for knowledge transfer
In 2007 Buchanan and Gibb developed upon their 1998 examination of the IA process by outlining a summary of its main objective
s:
Furthermore, Buchanan and Gibb went on to state that the IA also had to meet the following additional objectives:
and acquisition which he felt was being overlooked. In 1985 Gillman focused upon identifying the relationships which existed between various components in order to map them to one another. Neither Henderson nor Gillman’s methods offered alternative approaches beyond the existing organisational frameworks. Quinn took a hybrid-approach combining Gillman and Henderson’s methods to identify the purpose of existing IR and to position them within the organisation, as did Worlock. The differentiator between Quinn and Worlock lay in Worlock’s consideration of solutions outside of the current organisational structure. These approaches had thus far had paid little attention to the needs of the user or in making structured recommendations for the development of a corporate information strategy. Therefore, here follows a brief outline and overall comparison of four published strategic approaches in order that one might understand the development of the IA methodology.
Although the method inventoried
all IR (and therefore met standard ISO 1779) this bottom-up approach revealed limited analysis of the organisation holistically and the steps were not explicit enough.
Orna’s method introduced the need for a cyclical IA to be put in place in order for the IR to be continually tracked and improvements made regularly. Again this method was criticised for lacking some practical application and in 2004 Orna revised the methodology once more to try to rectify this problem
This was the introduction of a new approach to costing the IR and had an integrated strategic direction, yet the scholars admitted that this method may be impractical for smaller organisations.
Focus was made once more on the strategic direction of the organisation conducting the IA. Furthermore, Henczel made examination into the use of the IA as a first-step in the development of a knowledge audit or knowledge management strategy as discussed in the later section.
in 1999 aimed to identify the use of information resources for qualitative and quantitative data analysis due to the rapid expansion of the organisation within a six-year period. Although the methodology was not explicitly credited to any of the above-mentioned scholars, it did follow a strategic (post 1990’s) IA process including gaining support from management, the use of questionnaires for data collection, analysis and evaluation of the data, identification and mapping
of the IR, cost-analysis and outlining recommendations to assist with the establishment of an Information policy. In addition the IA report suggested that the process would need to be continual (cyclical as Orna, Henczel and Buchanan and Gibb suggest). Conclusions of this case-study stated that the IA allowed a greater understanding of the basis of the organisation’s information policy and personnel and identified technical problems within the organisation. In addition this method was believed to be cost and time-effective to the two auditors involved and the organisation used the results of the IA as a marketing
tool to promote services users may not have been previously aware of.
In 2006 a paper testing the ‘viability’of Henczel's methodology was published in the South African Journal of Library and Information Science. The purpose of the study was to determine the financial position of an organisation (Statistics SA) through a report of financial statements made over a period of time. The IA was used as part of the holistic
audit process and was limited to just the methodology of Henczel after consideration and dismissal of others. The IA followed the seven-stage process as outlined above (planning, data collection, analysis, evaluation, communicating and implementing recommendations and the IA as a contiuum) and the objectives were outlined as identifying the needs of respondents, identifying information sources and their significance, mapping information flow and identifying gaps in available sources.
Upon conducting the IA several recommendations were made including making print the preferred format for information and that the library should be responsible for missing information and address this in a development plan. Finally, advantages and disadvantages to this methodology
were identified. It was reported that the methodology was flexible in its application as it provided a framework which could be adjusted to suit the needs of an organisation, that the scope could be easily expanded to cover more objectives and that guidelines for data collection and analysis were varied. Secondly it was felt that the methodology was cost-effective as it made use of existing resources (email, workspace etc). The greatest disadvantage reported was that the process was ‘cumbersome’ and that the researcher became weary with the repetitive nature of the planning process.
In conclusion, the study reported that Henczel's methodology had allowed the information professionals to effectively manage the information management activities of the public sector organisation in question. Positively it had been viewed as cost-effective and depicted a snapshot
of the use of information in the organisation, yet it had been a ‘cumbersome’ process with some repetition within the planning phases.
In 2007 Buchanan and Gibb published another examination of the IA to include case studies of their own methodology, an element they had been previously criticised for not including. In the first case study conducted in a university research department, the objectives were to identify how effective information flow within the department was and what improvement would be required. The methodology was tailored to the study by removing the costing stage and establishing a workgroup to assist at various stages of the process, whilst all other stages remained as per the above (promote, identify, analyse and synthesise). Recommendations were made by the auditor towards greater synergy and systems analysis and it was found that staff immediately recognised the value of this output.
