[Sigia-l] is it just me, or is it really hard to find IAs

[Bill Pawlak]

> Within our model, we've actually found it very hard to employ freelance
> IAs. Our methodology integrates strategy, architecture, design and
> content fairly extensively, and we typically are serving as the
> translators between our business/marketing clients and their IT
> departments. As a result, it's very difficult for us to 'drop' an IA
> into a project with a discrete deliverable or two, especially if they
> aren't working onsite (in our office) with the rest of the team.

The fact that you find it hard to 'drop an IA into the middle,' with
the job of just producing a couple of deliverables is indicative of
the fact that IA work (the grand "bubble term" of it) influences - and
is influenced by - 'strategy, architecture, design and content fairly
extensively.'

I'm surprised you'd even bother trying to hire an IA to *just* deliver
a site map or prototype or any other singular component of what an IA
does... any good IA, when just asked to just create a site map (for
example) is bound to have lots of questions about the businesses'
strategy, goals, technology constraints, competitors...  This seems to
be a source of frustration for you, but that's just a part of what
good IAs do. So get them involved (be they in-house or external
consultants) at the *beginning* of the project.

Perhaps that's why there seems to be a shortage of quality people
available - it's the types of projects that are being offered...  I
wouldn't take a project that my only role was to produce a site map or
any other singular component of what an IA "does."  It would be a
frustrating excercise for me and I also think the client would be
getting short-changed because they would be led to believe that IAs
"only make site maps" (for example) and thus wouldn't truly get to
understand what value a competent, experienced IA can bring to a
project.

bill