Sitemaps are a fairly typical method interactive agencies employ to communicate website structure and content flow. Sitemaps do a fairly good job at communicating the site architecture on small to mid sized websites; yet they are somewhat unwieldy for larger sites, so try this approach.

At Imulus we use OmniGraffle to quickly develop sitemaps for our clients. For large sites we approach a sitemap in various phases.

Phase 1: The General Overview
Work with the client to define the top level and sub level content structure. Focus on the priority and the organization of which items will appear in the top 2 levels. Often you will find this is the most time consuming area to find agreement on.

Phase 2: Breakdown Each Section
Take each section and develop a separate sitemap dedicated to that section. This will allow you to focus on the specific content under level 3 and 4.

Phase 3: Change Management
Get client sign-off on phase 1 before moving into phase 2. This *should* help in controlling changes which move content from section to section. Get approval on phase 2 by section. For instance, work on the product section first before moving forward into the solution section or the support section.

Hopefully this process will help you better define site architecture while minimizing changes.