The second case study dealt with a public body within the arts sector with the objectives to streamline evaluation and approval processes and to improve communications between stakeholders. The sponsor also specified that a list of recommendations were required to be incorporated into a change management
programme and this aligns well to Buchanan and Gibb's strategic directional method. The IA methodology was scoped to be primarily resource-orientated and once again the costing stage was removed. All else remained as per the original methodology. The IA output recommended that for all organisational processes a shift was needed from process-modelling to capturing process descriptions.
The main strengths identified in Buchanan and Gibb's methodology were its logical structuring of stages, provision of tools, inclusive process for stakeholders, adequate illustration of the role of effective Information Management
within an organisation and much like Henczel, the flexibility to tailor the methodology. Their scope matrix was also proven to be useful. A weakness lay still in the limited instructional depth which affected the qualitative data analysis. As regards the applicability of this method, it should be noted that the costing stage was not included in either study and that this might suggest it is not required in an information audit. Further study is required to produce a more conclusive analysis of the methodology.
The hybrid-methodology was formed of 7-stages and is as below:
However, Buchanan and Gibb themselves declared that this should not be considered a conclusive comparison as it is high-level "and does not assess how well each methodology addresses each stage."
Knowledge management
Information management
Freedom of information legislation
Mission statement
Gap analysis
Information mapping
GILLMAN, P.L., 1985. An analytical approach ot the information audit. Electronic library, 3, pp. 56–60.
HENDERSON, H.L., 1980. Cost effective information provision and the role for the information audit. Information Management, 1(4), pp. 7–9.
HIGSON, C. and NOKES, S., 2004. The information audit asset register: a practitioner’s guide for the Freedom of Information Act. London: Rivington Publishing Ltd.
QUINN, A.V., 1979. The Information Audit: a new tool for the Information Manager. Information Manager, 1(4), pp. 18–19.
RILEY, R.H., 1976. The Information Audit. Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science, 2(5), pp. 24–25.
THEAKSTON, C., 1998. An information audit of National Westminster Bank UK’s Learning and Resource Centres. International Journal of Information Management, 18(5), pp. 371–375.
WEBER, R., 1999. Information systems, control and audit. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.
Information management
Information management is the collection and management of information from one or more sources and the distribution of that information to one or more audiences. This sometimes involves those who have a stake in, or a right to that information...
system. Information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
is representative of a resource
Resource
A resource is a source or supply from which benefit is produced, typically of limited availability.Resource may also refer to:* Resource , substances or objects required by a biological organism for normal maintenance, growth, and reproduction...
which requires effective management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
and this led to the development of interest in the use of an IA.
Prior the 1990s and the methodologies
Methodology
Methodology is generally a guideline for solving a problem, with specificcomponents such as phases, tasks, methods, techniques and tools . It can be defined also as follows:...
of Orna, Henczel, Wood, Buchanan and Gibb, IA approaches and methodologies focused mainly upon an identification of formal information resources (IR). Later approaches included an organisational analysis and the mapping
Mapping
In geomatics or geospatial science and technology:Mapping usually refers to map-making and often used instead of cartography.Mapping term is also sometimes used for geospatial data collection but in fact it is not mapping because a map is created from some cartographic works In geomatics or...
of the Information flow
Information flow
In discourse-based grammatical theory, information flow is any tracking of referential information by speakers. Information may be new, just introduced into the conversation; given, already active in the speakers' consciousness; or old, no longer active...
. This gave context to analysis
Analysis
Analysis is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle , though analysis as a formal concept is a relatively recent development.The word is...
within an organisation’s information systems and a holistic
Holism
Holism is the idea that all the properties of a given system cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone...
view of their IR and as such could contribute to the development of the Information Systems Architecture
Systems architecture
A system architecture or systems architecture is the conceptual model that defines the structure, behavior, and more views of a system.An architecture description is a formal description and representation of a system, organized in a way that supports reasoning about the structure of the system...
