Auditing content

All of us have gone to the grocery store and come out having spent more time and
money than we originally intended. If I’m preparing to cook a big meal or stocking
the house with needed items, it’s infinitely more practical to audit those items I
have and make a list of what I actually need. Then, I know precisely which items
I’ll want at the grocery and be able to navigate its aisles and lines in less time,
stick to a predefined budget, and forget fewer—if any—items than had I not taken
the time to audit and plan my errand.
Before any actual architecture of information can begin, a complete audit of content
must be performed. This is true of brand new as well as established Web sites. In
either case, an audit provides the architects with a real view of what elements they
work with.
Goals of a content audit include the following:

Identify the strengths and weaknesses within the content and
infrastructure of the existing or planned site
Discover problems with current architecture and site performance
Organize content into logical groups
Prepare content for examination and implementation of content
hierarchies and management
Gain real information regarding the scope of the project at hand
As you read in Chapter 2, the project manager is often responsible for organizing
his or her team and coordinating site production-related activities, including content
audits. If you are working alone, the content audit should be performed at
some point immediately after the information-gathering period.