Building and implementing an information architecture

An information architecture is a personnel, organization, and technology independent profile of the major information categories used within an organization. It provides a way to map information needs, relate them to specific business functions, and document their interrelationships. It is used to guide applications development and facilitate integration and sharing of data. This paper describes an approach for developing a corporate/global information architecture. It also describes how the information architecture can be used to guide new systems development efforts. Experience at Pillsbury U. S. Foods is used to illustrate the concepts involved. While the process used at Pillsbury necessarily reflects the unique combination of circumstances present within that organization, it also reflects the basic requirements for developing and implementing an information architecture in any large organization.