(ISA). In recent years the IA has been overlooked in favour of the systems development
Software development methodology
A software development methodology or system development methodology in software engineering is a framework that is used to structure, plan, and control the process of developing an information system.- History :...
process which can be less expensive than the IA, yet more heavily technically focused, project
Project
A project in business and science is typically defined as a collaborative enterprise, frequently involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim. Projects can be further defined as temporary rather than permanent social systems that are constituted by teams...
specific (not holistic) and does not favour the top-down analysis
Analysis
Analysis is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle , though analysis as a formal concept is a relatively recent development.The word is...
of the IA.
Definition
A definition for the Information Audit cannot be universally agreed-upon amongst scholars, however the definition offered by ASLIB received positive support from a few notable scholars including Henczel, Orna and Wood; “(the IA is a) systematic examination of information use, resources and flows, with a verificationVerification
The word verification may refer to:* Verification and validation, in engineering or quality management systems, it is the act of reviewing, inspecting or testing, in order to establish and document that a product, service or system meets regulatory or technical standards.* Verification , in the...
by reference to both people and existing documents, in order to establish the extent to which they are contributing to an organisation’s objectives” In summary, the term audit
Audit
The general definition of an audit is an evaluation of a person, organization, system, process, enterprise, project or product. The term most commonly refers to audits in accounting, but similar concepts also exist in project management, quality management, and energy conservation.- Accounting...
itself implies a counting, the IA being much the same yet it counts IR and analyses how they are used and how critical they are to the success of a given task.
Role and scope of an IA
In much the same way as the IA is difficult to define, it can be utilised in a range of contextContext
Context may refer to:* Context , the relevant constraints of the communicative situation that influence language use, language variation, and discourse summary...
s by the information professional, from complying with freedom of information legislation
Freedom of information legislation
Freedom of information legislation comprises laws that guarantee access to data held by the state. They establish a "right-to-know" legal process by which requests may be made for government-held information, to be received freely or at minimal cost, barring standard exceptions...
to identifying any existing gaps
Gap analysis
In business and economics, gap analysis is a tool that helps companies compare actual performance with potential performance. At its core are two questions: "Where are we?" and "Where do we want to be?" If a company or organization does not make the best use of current resources, or forgoes...
, duplications, bottlenecks or other inefficiencies in information flows and to understand how existing channels can be used for knowledge transfer
In 2007 Buchanan and Gibb developed upon their 1998 examination of the IA process by outlining a summary of its main objective
Objective
Objective may refer to:* Objective , to achieve a final set of actions within a given military operation* Objective pronoun, a pronoun as the target of a verb* Objective , an element in a camera or microscope...
s:
- To identify an organisation’s information resource
- To identify an organisation’s information needs
Furthermore, Buchanan and Gibb went on to state that the IA also had to meet the following additional objectives:
- To identify the cost/benefits of information resources
- To identify the opportunities to use the information resources for strategic competitive advantage
- To integrate IT investment with strategic business initiatives
- To identify information flow and processes
- To develop an integrated information strategy and/or policy
- To create an awareness of the importance of Information Resource Management (IRM)
- To monitor/evaluate conformance to information related standards, legislations, policy and guidelines.
Overview
In 1976 Riley first published a definition of IA as a way of analysing IR based on a cost-benefit model. Since Riley, scholars have outlined further developed methodologies. Henderson took a cost-benefit approach hoping to draw focus from manpower-costing to information storageData storage device
thumb|200px|right|A reel-to-reel tape recorder .The magnetic tape is a data storage medium. The recorder is data storage equipment using a portable medium to store the data....
and acquisition which he felt was being overlooked. In 1985 Gillman focused upon identifying the relationships which existed between various components in order to map them to one another. Neither Henderson nor Gillman’s methods offered alternative approaches beyond the existing organisational frameworks. Quinn took a hybrid-approach combining Gillman and Henderson’s methods to identify the purpose of existing IR and to position them within the organisation, as did Worlock. The differentiator between Quinn and Worlock lay in Worlock’s consideration of solutions outside of the current organisational structure. These approaches had thus far had paid little attention to the needs of the user or in making structured recommendations for the development of a corporate information strategy. Therefore, here follows a brief outline and overall comparison of four published strategic approaches in order that one might understand the development of the IA methodology.
Burk and Horton
In 1988 Burk and Horton developed InfoMap, the first IA methodology developed for widespread use. It aimed to discover, map and evaluate the IR within an organisation using a 4-stage process:- Survey staff using questionnaireQuestionnaireA questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. Although they are often designed for statistical analysis of the responses, this is not always the case...
s/interviewInterviewAn interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
s - Measure the IR against cost/value
- Analyse resources
- Synthesise the findings and map the strengths and weaknesses of the IR against the objectives of the organisation.
