Managing the intranet through the cycles of boom and bust that are inevitable in our organisations and economies.
Articles tagged: intranets
CMb 2008–19
Basics of governance
Governance is about having a framework in place that enables the decision-making and planning processes for the intranet.
CMb 2008–18
Extend the reach of the staff directory
Staff directories are only useful when they contain all staff, even those without a PC or payroll number.
CMb 2008-16
Three ways to update the staff directory
There are three main ways of keeping a staff directory up to date: centralised updates, self-service updating and via integration.
CMb 2008–15
Naming the intranet
Giving the intranet a name helps to build its identity, and may even give it a personality within the organisation.
CMb 2008–13
Staff directories benefit from cross-linking
Some of the greatest value in a staff directory comes from the cross-linking, within the directory and to other resources.
CMb 2008–12
Two uses for wikis
Wikis can be used as both collaboration tools and as an intranet, and these are two very different situations.
CMb 2008-10
How intranet teams should spend their time
Intranet teams need to carefully manage their time, to ensure that progress is always being made.
CMb 2008-09
Should the intranet look sexy?
Public-facing websites often have a strong marketing element to them, but do intranets need to be as polished in their design?
CMb 2008-07
Helping the intranet team win arguments
To help build team confidence, intranet teams should understand staff needs and the motivations of content owners.
CMb 2008-08
Starting to define the intranet brand
To be successful, intranets must have a clear definition of their purpose and character, underpinning decisions about future directions.
JUNE 2008
ABCD for intranets
ABCD for intranets is a step-by-step tool that can be applied at any time and then used for the continual refinement and improvement of the intranet.
CMb 2008-06
Don’t try to boil the content ocean
Too many approaches to improving intranet content are destined for heroic failure.
MAY 2008
Intranet (re)design wrap-up
Over the years, we have published a vast amount of information on intranets. In this article, we attempt to wrap up all the activities that form part of an intranet design (or redesign) into one concise checklist.
CMb 2008-03
Clean up your LDAP or Active Directory
Before personalisation can be implemented, underlying LDAP or Active Directory implementations need to be cleaned up.
APRIL 2008
Using cultural probes for intranet user research
In this article we talk with user experience consultant Gerry Gaffney, about his experience in using a new technique called cultural probes.
MARCH 2008
Exploring the Intranet Hive (part 2)
This article completes the exploration of the Intranet Hive, a new model for managing intranets.
FEBRUARY 2008
Exploring the Intranet Hive (part 1)
This article introduces the Intranet Hive, a comprehensive model for managing ongoing intranet activities.
CMb 2008-02
Gaining intranet stardom
Being an intranet star isn’t easy, but there are practical ways of making it happen.
CMb 2007-23
Promote intranet successes
Intranet teams should use a range of approaches to track and communicate their success stories, to managers and the wider organisation.
OCTOBER 2007
Intranet Innovation Awards winners for 2007
This article shares the winners of the 2007 Intranet Innovation Awards, providing a screenshot and summary for each winning entry.
CMb 2007-18
Segmenting staff information needs
There are three main facets that can be used to segment staff needs for information: job role, business unit and geographic location.
CASE STUDY (OCTOBER 2007)
Intranet redesign for Canon Australia
This case study outlines the process undertaken by Canon Australia to evaluate and redesign their corporate intranet, including an overview of the innovative IA developed.
Why staff visit the intranet
There are two key reasons for a staff member to come to the intranet: to find a specific piece of information, or to complete a specific task.
AUGUST 2007
6×2: a new approach to planning
This methodology provides intranet teams with a new and powerful approach to planning intranet improvements.
CMb 2007-14
Your new site will be 20% different from current site
A simple rule of thumb when planning a site redesign is that the new site will be no more than 20% different from the current site.
CMb 2007-10
Personalisation vs segmentation
This briefing draws a clear line between two separate functionalities: personalisation and segmentation.
JUNE 2007
Do staff make use of personalisation features?
This article discusses the results of a worldwide survey conducted to guage what extent personalisation is being used in intranets and portals.
