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Planning Your Intranet

At this point in your project, you've installed your intranet software and now you're ready to create your intranet.

Every intranet project is unique, shaped by organizational culture and resources. We've outlined some tasks which are common to nearly every intranet build.

 

Define Your Purpose

In most cases, an intranet is being put in place because something isn't working very well. Whether it's communication, processes, engagement, information-sharing, or document management, a problem has been identified and the intranet is going to make it better.

What's the goal or purpose of your intranet? A good starting point is to circle back to the pain points you were looking to address when researching for an intranet solution.

Once you have a clear mission statement or vision for your intranet, schedule meetings with your team, key stakeholders, and staff to discuss what each group needs to be able to do on the intranet. Your intranet will have a higher likelihood of success if it has a champion - someone (or a team) passionate about the intranet and the role it plays in organizational success.

 

Project Planning Questions

Working together with your project team or other individuals who will be moving the intranet forward, we suggest answering the following questions to help guide your build:

  • How do you want the intranet to look and feel (e.g. fun, reflect corporate values, colorful, energetic, etc.)?
  • Is the intranet intended to assist with day-to-day tasks (e.g. communicate/collaborate with team members, complete forms, etc.) or is it intended to be more of a reflection of departmental structure?
  • If there's an existing intranet, what content or structure will you retain for the new intranet? Have you done an inventory of content?
  • Will all content need to be accessible to all staff? Or will some content be locked down depending on the department/team/project? Learn more in our 'Security Overview' article.
  • Are documents currently stored on a shared drive that need to be added to the intranet for easier access? Learn more in our 'Enabling SharePoint Integration' article.
  • How will intranet content be maintained after launch (e.g. by an intranet team, delegated responsibility for different areas, etc.)? Learn more in our 'Intranet Governance' article.


General Project Timeline

IC's onboarding process is broken-down in 4 phases (Assess, Plan, Build, Launch) and designed to be completed in 8 weeks. 

Actual length of required time will depend on the extent and quality of existing intranet content, as well as the capacity of project team members (i.e. are they dedicated resources or doing this in addition to their usual job duties).

Regardless of the individual specifics, each intranet project will usually involve the following steps, provided with approximate timelines - note that steps may happen concurrently.

1. Project Foundation

These foundational steps are essential to start any intranet project:

  • Identify project team members - ideally a team will work on the intranet to get cross-organizational input and share the workload. Best practice is to include at least one representative from Communications, Human Resources, and IT, as well as from each key stakeholder group (as applicable, based on your intranet content). However, we've had plenty of one-person 'project teams', and it can be done!
  • Set up server and install software - a member of our Tech Support Team will work with you to coordinate installation and get the software on-site within your organization.
  • Admin training - depending on project team members' availability and learning style, learning the software may take a week or a few months.

2. Assess and Inventory Current Content

If your organization has never had an intranet, this step could involve paper-based information such as forms. If the content is currently in place, it's a matter of assessing what's there and is working well, what's there and needs updating, and what can be eliminated. The length of time involved for assessing content will depend on the volume of current intranet content.

3. Create Navigational Structure

Navigation is the heart of an effective and successful intranet, and it's worth taking the time to do right, Ideally, you'll want to get users involved in creating the navigation to increase the likelihood of finding information.

4. Create Content

Content is, of course, an essential part of your intranet. As you create the site, you'll need to:

  • Configure Sites, Apps, and Pages and add information as desired, based on your key business objectives.
  • Develop security for folders and Apps - learn more in the 'Security Overview' article.
  • Create an engaging and informative intranet Home Page that speaks to your users, with at-a-glance updates including widgets which automatically pull in intranet or external content.

Also, it's important to realize that ALL content doesn't have to be in place for the site to launch - just the key content that will start users getting comfortable using the site and will help them most frequently with their work. With this phased approach we've found that nearly all intranets launch with the following functions in place:

  • Employee Directory - the main reason many staff access the intranet, looking for contact information, titles, or photos; we strongly recommend having employee photos in the directory prior to launch, as it's a quick way to begin building staff engagement.
  • Documents and policies - typically either document, policies, or both are in place at launch, often with features such as read and confirm, or document versioning.

The next function added is often team or departmental sites (e.g. Human Resources), so that either one type of content can be grouped in one intranet area, one staff group can manage content for one area, and/or a group can access content that the rest of the staff cannot.

5. Develop Intranet Branding

Intranets generally have some personality, since they're practically a member of your staff. Spend some time on the branding to increase staff engagement.

6. Key User Training and Testing

Getting select staff involved prior to launching an intranet can give valuable feedback for small improvements which may have a big impact on your project success. Learn about Getting Users Involved Before Launch in our 'Launch Your Intranet' article.

7. Plan for Launch and Post-Launch Engagement

After putting so much effort into a new intranet, it's important to launch with some fanfare so staff know all about their new work and communication tool. Start the initial planning for your launch and rollout well ahead of this point, and then kick it off just ahead of launch. Learn more in our 'Launch Your Intranet' article.

 

Give the Intranet an Identity

An organization's intranet is the equivalent of a staff hang-out, where ideas and information are shared - often with some humor. That's easier to accomplish when the intranet has a personality, vibrancy, and an identity. There are various ways to accomplish this.

To give your intranet an identity, try some of the following tactics:

  • Visuals - Best practice is to choose a color palette tied to your corporate branding so there's a sense of connection between the various properties. In addition, we suggest that your project team decides on an intranet font and visual style, then document it in a governance guide so it's maintained consistently.

  • Name - One of the most powerful ways to give an intranet an identity is to give it a proper name. Employees will refer to the intranet often, so it needs a memorable name.

    If there’s already an existing intranet with a name, unless it’s clearly a ‘no go’, poll staff on whether the name should be retained or a new name found.

    If you need to create a name, we suggest either:

    • Asking employees for name suggestions, choosing the top 3-5 options, then having employees vote to select their favorite (and rewarding the name creator with a prize!); or
    • Having the project team create 3-5 name options, then having employees vote to select their favorite.

    Tips for Name Creation

    When creating a name, remember to:

    • Keep it short - it’s going to get used a lot!
    • Factor in your organizational culture - traditional? relaxed? fun?
    • Say it aloud and in the context of work - does it sound right or sound awkward?
    • Give it personality - the intranet is practically another staff member.

    There are several common types of Intranet names:

    •  Words that signify the intention of the intranet
      • Horizon - Homewood Health
      • Insight - InTouch Credit Union
      • iConnect - Columbia University Centre for Career Education
    •  Acronyms (sometimes elevated into a name and persona)
      • WALT (We Are Leech Tishman) - Leech Tishman
      • VERN (Veridian Employee Resource Network) - Veridian
      • SQIRL (SQ Internal Resource Location) - IC
    •  Names related to the type of business
      • The Pantry - New Seasons Market
      • CityBizz - City of North Vancouver
      • Voyager - World Travel Holdings
      • Fetch - San Diego Humane Society & SPCA
    •  Names which include part of the company name
      • JustUs - Justice Institute of British Columbia
      • WestNet - District of West Vancouver
      • DivShare - Diversified Search