Although the method inventoried
Inventory
Inventory means a list compiled for some formal purpose, such as the details of an estate going to probate, or the contents of a house let furnished. This remains the prime meaning in British English...
all IR (and therefore met standard ISO 1779) this bottom-up approach revealed limited analysis of the organisation holistically and the steps were not explicit enough.
Orna
Orna produced a top-down methodology in contrast to Burk and Horton, placing emphasis upon the importance of organisational analysis and aimed to assist in the production of a corporate information policy. Initially the method had just 4-stages, this later revised to a 10-stage process which included pre and post-audit stages as below:- Conduct a preliminary review to confirm operational/strategic direction
- Gain support/resource from management
- Gain commitment from the other stakeholders (staff)
- Planning including the projectProjectA project in business and science is typically defined as a collaborative enterprise, frequently involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim. Projects can be further defined as temporary rather than permanent social systems that are constituted by teams...
, team, tools and techniques - Identify the IR, information flow and produce a cost/value assessment
- Interpret findings based upon current versus desired state
- Produce a report to present findings
- Implement recommendations
- Monitor effects of change
- Repeat the IA
Orna’s method introduced the need for a cyclical IA to be put in place in order for the IR to be continually tracked and improvements made regularly. Again this method was criticised for lacking some practical application and in 2004 Orna revised the methodology once more to try to rectify this problem
Buchanan and Gibb
In 1998, similarly to Orna's earlier publication, Buchanan and Gibb took a top-down approach, drawing techniques from established management disciplines to provide a framework and a level of familiarity for information professionals. This set of techniques was a notable contribution to IA methodologies and understood the need to be flexible for each organisation. Theirs was a 5-stage process:- Promote benefits of the IA through seminars/surveys/CEOChief executive officerA chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
letter for cooperation - Identify the mission objectives of the organisation, define environment (PESTPEST analysisPEST analysis stands for "Political, Economic, Social, and Technological analysis" and describes a framework of macro-environmental factors used in the environmental scanning component of strategic management...
), map information flow and examine organisation culture. - Analyse and formulate action plan for problem areas, flow diagrams and a report of findings and recommendations
- Account for cost of IR and related services using Activity Based Costing (ABCActivity-based costingActivity-based costing is a special costing model that identifies activities in an organization and assigns the cost of each activity with resources to all products and services according to the actual consumption by each...
) and Output Based Specification (OBS). - Synthesise the whole process in final audit report and provide an information strategy (strategic direction) in relation to the organisation’s mission statementMission statementA mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
.
This was the introduction of a new approach to costing the IR and had an integrated strategic direction, yet the scholars admitted that this method may be impractical for smaller organisations.
Henczel
Henczel’s methodology drew upon the strengths of Orna and Buchanan and Gibb to produce a 7-stage process:- Planning and submission of business case for approval to proceed
- Data collection and development of an IR database and population through survey techniques
- Structured data analysis
- Data evaluation, interpretation and formulation of recommendations
- Communication of recommendations through a report
- Implementing recommendations through a devised programme
- The IA as a continuumContinuum (theory)Continuum theories or models explain variation as involving a gradual quantitative transition without abrupt changes or discontinuities. It can be contrasted with 'categorical' models which propose qualitatively different states.-In physics:...
-establishment of a cyclical process
Focus was made once more on the strategic direction of the organisation conducting the IA. Furthermore, Henczel made examination into the use of the IA as a first-step in the development of a knowledge audit or knowledge management strategy as discussed in the later section.
Case Studies
Scholars and information professionals have since tested the above methodologies with varied results. An early case study produced by Soy and Bustelo in a Spanish financial institutionFinancial institution
In financial economics, a financial institution is an institution that provides financial services for its clients or members. Probably the most important financial service provided by financial institutions is acting as financial intermediaries...
in 1999 aimed to identify the use of information resources for qualitative and quantitative data analysis due to the rapid expansion of the organisation within a six-year period. Although the methodology was not explicitly credited to any of the above-mentioned scholars, it did follow a strategic (post 1990’s) IA process including gaining support from management, the use of questionnaires for data collection, analysis and evaluation of the data, identification and mapping
Mapping
In geomatics or geospatial science and technology:Mapping usually refers to map-making and often used instead of cartography.Mapping term is also sometimes used for geospatial data collection but in fact it is not mapping because a map is created from some cartographic works In geomatics or...