CMb 2007-07
Every intranet has its successes
This briefing explores the idea of intranet successes, how to identify them, and how to gain the greatest value from them.
APRIL 2007
Building innovative intranets
Explores a number of approaches that can be taken to build innovative intranets, all of which move intranet teams beyond just maintaining their current sites.
CMb 2007-06
Three fundamental purposes of an intranet
To be truly effective, intranets need to address three fundamental purposes: content, communication and activity.
CMb 2007-05
Intranet teams must cover the three purposes
The intranet team must guide, coordinate and integrate activities across all three fundamental intranet purposes: content, communication and activity.
CMb 2007-04
Intranet benchmarking for free
The Intranet Review Toolkit provides a free way of assessing where your intranet is up to, benchmarked against industry best practice.
MARCH 2007
The importance of ‘tangible’ and ‘visible’
Intranet teams should be guided by two words when planning intranet activities: tangible and visible.
FEBRUARY 2007
Position descriptions for intranet managers
Position descriptions describe the key responsibilities and duties of the intranet manager, fulfulling two audiences, the intranet manager as well as the organisation.
CMb 2007-01
Automating three types of forms
There is a ‘rule of thirds’ that can be used to categorise the main types of forms that exist on an intranet.
CMb 2006-21
Usability and IA are core skills for intranet teams
Usability and information architecture (IA) are core areas of expertise for intranet teams, and all organisations should take steps to build this expertise internally.
CMb 2006-20
Intranet as a mirror to the organisation
The most successful intranets are those that directly reflect the unique nature of the organisations they serve.
NOVEMBER 2006
Feed your enterprise with RSS
Conceptually, ‘news feeds’ are quite simple, allowing content to be delivered over the internet. Web users are very familiar with the idea of feeds, but what about their use within an organisation?
CMb 2006-19
Intranet kiosks or remote access?
here are many staff that have little (or no) access to a computer during work hours, and there are two main approaches for making intranet available: kiosks and remote access.
CMb 2006-17
The enemy of intranets is apathy
The enemy of intranets is not resistance to change, it is apathy, which must be overcome to build support and resources.
OCTOBER 2006
The intranet homepage, protect it with a policy
An intranet homepage policy is tool that can provide some welcome support to intranet managers as well as providing a clear direction to business units and senior managers on the use of the homepage.
SEPTEMBER 2006
Creating an “intranet concept”
An intranet concept is a single sheet of paper which outlines where the intranet is at, where it is going, and what it will deliver in the short-term.
Monthly intranet tasks
This article provides a long (but still not comprehensive) list of ongoing tasks for intranet teams.
CMb 2006-13
Login to the intranet
A very simple improvement to the intranet is to ensure that all staff login to the site in order to use it. This allows a number of immediate benefits to be offered, as well as providing a foundation for future enhancements.
JULY 2006
Intranets as a news channel
While news on the intranet home page is widespread, the question needs to be asked: how effective is it?
CMb 2006-11
Five key intranet policies
This briefing takes a different look at the role of intranet policies, and outlines five policies that all intranet teams should develop.
CMb 2006-10
Create a strong intranet brand
The intranet needs to have a strong brand, a sense of identity that, at a basic level, distinguishes it from the public website and other information sources within the organisation.
MAY 2006
Nine ways to fix intranet search
This article outlines nine steps that can be taken by all intranet teams to improve the effectiveness of search, covering both design and under-the-hood changes.
CMb 2006-08
10 words to describe successful intranets
This article provides 10 words that describe successful intranets, including: innovative, productive and collaborative.
CMb 2006-03
Intranet authoring: a hobby?
Much is expected of intranet authors, in terms of the quality, accuracy and timliness of published material. Yet, many organisations treat intranet authoring as a hobby.
MARCH 2005
Leadership tips for intranet teams
Intranet teams must take on a strong leadership role, and drive forward the evolution and enhancement of the site.
CMb 2006-02
Intranet managers must be managers
The intranet manager should be free to focus solely on managing the site, and not writing HTML or publishing content.
DECEMBER 2005
The “all together” rule for intranets
Intranet content and tools should be aggregated, to help staff find required information, and to complete key tasks.
