We often hear of intranet teams being asked to ‘deliver’ the intranet as if it was a product that can be purchased and deployed in a straightforward manner.

While there are aspects of the intranet that can be thought of in these terms, another approach is to view the intranet as a service.

If they are able to differentiate between these two perspectives, intranet teams are better positioned to frame the intranet conversation, making it easier to communicate what they are trying to achieve and to manage expectations of internal clients as well as stakeholders.

The intranet as a product

Sometimes it is useful to think of a product as an outcome. Effort is expended and something namable, even concrete, is produced.

Many aspects of intranet delivery can be seen like this. Principal among these is the technology platform that supports the intranet. It can be acquired, it has ‘out of the box’ functionality, it can perhaps be modified for local needs, and it can then be deployed.

[March article by Stephen Byrne, read the full article]