（2007）The information audit：Role and scope.pdfVIP

ARTICLE IN PRESS International Journal of Information Management 27 (2007) 159–172 /locate/ijinfomgt The information audit: Role and scope Steven Buchanan, Forbes Gibb Graduate School of Informatics, University of Strathclyde, 26 Richmond Street, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK Abstract The information audit (IA) is central to the effective organisational management of information, however, there is evidence from the field that the IA is neither fully accepted nor commonly practiced. This paper highlights and discusses three challenges to current practice: limited guidance on management of scope; ambiguous linkage to related ICT development processes; and the lack of a standard methodological approach. In response to these challenges, the role and scope of the IA is re-examined, key relationships to information strategy and information system architecture (ISA) are defined and mapped, and a two-dimensional matrix is proposed to manage scope. r 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Information audit; Information resource management; Information strategy; Information systems 1. Introduction This is the first paper in a series of three providing a comprehensive review of the information audit (IA). This paper re-examines role and scope, while later papers will review methodological approaches, and case studies from the field. 1.1. Definition of purpose Early IA definitions (Burk Horton, 1988; Reynolds, 1980) focused on identification of formal information sources with an emphasis on document management. However, more recent definitions have expanded upon this relatively narrow focus, acknowledging the importance of organisational perspective