Intranet Best Practices

7/17/2019 Intranet Best Practices

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/intranet-best-practices 1/20

Ensuring your intranet is a success

James Robertson

Step Two Designs

([email protected])



Online Information • 2 December 2004Step Two Designs Pty Ltd • www.steptwo.com.a

Ensuring your intranet is a success

Have I seen a perect intranet! no!

T"ere is no sing#e $perect% intranet

&ost intranets are at t"e same stage o evo#ution

Every intranet "as some great i'eas

&any aspects "owever nee' to be a''resse'

Intranet teams are a#ways stronger in some areas

t"an ot"ers

T"e ey! a balanced approac" to managing an

intranet




* brie "istory o intranets

It is useu# to e+p#ore a brie "istory o most intranets!

,"ase -! intranet is create'

,"ase /! rapi' e+pansion

,"ase 0! repeate' re'esigns

,"ase 1! usabi#ity 2 I*

,"ase 3! useu# not just usab#e

,"ase 4! intranet as a business too#




,"ase -! intranet is create'

*n in'ivi'ua# or sma## group sees t"e beneit o"aving an intranet

T"e intranet is born

Starts sma## an' grows rapi'#y

&ay initia##y on#y meet t"e nee's o one area o t"e

business (eg. IT ca## centre etc)

T"is proves t"e va#ue o t"e intranet

Ent"usiasm is generate' an' it starts to grow rapi'#y




,"ase /! rapi' e+pansion

5ui#'ing on t"e initia# success o t"e intranet it growsorganically an' rapi'#y

&ore aut"ors become invo#ve' an' t"ere may be a

s"it towar's 'ecentra#ise' aut"oring T"ousan's o pages are create' an' possib#y many

'ierent subsites

Issues o management an' maintenance nowbecome crucia#




6ommon prob#ems emerge

7it" no overa## strategy or 'irection in'ivi'ua#a''itions "ave been ma'e a'8"oc

6ommon intranet prob#ems!

9nstructure' an' inconsistent

:ut8o8'ate inaccurate an' incomp#ete

6ontent aut"oring processes not woring

Inormation is "ar' to in'

;ot wi'e#y use' by sta


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/intranet-best-practices 7/20Online Information • 2 December 2004Step Two Designs Pty Ltd • www.steptwo.com.a

,"ase 0! repeate' re'esigns

:nce t"e intranet "as grown to becomeunmanageab#e t"e nee' or a redesign becomes

apparent

Initia##y t"is is 'one by just t"e intranet team T"e goa# is to create a $more #ogica#% re'esign

*ter an initia# burst o interest t"e intranet starts to

s#i'e bac into 'isrepair Rea# prob#ems not a''resse' an' t"e cyc#e is

repeate' every /<0 years



,"ase 1! usabi#ity 2 I*

T"e va#ue o usabi#ity an' inormation arc"itecture(I*) tec"ni=ues are t"en recognise'

T"ese are use' to re'esign t"e intranet

$9ser8centre'% met"o'o#ogy is o##owe' I'ea##y t"is #ea's to a muc" better 'esign an' a

muc" more usab#e intranet

6ontent management process are a#so otenimprove' at t"is stage

*n' yet t"e intranet is sti## not use'...



,"ase 3! useu# not just usab#e

* goo' intranet is sable! inormation is easy to in't"e intranet is we##8structure' an' consistent

T"is is not enoug"

*n intranet can be perect#y 'esigne' butcompletely seless

*n intranet must be sefl! it meets t"e rea# nee's

o sta t"roug"out t"e organisation T"is is w"ere t"e nee's ana#ysis activities come in

an' t"ey must be 'one first



,"ase 4! intranet as a >business too#?

T"e intranet must be more t"an just a 'umpinggroun' or secon'8"an' 'ocuments

T"e intranet as a >pub#is"ing p#atorm? is not

successu# Instea' t"e intranet must be a#igne' wit" t"e

business

&ust be seen as a >p#ace or 'oing t"ings? or a>business too#?

T"is is t"e ne+t step or most intranets...



Si+ aces o intranet success



Si+ aces o an intranet

or an intranet to be successu# an' sustainab#e t"eo##owing aspects must be a''resse'!

strategy 'esign

content

c"ange 2 communications tec"no#ogy

intranet team



Strategy

T"e intranet must be a#igne' wit" organisationa#strategies

It must a#so "ave a c#ear#y 'eine' set o goa#s

;ot goo' enoug"! $T"e eicient 'issemination oaccurate inormation in a time#y as"ion%

T"ere must a#so be recognition o t"e intranet at

senior management #eve#s T"e intranet nee's to be seen as a $strategic too#%

T"is vision must be 'riven by t"e intranet team



Design

#sability tec"ni=ues wi## "e#p to 'esign an intranett"at can be use'

Information arc"itectre gui'es t"e structure o t"e

intranet suitab#e meta'ata an' eective searc"ing :ngoing eorts are re=uire' to maintain t"e intranet

Too#s suc" as searc" engine #ogs an' usage stats

are very eicient sources o inormation 5ot" g#oba# an' #oca# issues must be a''resse'



6ontent

T"e easy starting point is to estab#is" intranetpo#icies an' gui'e#ines

T"ese are not enoug"

5est practice encourages t"e estab#is"ment o an$intranet community o practice%

T"is consists o t"e intranet aut"ors a'ministrators

an' centra# intranet team Toget"er t"e community 'rives t"e intranet orwar'

an' sets stan'ar's




6"ange 2 communications

6"ange management is crucia# to ensuring intraneta'option particu#ar#y w"en t"e site is re'esigne'

T"is inc#u'es training bot" aut"ors an' en' users

Interna# communications must be ongoing T"e intranet s"ou#' "ave a sales pitc"

T"is is a 0A8secon' 'escription you can give to

someone in a #it T"e intranet s"ou#' a#so be use' as a p#atorm or

'isseminating corporate an' #oca# news




Tec"no#ogy

Intranets are not a tec"no#ogy prob#em Tec"no#ogy is an enabler to 'e#ivering an eective

intranet

* content management system (6&S) wi## benee'e' to support 'ecentra#ise' aut"oring

Eective searc" too#s are a#so re=uire'

orms are increasing#y being seen as a way o'e#ivering rea# business beneits




Intranet team

T"e intranet team must bui#' its internal capabi#itiesan' now#e'ge

T"e intranet is not a project but an ongoing process

5ri'ges must be bui#t to ot"er teams Suicient resources must a#so be gaine' to ensure

t"e intranet can be manage' eective#y

ina##y t"e intranet team must tae on a #ea'ers"ipan' coac"ing ro#e




Summary

* successu# intranet meets bot" sta an' businessnee's

T"ese can be i'entiie' by using structure' nee's

ana#ysis tec"ni=ues Boo to mae t"e intranet into a >business too#?

* balanced approac" is re=uire'! ocusing on si+

aspects to ensure viabi#ity an' sustainabi#ity T"e goo' news! we ina##y "ave t"e now#e'ge an'

si##s to bui#' great intranets



Online Information • 2 December 2004Step Two Designs Pty Ltd • www steptwo com a

Cuestions

$ames %obertson [email protected]

isit www.steptwo.com.a or many intranet 2content management w"itepapers

&olmn Two weblog! or 'ai#y up'ates #ins an'

comments on content management usabi#ityinormation arc"itecture an' now#e'ge

management

Intranet Best Practices

Documents

Transcript of Intranet Best Practices