of the IR, cost-analysis and outlining recommendations to assist with the establishment of an Information policy. In addition the IA report suggested that the process would need to be continual (cyclical as Orna, Henczel and Buchanan and Gibb suggest). Conclusions of this case-study stated that the IA allowed a greater understanding of the basis of the organisation’s information policy and personnel and identified technical problems within the organisation. In addition this method was believed to be cost and time-effective to the two auditors involved and the organisation used the results of the IA as a marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
tool to promote services users may not have been previously aware of.
In 2006 a paper testing the ‘viability’of Henczel's methodology was published in the South African Journal of Library and Information Science. The purpose of the study was to determine the financial position of an organisation (Statistics SA) through a report of financial statements made over a period of time. The IA was used as part of the holistic
Holism
Holism is the idea that all the properties of a given system cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone...
audit process and was limited to just the methodology of Henczel after consideration and dismissal of others. The IA followed the seven-stage process as outlined above (planning, data collection, analysis, evaluation, communicating and implementing recommendations and the IA as a contiuum) and the objectives were outlined as identifying the needs of respondents, identifying information sources and their significance, mapping information flow and identifying gaps in available sources.
Upon conducting the IA several recommendations were made including making print the preferred format for information and that the library should be responsible for missing information and address this in a development plan. Finally, advantages and disadvantages to this methodology
Methodology
Methodology is generally a guideline for solving a problem, with specificcomponents such as phases, tasks, methods, techniques and tools . It can be defined also as follows:...
were identified. It was reported that the methodology was flexible in its application as it provided a framework which could be adjusted to suit the needs of an organisation, that the scope could be easily expanded to cover more objectives and that guidelines for data collection and analysis were varied. Secondly it was felt that the methodology was cost-effective as it made use of existing resources (email, workspace etc). The greatest disadvantage reported was that the process was ‘cumbersome’ and that the researcher became weary with the repetitive nature of the planning process.
In conclusion, the study reported that Henczel's methodology had allowed the information professionals to effectively manage the information management activities of the public sector organisation in question. Positively it had been viewed as cost-effective and depicted a snapshot
Snapshot
Snapshot may refer to:* Snapshot , an amateur photograph* Snapshot, a 1979 Australian film directed by Simon Wincer* Snapshot, a novel by Garry Disher...
of the use of information in the organisation, yet it had been a ‘cumbersome’ process with some repetition within the planning phases.
In 2007 Buchanan and Gibb published another examination of the IA to include case studies of their own methodology, an element they had been previously criticised for not including. In the first case study conducted in a university research department, the objectives were to identify how effective information flow within the department was and what improvement would be required. The methodology was tailored to the study by removing the costing stage and establishing a workgroup to assist at various stages of the process, whilst all other stages remained as per the above (promote, identify, analyse and synthesise). Recommendations were made by the auditor towards greater synergy and systems analysis and it was found that staff immediately recognised the value of this output.
The second case study dealt with a public body within the arts sector with the objectives to streamline evaluation and approval processes and to improve communications between stakeholders. The sponsor also specified that a list of recommendations were required to be incorporated into a change management
Change management
Change management is a structured approach to shifting/transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at helping employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment....
programme and this aligns well to Buchanan and Gibb's strategic directional method. The IA methodology was scoped to be primarily resource-orientated and once again the costing stage was removed. All else remained as per the original methodology. The IA output recommended that for all organisational processes a shift was needed from process-modelling to capturing process descriptions.
The main strengths identified in Buchanan and Gibb's methodology were its logical structuring of stages, provision of tools, inclusive process for stakeholders, adequate illustration of the role of effective Information Management
Information management
Information management is the collection and management of information from one or more sources and the distribution of that information to one or more audiences. This sometimes involves those who have a stake in, or a right to that information...
within an organisation and much like Henczel, the flexibility to tailor the methodology. Their scope matrix was also proven to be useful. A weakness lay still in the limited instructional depth which affected the qualitative data analysis. As regards the applicability of this method, it should be noted that the costing stage was not included in either study and that this might suggest it is not required in an information audit. Further study is required to produce a more conclusive analysis of the methodology.
