Intranet

Company intranets should be unique, and they should help employees and managers do their jobs more effectively and economically. As with any project, you need a strategy to develop an intranet. You must take the time to identify what you want to accomplish and how to get it done.

Devise a strategy
The first step in formulating your strategy is to determine what you want the intranet to do. Your first goal for the intranet might be to distribute company information to employees. Later, you may want your intranet to do more. The great thing about building an intranet is that you don’t need to build everything at once. In fact, your intranet should be an ongoing project, with new capabilities added over time.

You should break your intranet strategy into components. For example, each department in the company has unique opportunities within the company’s objectives. Develop a strategy for each functional entity in the company, and define two or three functions that benefit each unit.

The key is to get department heads and senior managers to think about those aspects of an intranet that truly benefit employees and managers. Find something that improves employee productivity, reduces cost, or creates a sense of pride within the company, and you have a winner. For example, consider these potential intranet uses:

Company news, departmental newsletters, or weekly letters from the president
Employee handbook, expense report submissions, and so on
Operations policies and procedures manuals
Client contracts file
Addition, deletion, and change of submissions to Human Resources
IT Support Desk trouble ticket submission and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
White papers
Training documentation and schedules for new employees

The key to developing an intranet strategy is to determine its purpose. Most intranets are used to disseminate information, but you need not limit yours to