Intranets - How To Create A Winning Intranet

The first step towards creating a winning Intranet is securing a budget. It's important to understand that your Intranet can give your company a strategic advantage by becoming a place where people "do" things; this is what makes it a worthwhile investment with a high ROI. The right combination of tools on your Intranet can cause employees to engage in acts of creativity, productivity and general activity not previously conceived.

The second step will be to choose a content and document management system that is easy to use and feature rich.

Third, your Intranet team will need a plan for the redesign. This starts with a thorough review of the existing Intranet and ends with a document that outlines the ownership, purpose, and accepted standards for the new Intranet.

The fourth and final step may come as a surprise to some and is not a "must do," but probably an "ought to do." You see, your Intranet has languished because no one at your organization knows what should be done with it, or sees the possibilities of a rejuvenated Intranet, or has the time and resources to invest in the effort. An outside consultant brings a renewed focus and energy to the project as well as fresh eyes and detachment. Of the 10 best Intranets of 2009, 6 were built with the combined resources of external consultants and in-house teams. The other four were...you guessed it, built by consulting firms.

For senior management (and some content owners) the process of creating a new Intranet is similar to grieving:

- There are many questions about the Intranet that has died. Why do we need a new Intranet? What's the problem with the existing Intranet? What's on the Intranet anyway and how is it supposed to help us?

- Anger. "I am not going spend on something already preceived to have little or no value...that money is best spent elsewhere."

- Denial. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Intranet. My entire team used it just last week."

- Acceptance. "I just saw pictures of XYZ company's Intranet...we are so far behind the times; we're actually losing money because of it. How much is this new Intranet going to cost us?"

Present your business case to senior management; the Intranet should play an important role in the achievement of the company's overall goals and strategies. For example, show how setting up an Intranet with a CMS and integrated document management system will decrease IT support costs and provide a basis for future knowledge management initiatives.

An overhaul usually starts with a review; if you're already aware it needs an overhaul, then chances are you've already reviewed your Intranet and know exactly what's lacking. Important -- there must be a strategy -- where does the Intranet fit long-term? What has to be done to get it ready to meet those long-term strategic goals? For example, if the company is expanding outside its current borders (be they city, state, province or country), then plan for long-distance collaboration and multilingual capabilities. As you mull over designs and possible standards for the Intranet, allow your future content managers to be a part of the decision-making process. Before choosing a content management system, take a closer look at existing document management structures, as this will play a part in the CMS selection process.

After a CMS has been chosen, a budget acquired and standards put in place, the next step will be to train the new content managers. Show them how to create proper content for the new Intranet (of course your standards should include something about content expiration and updates). Remember to create an Intranet that integrates (at a minimum) applications, documents, news, calendars, email, blogs, and message boards. After all, a winning Intranet is used by employees to collaborate and improve productivity.

When the Intranet is ready, make sure you properly market its introduction -- this is a BIG deal -- draw attention and communicate the event. Involve your audience:
1. Plan an email blitz.
2. Announce contests (name the new home page!).
3. Have prizes (with the name of the new Intranet emblazoned across the prize).
4. Do giveaways (pens, hats, t-shirts, etc. making sure the new "name" and link are on them).
5. Schedule lunches with brief presentations (one company actually did a movie premiere theme with popcorn and managers playing ushers).

Whatever you do, make it fun and make it memorable. Leave employees with the feeling that the new Intranet will make their job easier, their day more pleasant, and their corporate life more connected.