CMb 2005-19
Meeting your intranet users
Users are not all the same, and do not have the same needs. A key principle is therefore: you can’t usefully deliver information to users you haven’t personally met.
CMb 2005-17
Providing intranet access to records
This briefing outlines a simple scenario in which the intranet helps staff find key corporate information, while the documents accessed are stored in the document/records management system.
OCTOBER 2005
Intranet change: evolution or big bang?
There are two main approaches to redeveloping an intranet: a big bang and evolution.
SEPTEMBER 2005
Conducting intranet needs analysis
Determining what an intranet is actually for involves gaining an in-depth understanding of staff (and organisational) needs and issues.
CMb 2005-14
Is your intranet trusted by staff?
It is widely recognised that an intranet must be trusted, if it is to be regularly used by staff across an organisation.
CMb 2005-12
Intranets: losing the language of enforcement
All too often, centralised intranet teams find themselves battling with decentralised authors to enforce consistency and quality standards.
Case study (July 2005)
Five intranet reviews, five different results
This case study presents the findings from five intranet reviews across a range of organisations, each with very different results.
Intranets as the first source of information
Intranets must be more than just a dumping ground for ’second-hand documents’ if they are to be successful. Instead, a radically different policy needs to be put in place.
CMb 2005-08
Paradox of delivering to isolated staff
Staff in geographically isolated locations are most reliant on information sources such as intranets, and yet in practical terms they are the hardest to reach.
CMb 2005-05
Why are intranets structured like the organisational chart?
Any intranets structured around the organisational chart are difficult to use. Before attempting a restructure, consider why this structure has been used.
CMb 2005-04
Creating an upwards spiral for your intranet
If intranets are to succeed, an upwards spiral must be created, where each success (no matter how small) leads onto further improvements.
MARCH 2005
Online staff directories: survey results and key findings
This article shares survey results and recommendations on the design and implementation of online staff directories, the most used element of most intranets.
DECEMBER 2004
10 ways to continuously improve your intranet
Explores a number of practical ways that an intranet can be improved incrementally without yet another redesign.
FEBRUARY 2005
Step-by-step: implementing online forms
Online forms on a corporate intranet deliver clear benefits and cost savings. This article outlines a simple step-by-step approach to implementing online forms.
CMb 2004-21
Who should own the intranet?
One of the first challenges when establishing an intranet is to determine who should have overall ownership of the site, and where the intranet team should be located.
CMb 2004-20
How to scope an intranet release
The challenge is to deliver sufficient intranet content and capabilities, within the time and resource constraints. This briefing outlines a simple approach for balancing these factors.
CMb 2004-17
Is your intranet “Under Construction”?
Explores the advantages and disadvantages of using ‘under construction’ on an intranet.
CMb 2004-15
Choosing your information delivery channels
All delivery channels (not just the intranet) must be considered when planning an overall information management and communications strategy.
CMb 2004-14
Establishing an intranet community of practice
A critical success factor for an effective and sustainable intranet is the establishment of an intranet ‘community of practice’.
CMb 2004-13
Improving your intranet, task by task
By improving the way the intranet supports key tasks, immediate business benefits can be delivered in a manageable and cost-effective manner.
CMb 2004-12
Does your intranet support core business?
Many intranets are dedicated to allowing staff to complete administrative tasks easily, instead of assisting staff to do their core business.
CMb 2004-11
The importance of training staff in the use of the intranet
An intranet is something that staff need to learn, just like any other business application or information system. This will require both formal and informal training.
CMb 2004-09
Have we seen the perfect intranet?
We are often asked whether we have seen the perfect intranet, and our answer is no. Read more to find out why.
CASE STUDY (JUNE 2004)
User-centred redesign of the FaCS intranet
FaCS applied user-centred techniques in the redevelopment of their large Government intranet, and it serves as a useful model for other organisations looking to tackle the same issues.
MAY 2004
Designing and Managing an Intranet
AGIMO Better Practice Checklist, for staff responsible for intranets, including those in website or intranet teams.
