Donna Maurer looks at whether your intranet supports core business. To quote:

On many intranets, a large proportion of the site is dedicated to allowing staff complete administrative tasks easily. Few intranets have the same focus on assisting staff with core business.

This is a natural by-product in the evolution of intranets, with many starting as sites to distribute HR information and later extending to provide other administrative support.

In addition, the background of staff in intranet teams is often in communications, web design or writing. Less frequently do intranet team staff come from core business areas and therefore lack a comprehensive understanding of how the intranet can offer benefits to the business.

Although it is important to allow staff to undertake administrative tasks efficiently, the intranet will provide much better value to the organisation if it allows staff to do their day-to-day business more efficiently.