Case study: Providing comprehensive support for a public sector intranet
Categorised under: Content management, Intranets
Managing and improving an intranet is no small task, but it is still only half the story. Even before new features go live, there needs to be extensive change management, communications and support.
This support must encompass content owners and authors, who are confronted by a new site structure and the requirement to deliver better content.
Training must also be provided on the new technology platform, which offers some complex and unfamiliar capabilities. These may include collaboration and social tools, which aim to change how staff work together.
Many organisations fail to put in place the necessary training and support for an improved intranet, and adoption levels suffer as a result. In the worst cases, the entire intranet project may be considered a failure when content publishers and end users alike rebel against the site changes.
These challenges make the work done by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) particularly impressive.
In the context of the merging of two federal government agencies and major changes in the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, the DEEWR team established comprehensive training initiatives and support materials.
Members of the Intranet Leadership Forum (www.steptwo.com.au/ilf), DEEWR have been generous in sharing examples of their approaches and deliverables.
[May article by Alex Manchester, read the full article]
Tags: authoring, governance, government, Intranets, publishing, support, training
James Robertson is the Managing Director of