Information Architecture first surfaced in the late eighties.  It has quickly grown in recent years due to a response to the explosion of information created by the Internet.  The discipline relies heavily upon the design process, or "System Development Lifecycle."  There are many variations of this process

E-commerce has temporarily focused the definition of the term, but infotex will utilize the traditional, pre-Internet definition: A system of tasks, events, expenditures, or processes that increases the value of information.

We use the "design process" in every consulting engagement, from a full-blown Information Technology Planning engagement to the smallest of procurement consulting assignments.  The seven phases of design -  acceptance, analysis, definition, divergence, selection, implementation, and evaluation - allows infotex to help you pinpoint problems, opportunities, constraints, and context information which define the problem set.  This definition can then be compared to alternative solutions, leading to a comprehensively designed Information System.

It's The Process
The process itself is by no means a "cookbook" recipe.  Rarely does the process follow the guide that we originally set up during the acceptance phase.  This is because it must be customized to the unique needs of your company.