You’re working on an IA project with a cross-functional team. How can you ensure everyone is aligned?

1 Define the scope and goals

Before you dive into the details of your IA project, you need to establish the scope and goals of your work. What is the problem you are trying to solve? Who are your users and what are their needs? What are the business objectives and success metrics? How will you measure the impact of your IA changes? These are some of the questions you should answer with your team and document in a clear and concise way. Having a shared understanding of the scope and goals will help you avoid scope creep, prioritize your tasks, and communicate your progress.

2 Use common language and tools

One of the challenges of working on a cross-functional team is that different disciplines may use different terms and tools to describe and visualize their work. For example, designers may use wireframes, developers may use sitemaps, and content strategists may use content models. To avoid confusion and misalignment, you should use common language and tools that everyone can understand and access. For example, you can create a glossary of key terms and definitions, use a collaborative platform to share your work and feedback, and use a consistent format for your IA deliverables, such as card sorting, user flows, or navigation schemes.

3 Involve your team in the process

Another way to ensure alignment on your IA project is to involve your team in the process as much as possible. This means not only sharing your work and getting feedback, but also inviting your team to participate in activities such as user research, brainstorming, testing, and iterating. By involving your team in the process, you can leverage their diverse skills and insights, build trust and rapport, and create a sense of ownership and accountability. You can also avoid surprises and conflicts later on, as everyone will have a clear picture of the rationale and evidence behind your IA decisions.

4 Document and communicate your decisions

Finally, you should document and communicate your decisions throughout your IA project. This will help you keep track of your work, justify your choices, and inform your team and stakeholders of any changes or updates. You should document and communicate your decisions in a way that is easy to understand, transparent, and actionable. For example, you can use a decision log to record the date, description, and rationale of each decision, use a change log to highlight the changes made to your IA deliverables, and use a status report to summarize your progress, challenges, and next steps.

5 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?