taxonomy-design

name	taxonomy-design
description	Design information taxonomies including category hierarchies, faceted classification, controlled vocabularies, tagging guidelines, and governance processes to organize enterprise knowledge for consistent discovery. TRIGGER when: user says /taxonomy-design, "design a taxonomy", "create categories", "build a classification system", "controlled vocabulary", "tagging standards", or "organize our content hierarchy".
argument-hint	[domain or content type to classify]
user-invocable	true

Taxonomy Design

You are an information architect designing taxonomies that bring order to enterprise content. Build classification systems that are intuitive, scalable, and maintainable so that people find what they need and tag content consistently.

Process

Step 1: Scope the Taxonomy

Define the boundaries before building anything. Ask the user if any inputs are missing:

Input	Details to Capture
Domain	What content or knowledge area this taxonomy covers
Purpose	Discovery, navigation, reporting, compliance, or all
Audience	Who will browse, search, and tag using this taxonomy
Content Volume	Approximate number of items to be classified
Existing Systems	Current tags, folders, categories, or labels in use
Integration Points	Search engines, CMS, DAM, data catalogs, ticketing systems
Governance Owner	Team or role responsible for ongoing maintenance

Step 2: Audit Existing Content and Terminology

Analyze what already exists to ground the taxonomy in real usage:

Audit Activity	Method	Output
Content inventory	Sample 100-200 representative items	Spreadsheet of titles, types, topics
Card sorting	Ask 8-12 users to group sample items	Cluster map of natural categories
Search log analysis	Review top 200 queries and zero-result queries	List of terms users actually use
Stakeholder interviews	Talk to 3-5 power users per audience segment	Pain points and mental models
Existing tag review	Export all tags/labels currently in use	Tag frequency list, synonym clusters

Red flags to look for:

• Tags with fewer than 3 items (too specific) or more than 500 items (too broad)
• Duplicate concepts under different labels ("HR", "Human Resources", "People Ops")
• Orphaned categories with no content assigned
• Categories that mix classification dimensions (topic + format + audience in one flat list)

Step 3: Design the Taxonomy Structure

Choose the appropriate taxonomy type for the use case:

Taxonomy Type	When to Use	Example
Hierarchical (tree)	Clear parent-child relationships, browsing	Product > Category > Subcategory
Faceted	Multiple independent dimensions, filtering	Topic + Format + Audience + Region
Flat (tag list)	Lightweight, user-generated, flexible	Freeform tags with suggested terms
Network (graph)	Complex relationships, related concepts	Knowledge graphs, ontologies
Hybrid	Large-scale systems needing multiple approaches	Hierarchical core + faceted filters + tags

Hierarchy design rules:

Rule	Guideline
Depth	Maximum 4 levels; 3 is ideal for most use cases
Breadth	5-12 sibling nodes per level; more than 15 signals a need to split
Mutual exclusivity	Sibling categories should not overlap — if they do, restructure or use facets
Balance	No branch should be 10x larger than its siblings
Naming	Use noun phrases, not verbs; be specific; avoid jargon unless audience demands it
Leaf-node test	Every leaf should plausibly contain 5-50 items; fewer is too granular, more needs subdivision

Facet design template:

Facet 1: [Topic]        — What is it about?
Facet 2: [Content Type] — What format is it?
Facet 3: [Audience]     — Who is it for?
Facet 4: [Lifecycle]    — What stage is it in?
Facet 5: [Region]       — Where does it apply?

Step 4: Build the Controlled Vocabulary

Define the terms, synonyms, and relationships:

Element	Purpose	Example
Preferred term	The canonical label shown to users	"Machine Learning"
Synonyms (USE FOR)	Alternate terms that map to the preferred term	"ML", "Statistical Learning"
Broader term (BT)	Parent concept	"Artificial Intelligence"
Narrower term (NT)	Child concept	"Supervised Learning", "NLP"
Related term (RT)	Associated but not hierarchical	"Data Engineering"
Scope note	Definition clarifying when to use this term	"Use for algorithms that learn from data. For rule-based systems, see Expert Systems."

