Testing the viability of Henczel's information audit methodology in practice

Abstract

Effective information management is of crucial importance to the survival of organisations in the 21st century. This is due to the emergence and dominance of information as an economic resource in the information economy. One of the building blocks and a cornerstone of information management is the information audit. It is one of the methods that can be used to identify and determine the value, functioning, evaluation and utility of information resources, and is conducted to establish or improve effective information management within an organisation. There are various methodologies that can be used to conduct an information audit, such as the methodologies of Barker (1990), Orna (1990), Stanat (1990), Hamilton (1993) and Swash (1997) and Henczel's methodology. The aim of this study is to test the viability of Henzcel's (2000) methodology within the context of the Chief Directorate of Statistical Information Services. This particular methodology comprises seven stages, namely: planning, data collection, data analysis, data evaluation, communicating recommendations and the continuum. The study, which included the first five stages of the methodology, indicated that this particular methodology is viable and practical in nature. The advantages and the disadvantages of the methodology are discussed and recommendations are made to ensure the successful implementation and use of Henzcel's methodology.