Ten intranet success factors

Compiled by: Martin White martin.white@intranetfocus.com, March 2011 

1. Set up a suitable governance structure

The governance structure should reflect the enterprise value of the intranet. There should be clear communication channels to the staff and also back to the intranet team so that changes in business requirements can be identified at the earliest opportunity.

2. Document the intranet strategy

Develop and document an intranet strategy, based on a consideration of the requirements and balance of information/content, technology and governance.  This strategy should be aligned with the overall strategy of the organisation.

3. Use personas and tasks/scenarios to identify user requirements

Personas are virtual CVs that summarise the main characteristics of employees undertaking specific roles, and the tasks that these roles require. Focusing on perhaps six key user scenarios can make a significant difference to the quality and acceptance of the intranet. 

4. Understand and support content contribution

Information quality in an intranet is essential. Invariably intranet content contribution is not included in job descriptions or valued by managers, and as a result gets low priority.

5. Provide effective search functionality

Users have to trust the search functionality so that they feel totally confident that either they have found all relevant information, or that information is not on the intranet.

6. Provide access to the business environment

Make sure that the intranet provides access to information from external sources, such as business and market information. It is easy to be so focused on the provision of internal information that access to external information is overlooked

7. Position the intranet with other applications

The intranet is an ideal interface to other applications, such as social media, collaborative applications and document management systems. To ensure effective integration an information management strategy is of considerable value

8. Assess intranet value

Use a range of techniques, such as focus groups, surveys and search logs, to understand what the intranet is being used for. Web analytics on an intranet are of only limited use

9. Undertake regular usability testing

Usability testing should be carried out at all stages of the life of an intranet, and there should be a range of feedback channels to ensure that the content and the information architecture continue to meet the expectations of contributors, users and stakeholders.

10. Enhance the intranet in a series of small, manageable, steps

An intranet should be continuously enhanced to reflect changing requirements, rather than wait for the opportunity and resources to carry out a major revision.

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Ten Intranet Success Factors_mar11.pdf