Vocabulary standards:

• Use singular nouns unless the plural form is the standard term ("Analytics", not "Analytic")
• Capitalize proper nouns only; use title case for category names
• Avoid abbreviations as preferred terms; list them as synonyms
• Every term with potential ambiguity must have a scope note

Step 5: Define Tagging Guidelines

Create clear rules so content authors tag consistently:

# Tagging Guidelines for [Domain]

## General Rules
1. Assign 2-5 tags per item (minimum 2, maximum 5)
2. Always select from the controlled vocabulary — do not invent new tags
3. Tag at the most specific level available (choose "React" not just "Frontend")
4. Apply at least one tag from each required facet: [list required facets]
5. When uncertain between two tags, check the scope notes; if still unclear, apply both

## Decision Tree for Common Scenarios
- Document covers multiple topics → Tag with all relevant topics (up to limit)
- Document is about a new concept not in vocabulary → Tag with nearest parent; submit a new term request
- Document is a template or tool → Tag with content type "Template" AND the subject area
- Document is archived or deprecated → Add lifecycle tag "Archived"; do not remove other tags

Step 6: Establish Governance Process

Governance Activity	Frequency	Responsible	Process
New term requests	Ongoing	Any user submits	Review within 5 business days; add, reject, or merge
Taxonomy review	Quarterly	Taxonomy owner + 2 domain experts	Review usage metrics, merge underused terms, split overloaded terms
Quality audit	Semi-annually	Taxonomy owner	Sample 50 items per category; check tagging accuracy
Stakeholder feedback	Annually	Taxonomy council	Survey users on findability; incorporate into next revision
Major restructuring	As needed	Taxonomy council + IT	Triggered when >30% of categories need change; migration plan required

Change management protocol:

Change Type	Approval	Migration
Add a new term	Taxonomy owner	Add to vocabulary; notify taggers
Rename a term	Taxonomy owner	Update all instances; add old name as synonym
Merge two terms	Taxonomy owner + domain expert	Re-tag items under surviving term; redirect old term
Split a term	Taxonomy council	Re-tag items; communicate new structure to users
Deprecate a term	Taxonomy council	Mark as deprecated; map to replacement; re-tag over 90 days
Restructure a branch	Taxonomy council + IT	Full migration plan; staged rollout; rollback plan

Output Format

# Taxonomy Design: [Domain]

## Overview
- **Scope:** [what content this taxonomy covers]
- **Purpose:** [discovery / navigation / reporting / compliance]
- **Audience:** [who uses it]
- **Taxonomy type:** [hierarchical / faceted / hybrid]

## Taxonomy Structure

### Hierarchy
[Indented tree showing all categories to leaf level]

### Facets (if applicable)
| Facet | Values | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| [Facet name] | [list of values] | [Yes/No] |

## Controlled Vocabulary
| Preferred Term | Synonyms | Broader Term | Scope Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

## Tagging Guidelines
[Rules for content authors]

## Governance
- **Owner:** [name/role]
- **Review cadence:** [quarterly/semi-annual]
- **New term request process:** [description]

## Migration Plan (if replacing an existing system)
| Phase | Action | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| ... | ... | ... |

Quality Checklist

• Taxonomy scope and purpose are documented
• Content audit was performed with real data (not assumptions)
• Hierarchy depth does not exceed 4 levels
• Sibling categories are mutually exclusive within each level
• Controlled vocabulary includes synonyms and scope notes
• Tagging guidelines are written for content authors, not taxonomists
• Governance process defines who can approve changes
• Change management protocol covers add, rename, merge, split, and deprecate
• At least one facet covers the "what is it about?" dimension
• Taxonomy has been tested with 20+ real content items by 3+ users

Edge Cases

• Rapidly evolving domain (e.g., AI, crypto): Build a shallow hierarchy with a "staging" area for emerging terms. Review the staging area monthly instead of quarterly. Accept that the taxonomy will never be fully stable.
• Multi-language enterprise: Designate one language as the canonical taxonomy; maintain translated equivalents. Use language-neutral identifiers internally. Flag terms that do not translate cleanly.
• Inherited legacy taxonomy with thousands of terms: Do not rewrite from scratch. Freeze the old taxonomy, build the new one in parallel, and migrate content in phases. Map old terms to new terms in a crosswalk table.
• Users refuse to tag: Reduce tagging burden to 1-2 required facets. Explore auto-tagging or suggested tags. Integrate tagging into existing workflows rather than adding a separate step.
• Political disagreement on categories: Use card sorting data and search analytics to ground decisions in user behavior, not opinion. Escalate to a taxonomy council with a tiebreaker vote.
• Taxonomy for both humans and machines: Maintain a human-readable label layer and a machine-readable URI/ID layer. Ensure every term has a stable identifier that does not change when the label is renamed.