You’re trying to build a strong Information Architecture team. What are the key steps to take?

1 Define your vision

Before you start hiring or training, you need to have a clear vision of what you want your IA team to do and why. What are the main problems or opportunities that you want to address with IA? What are the values and principles that guide your IA practice? What are the expected outcomes and impacts of your IA work? Having a vision will help you communicate your goals, align your stakeholders, and motivate your team.

2 Assess your needs

Next, you need to assess your current and future needs for IA skills, roles, and resources. Depending on the size and scope of your projects, you may need different types of IA specialists, such as content strategists, information architects, user researchers, taxonomists, or metadata experts. You may also need to consider the tools, methods, and standards that your team will use to create and manage IA. For example, you may need to invest in software, frameworks, or guidelines that support your IA process and quality.

3 Recruit and retain talent

Once you know what you need, you can start looking for the right people to join your IA team. You may want to use a variety of channels and methods to attract and evaluate candidates, such as job boards, referrals, portfolios, interviews, or tests. You may also want to look for candidates who have relevant experience, education, or certification in IA or related fields. To retain your talent, you need to provide them with opportunities for growth, feedback, recognition, and collaboration.

4 Train and mentor

Another important step is to train and mentor your IA team members, especially if they are new to the field or the organization. You can use various forms of learning and development, such as courses, workshops, webinars, books, or podcasts, to help them acquire and update their IA knowledge and skills. You can also assign mentors or coaches who can guide them through their projects, challenges, and career paths. Training and mentoring can help your team stay current, confident, and competent in IA.

5 Foster a culture of IA

Finally, you need to foster a culture of IA within your team and beyond. This means creating a shared understanding and appreciation of IA among your team members, stakeholders, and users. You can do this by promoting IA best practices, standards, and ethics; by showcasing IA successes, insights, and innovations; by involving IA experts and enthusiasts in your projects and events; and by advocating for IA as a strategic and valuable discipline.

By following these steps, you can build a strong IA team that can deliver effective, efficient, and engaging solutions for your users and your organization.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?