MAY 2004
Intranets and knowledge sharing
The intranet can serve as a platform for knowledge management initiatives, via approaches such as collaborative environments, staff directories, wikis and weblogs.
APRIL 2004
Intranets when organisations merge
This article outlines a phased approach to creating a new corporate intranet when organisations merge, following the progress of the merger itself.
CMb 2004-05
More than just finding policy documents
This briefing looks at the role of corporate policies within an organisation, and the need to better communicate their message to staff.
CMb 2004-03
Intranet teams: a leadership and coaching role
Intranet teams should play a leadership and coaching role in the organisation, in order to ensure that the intranet is effective, up-to-date and usable.
JANUARY 2004
Five ways to identify intranet usability issues
This article provides five techniques to identify likely usability problems in your intranet. Some techniques provide indications about where the main problems lie, others provide concrete evidence.
CMb 2004-02
Choosing an intranet project sponsor
Lack of project sponsorship is one of the greatest causes of IT project failure. For an organisation-wide platform such as an intranet, the need is even greater.
CMb 2003-21
The difference between usable and useful
A redesigned site can be easy and quick to use, and perfectly structured, and still be useless. For a site to be useful, it must meet user needs, and there are a range of techniques for identifying these.
OCTOBER 2003
Escaping the organisation chart on your intranet
Escaping an organisational structure for your intranet is not easy, but will deliver many business benefits.
CMb 2003-20
The importance of staff induction
Staff induction is vital in getting staff up to speed, and ensuring they are productive. Yet most organisations have inadequate or ad-hoc processes in place.
CMb 2003-17
The value of intranet feedback
A simple intranet feedback mechanism is an effective way of keeping an intranet up-to-date, and assisting with change management and cultural change processes.
CMb 2003-15
Beyond “efficient dissemination of timely information”
The intranet goal ‘to efficiently disseminate accurate information’ is meaningless, and must be replaced.
CMb 2003-14
Selecting staff for stakeholder interviews
This briefing focuses on who to select for stakeholder interviews. It provides some general guidelines, and lists some areas of the organisation to involve.
CMb 2003-13
Stakeholder interviews as simple knowledge mapping
Stakeholder interviews are a very effective way of gaining an understanding of an organisation, and can be considered a form of ‘knowledge mapping’.
CMb 2003-10
Roles needed in an intranet team
A multi-disciplinary approach is needed when establishing an intranet team. This briefing outlines the key roles required.
CMb 2003-09
The two faces of intranet success
A successful intranet ensures that: staff needs are met, and the content creation processes are supported.
APRIL 2003
34 ideas for promoting your intranet
This article outlines ideas for promoting your intranet, ranging from the obvious through to the very unusual. Somewhere in this list should be a few approaches that you can apply to your own intranet.
CMb 2003-07
Five minute intranet self-evaluation
This briefing presents a simple checklist that will allow you to judge just how much work will be required to bring your intranet back to top performance.
MARCH 2003
Worlds apart: intranets and websites
Beyond using HTML, intranets and websites have very little in common.
DECEMBER 2002
Public-sector intranets: a small sampling
Twenty public-sector intranets surveyed as part of the Intranet Peers in Government forum.
NOVEMBER 2002
Case study: Hunter Health intranet
Review of the Hunter Health intranet, which generated a wealth of strategic and tactical recommendations.
OCTOBER 2002
Keeping your intranet healthy and effective
The real challenge is to maintain the quality, consistency and value of an intranet, well into the future. This article shows you how.
SEPTEMBER 2002
Sixteen steps to a renewed corporate intranet
Outlines a disciplined approach to re-invigorating a corporate intranet, making it deliver real business benefits.
CASE STUDY (AUGUST 2001)
NRMA Case Study
Read about the project to create a customised content management system for the NRMA. It now holds over 15,000 pages, and is constant use by a dedicated team of over half a dozen authors.
CASE STUDY (AUGUST 2001)
RTA Case Study
Read about the project to develop Frontline Help for the Newcastle Call Centre. This project deployed a full content management system, created a web-based delivery infrastructure, and captured large amounts of business information.