Case study
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: Defining Information Architecture with Reflekt
Konsolute used Reflekt, its Microsoft 365 governance product, to help the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office define and apply its information architecture. Workspaces are created to an agreed structure, so information is organised consistently and easier to find, govern and protect.
Overview
A consistent structure for government information
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is the UK government department responsible for foreign affairs and international development. Its people work across the UK and an international network, handling information that must be organised and protected carefully.
Microsoft 365 gives FCDO staff powerful tools for collaboration. Without an agreed information architecture, however, Teams and SharePoint sites can grow in inconsistent ways, making information harder to find and harder to govern.
Konsolute worked with FCDO to define an information architecture for Microsoft 365 and used Reflekt to put it into practice. Templates, naming, metadata and ownership rules are applied as workspaces are created, so the architecture is followed by default rather than by exception.
The challenge
Turning an architecture into everyday practice
A well-designed information architecture describes how sites, libraries, metadata and permissions should fit together. The difficulty is making sure it is followed every time a new workspace is created, across a large and distributed organisation.
When workspaces are created freely, structures diverge. Naming becomes inconsistent, metadata is applied unevenly and ownership is unclear. Over time, information becomes harder to locate, retain correctly and protect.
FCDO needed to:
- Define an information architecture for Microsoft 365 that matched how the department works
- Apply that architecture consistently every time a workspace is created
- Standardise naming, structure and metadata across Teams and SharePoint
- Give every workspace clear ownership and appropriate access
- Maintain visibility of the estate for governance and assurance
- Central Government
- Public Sector
- Enterprise Content Management
- Microsoft 365 Governance
- Information Architecture
- Reflekt
- Microsoft 365
- SharePoint Online
- Microsoft Teams
Our approach
Design the architecture, then build it into provisioning
We defined the information architecture with FCDO, then used Reflekt to make it the way workspaces are created.
Information architecture design. Konsolute worked with FCDO stakeholders to understand how teams organise, share and manage information. Together, we defined the structure of sites and libraries, naming conventions, metadata and the relationships between workspaces.
Templates in Reflekt. The architecture was translated into Reflekt templates for each type of workspace FCDO needed. Each template applies the agreed structure, settings and metadata, so new workspaces start out consistent.
Controlled provisioning. Workspaces are requested and created through Reflekt, applying the information architecture automatically. Staff get the workspace they need, set up the right way, without having to understand the underlying rules.
Ownership and access. Each workspace is created with named owners and access settings aligned to the architecture, giving clear accountability for the information it holds.
Visibility and reporting. Reflekt's reporting gives FCDO a view of its Microsoft 365 estate, supporting governance and making it easier to see how the architecture is being applied.
Result
Information organised by design
FCDO's information architecture is now applied through Reflekt every time a workspace is created. Teams and SharePoint sites follow a consistent structure, naming and metadata scheme.
Consistency makes information easier to find and easier to govern. Clear ownership and access settings mean each workspace has someone accountable for the information in it.
With reporting on the wider estate, FCDO has the visibility it needs to keep its Microsoft 365 environment organised as the department's use of it grows.
Your questions
Information architecture FAQs
Information architecture is how sites, libraries, metadata, navigation and permissions are organised so that information is easy to find and manage. For FCDO, Konsolute defined an architecture around how the department works and applied it through Reflekt.
Reflekt creates workspaces from templates that carry the agreed structure, naming, metadata and ownership. At FCDO, this meant the architecture was applied by default whenever a new workspace was provisioned, rather than relying on individuals to follow guidance.
Yes, though it usually takes more effort than applying it to new workspaces. New provisioning can follow the architecture immediately, while existing workspaces are reviewed and brought into line over time. Reflekt’s reporting helps identify where existing workspaces differ.
Talk to Konsolute
Want your information architecture followed by default?
Tell us how your organisation structures its information today. We can help you define an architecture and use Reflekt to apply it consistently.