Methodology comparisons and conclusions
The conclusions of the case studies suggested that further development into the methodologies for IA was needed to include further explanation of tools, techniques, templates, interview preparation, process modelling and analysis. In 2008 Buchanan and Gibb drew comparisons from the published IA methodologies of the following scholars: Burk and Horton, Orna, Buchanan and Gibb and Henczel, with the purpose of understanding if a hybrid-methodology could be produced as a ‘baseline’ from all four.The hybrid-methodology was formed of 7-stages and is as below:
- Set-up including project plan, communications, endorsementEndorsementEndorsement may refer to:*Testimonial in advertising, written or spoken statement endorsing a product*Political endorsement*a form added to an insurance policy, modifying the terms...
s, business case and preliminary analysis - Review strategic (internal and external) analysis and organisational (cultural) analysis
- Survey information users, identify IR and map the information flow
- Account the cost/business benefits and value of IR
- Analyse all findings
- Report on the production and dissemination of recommendations
- Guide towards development of an organisation’s information management policy/strategy, establish the IA as a cyclical process, monitor and control.
However, Buchanan and Gibb themselves declared that this should not be considered a conclusive comparison as it is high-level "and does not assess how well each methodology addresses each stage."
Information Audit and the development of a Knowledge Audit
In more recent years, since the development of the top-down methodologies, IA have been used as a basis for the development of a knowledge audit, which itself in-turn contributes to an organisation’s knowledge management strategy. Once complete, the IA allows examination into where knowledge is produced, where there may be need for further input and where knowledge transfer is required. Furthermore, this analysis develops strategy for knowledge capture, access, storage, dissemination and validation. Dissimilarly to the IA, the objectives of the knowledge audit are to identify any people-related issues which impact the ways in which knowledge is created, transferred and shared and to identify where knowledge could be captured, where it is required and then determine how best to undertake a knowledge transfer as "unlike information, knowledge is bound to a person, organisation or community." Similarities between the knowledge and information audit methodologies can be noted however, as questionnaires, the development of an inventory, analysis of flow and a data map are here again used. The importance of this audit therefore is to understand the strategic significance of an organisation’s knowledge assets to ensure management is focused to those areas it is specifically required.See also
AuditAudit
The general definition of an audit is an evaluation of a person, organization, system, process, enterprise, project or product. The term most commonly refers to audits in accounting, but similar concepts also exist in project management, quality management, and energy conservation.- Accounting...
Knowledge management
Knowledge management
Knowledge management comprises a range of strategies and practices used in an organization to identify, create, represent, distribute, and enable adoption of insights and experiences...
Information management
Information management
Information management is the collection and management of information from one or more sources and the distribution of that information to one or more audiences. This sometimes involves those who have a stake in, or a right to that information...
Freedom of information legislation
Freedom of information legislation
Freedom of information legislation comprises laws that guarantee access to data held by the state. They establish a "right-to-know" legal process by which requests may be made for government-held information, to be received freely or at minimal cost, barring standard exceptions...
Mission statement
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
Gap analysis
Gap analysis
In business and economics, gap analysis is a tool that helps companies compare actual performance with potential performance. At its core are two questions: "Where are we?" and "Where do we want to be?" If a company or organization does not make the best use of current resources, or forgoes...
Information mapping
Information mapping
Information Mapping is a technique that divides and labels information to facilitate comprehension, use, and recall. It was originally developed by Robert E. Horn.- Overview :...
Further reading
BRYSON, J., 2006. Managing Information Services : A Transformational Approach. Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.GILLMAN, P.L., 1985. An analytical approach ot the information audit. Electronic library, 3, pp. 56–60.
HENDERSON, H.L., 1980. Cost effective information provision and the role for the information audit. Information Management, 1(4), pp. 7–9.
HIGSON, C. and NOKES, S., 2004. The information audit asset register: a practitioner’s guide for the Freedom of Information Act. London: Rivington Publishing Ltd.
QUINN, A.V., 1979. The Information Audit: a new tool for the Information Manager. Information Manager, 1(4), pp. 18–19.
RILEY, R.H., 1976. The Information Audit. Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science, 2(5), pp. 24–25.
THEAKSTON, C., 1998. An information audit of National Westminster Bank UK’s Learning and Resource Centres. International Journal of Information Management, 18(5), pp. 371–375.
WEBER, R., 1999. Information systems, control and audit. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.