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Oz!a 2009 sna v0.2
1. Social Networking Analysis: uncovering the secrets of information flow for our information architecture Maria Horrigan Principal Consultant OZIA October 09
3. Information and knowledge Human absorptive capacity Growth Time Cohen & Levinthal 1989 A world of rapidly growing knowledge ….
4. ....that is increasingly connected ..and just a click away local networks Old colleagues colleagues at other offices new friends family local colleagues old friends virtual communities old classmates
5. Case study Context: (very political, high profile project) Started with waterfall analysis (2 years) No idea what the end solution would be like Lots of information, but in people’s heads Multiple stakeholders across multiple silos Information flows between individuals and groups not well known External industry pressure for project to occur How could we leverage the network for the benefit of the project?
7. Social Networking Analysis (SNA) Helped us explore questions such as: How does information flow into the network? Where does the information flow? Who is involved and why? What are they saying? What do they know? How do they interact? Strength of relationships & interactions ? Are there emergent sub-groups?
8. What we did Adopted an agile approach Broke down huge project puzzle into smaller business issues to solve Partnered IA+BAs to lead three streams of activities (IA had visualisation of all the different parts of the puzzle) Used SNA in each stream to uncover the information needs of the users Used “skinny” documentationto convey to stakeholders the key features of the system, its processes and the flow of information
9. Into informal organisation Turned formal Organisation Uncovered organisational networks Teigland et al. 2005
10. Centrality : revealing network structure Very centralized network - one or a few very central ‘nodes’. If removed, network quickly fragments and fails Less centralized network - resilient. Many nodes can fail yet allow remaining nodes to still reach each other Boundary Spanners - connect their group to others. Innovators as have access to ideas and information in other clusters Periphery of a network -may connect to networks not currently mapped. Important sources of fresh information
11. SNA – Revealing Network Centrality http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network_analysis_software
12. What we found: Degree of Centrality Hub has most connections – authority gained It not the “more connections the better”, but where they lead to… ..and how they connect the otherwise unconnected
13. What we found: Betweeness Centrality Great influence over what flows (and does not) “location location location” Broker role between Industry and Organisation
14. What we found: Closeness Centrality Shortest path to all others – gives quick access Excellent position to monitor info flows Best visibility of what is happening in the network
18. User Profiles within the Organisation Boundary Spanner Potential blocker Influencer Key source Key User Project Champion Gatekeeper Key User Key decision maker Trusted advisor Periphery Key User
19. Access to more Knowledge and Info … but of course these are just a subsection of the networked organisation Map shows 1st & 2nd degree relationships Someone on the periphery of your network may have access to many other networks within the organisation
20. Leveraged Centrality Understood who might be “blockers” or “gatekeepers” of information and content Found people to go to in order to elicit information Minimised re-work & unnecessary consultation – meeting fatigue Quickly identified who might know the answer, communicate with them, understand their lessons learned, improve likely success Knew who and how to communicate key messages through use of targeted IA tools
21. Captured SNA in personas Started off with ‘skinny’ view of users gained thru workshops Added to personas as info uncovered thru SNA – place in the network, information preferences, types, communication styles & channels Built up personas as we went in our agile project iterations, rather than all-at-once
22. From skinny to zen personas As our project knowledge evolved, we added to our understanding of users: Their information preferences Their expectations Their capabilities Their information needs Their social network profiles (Forrester’s Technographics) Documented as ‘ZenAgile’ personas
37. Activity Write 5 words or phrases that relate to the words: Beach and Ocean Place a V, an A, or a K against each: V=visual (Something ‘seen’ or had visual stimulation) e.g. See the blue sky, see children playing in the water A=Auditory (A ‘sound’ memory or related to a sound e.g. Hear the waves against the shore K=Kinaesthetic(Has a ‘doing’ memory & you thought of yourself feeling the emotion) e.g. Feel the sun and the sand, the taste of salt
46. The result: ZenAgile Personas! Social Technographics Centrality Communication preferences
47. What did I learn? Found out who knows what and how the info flowed through the organisation Personas good way to help convey and shape understanding of user’s info needs Agile approach - build on “skinny” profile & flesh out personas as the project proceeds Involving the right people with the right info can mean the difference between success & failure
49. IA & Six Degrees of Separation You may only be one or two degrees away from some who know the info you need Information networks can be connected and lessons learnt and reuse made possible
50. Applying SNA and Communications Makes sure you understand the user dynamics with the organisation Choose the right channel based on users style and preferences Build personas as you uncover more about the users Makes sure your IA artefacts match these preferences
51. ”No one knows everything, everyone knows something, all knowledge resides in humanity ” Networks Lévy 1997
52. Fin.Maria Horrigan Principal ConsultantEmail:Maria.horrigan@oakton.com.auBlog: www.barocks.com zenagile.worpress.comSlideshare:www.slideshare.com/murphTwitter: @miahorri
