Types of Information and MECE Principle
Trying to make sense of it all.
So, the other day, I faced the need to process a big bunch of files and an even more significant amount of notes corresponding to them. There was a need to structure it using folders only, so I had to come up with some sort of logic that would help to make sense of it all. So I wondered, how many types of information are out there overall? We are aware of “actionable” and “non-actionable,” but are there other types?
The best source of that kind of knowledge is ChatGPT, I thought. So immediately I asked the thing. But its response was far from being useful: Textual Information, Numerical Information, Visual Information, Audio Information, Video Information, Structured Information, Unstructured Information and so on.
It doesn’t help, honestly.
My second thought was, okay, but what if we try to categorize types of info according to the MECE principle?
MECE stands for Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive. It is a fundamental concept in problem-solving and organizing information. It is commonly used in management consulting, problem-solving frameworks, and other analytical disciplines to ensure that a set of options or categories is comprehensive and avoids redundancy.
I first came across it while studying consulting cases and how analytics brains work. Their way of thinking impressed me very much! MECE may be super helpful in various subjects, especially when discussing personal information management (but let’s talk about that separately).
So, what exactly is MECE? Let me try to visualize it:
The best way to explain it is through the examples. If I want to have dinner, what options do I have, and how would I categorize them so they would follow the MECE principle?
Well, theoretically, I can eat at home or somewhere else. This is a completely comprehensive set of options I have.
I can do only one of those two things, not both at a time. That means they are Mutually Exclusive.
Also, there are no options outside of this list. Whatever I choose will always fall under one of these categories — Eat In or Eat Out. That is what’s called Collectively Exhaustive.
Now, each of these options, in their turn, can also be divided according to MECE. And this thing can go on.
I hope you got the idea.
So, getting back to the types of information.
Following the MECE principle, we can categorize information into two distinct and all-encompassing categories:
1. Actionable Information: Information that can lead to specific actions, decisions, or outcomes. This category includes data directly impacting making choices or taking steps to achieve a particular goal.
2. Non-Actionable Information: Information that, while informative or interesting, does not directly result in actionable steps or decisions. This category encompasses data that may be valuable for reference, knowledge, or context but doesn’t necessitate immediate needs for action.
Any type of information you face can only be one of those. And always will fall under one of those categories.
Let’s go further. Let’s now split actionable information into MECE categories. From what I’ve found, it appears there are two main ways to do that:
1. You can categorize by the Type of Action:
- Strategic Actionable Information: Information that guides long-term planning and decision-making. This category includes data influencing high-level organizational goals, vision, and direction.
- Tactical Actionable Information: Information used for mid-term planning and execution. It involves data that helps shape specific strategies, initiatives, and projects.
- Operational Actionable Information: Information that supports day-to-day operations and immediate decision-making. This category encompasses data for managing routine tasks, addressing issues, and ensuring efficiency.
2. Or you can look at the Scope of Action:
- Individual Actionable Information: Information that pertains to individual actions, such as personal goals, tasks, or decisions.
- Team/Department Actionable Information: Information relevant to actions taken by specific teams or departments within an organization.
- Organizational (or Global) Actionable Information: Information influencing overall organizational-level actions, affecting the entire company or entity.
Now, let’s do the same with Non-Actionable Information. There are also two dimensions of how to look at non-actionable information from the MECE perspective:
1. Purpose of Non-Actionable Information:
- Reference Information: Information that serves as a point of reference or background knowledge but doesn’t require immediate action. This can include historical data, fundamental facts, data, or general knowledge that can be consulted when needed.
- Contextual Information: Information that provides context or a broader understanding of a situation but doesn’t drive specific actions. This can include background articles, explanatory notes, introductions, instructions, or summaries that provide a framework for understanding more complex topics or events.
- Entertainment and Leisure Information: Information purely for enjoyment, relaxation, or leisure purposes, such as entertainment news, fiction, or hobbies. I’d just go with “Other information” here to make it more simple.
In short, Reference information serves as a reliable source of basic facts and data. In contrast, Contextual information adds depth and understanding by providing the context and background needed to utilize that data effectively.
2. Nature of Non-Actionable Information:
- Static Information: Information that remains relatively constant over time, such as historical facts, basic scientific principles, or static reference materials.
- Dynamic Information: Information that changes or updates regularly but doesn’t require immediate action. This can include news updates, trending topics, real-time analytics, website traffic data.
- Speculative Information: Information that is based on hypotheses, conjecture, or possibilities but lacks concrete evidence or immediate utility. This can include speculative discussions or hypothetical scenarios — theories, weather forecasts, market predictions, etc.
Based on my understanding, those are the primary ways to split the information types with the MECE principle.
Now, this may very well play with your note-taking and Knowledge Management systems — and I am currently working on a separate article to cover that.
To me, Type of Action for Actionable and Purpose for Non-Actionable information is a way to look at it from the PKM perspective. It doesn’t mean that our note or file structures should immediately accommodate those types. But it gives us some idea how to approach our digital structures, to make them both comprehensive and avoid overlaps (or counting something twice).
P.S. By the way, PARA framework is not fully MECE-compliant — there is a lot of “overlap burden” that people need to take care of in their own individual structures in PARA. See my other article on PARA’s strengths and weaknessses.
