The time may come for your organization when it decides that it would benefit from a corporate intranet. In order for the intranet deployment to be successful, the organization must first define the problems that it intends to solve or mitigate. Defining how an intranet will address these problems will be instrumental in selecting the right one for adoption. The phases that constitute the intranet adoption process are described below.
Build the Adoption Team
No, not that kind of adoption
An interdisciplinary team will need to be assembled to manage the entire intranet adoption process. The team will be responsible for problem identification, intranet selection, corporate adoption and user training. A sense of company-wide ownership is fostered when multiple departments have representation in the adoption team.
Identify the Problem or Goal
A problem should be well defined before setting out to solve it. Likewise, goals should be clearly articulated before an action plan is created. These should be fleshed out in as detailed of a manner as possible so that they can be effectively paired with specific solutions. Realistic goals should be stressed. Requirements are a good thing but desirements often lead to wasted time and disappointment.
Group discussions and surveys must be conducted to discover frustrations that are frequently encountered by end-users. Weighted values based on frequency and impact should be assigned to each category. This hierarchy of targets is useful in evaluating the different solutions offered by various intranet packages.
Selection and Deployment
Once the goals and problems have been defined, intranet suites that are best positioned to address these issues are evaluated. Implementation is a process that will need to be coordinated with the vendor. They will be able to answer questions related to custom configurations, user training and pricing.
New users should be shown how the intranet's features help them to do their job more effectively. If the solutions are well-paired with the identified problems, the advantages of using the new intranet should be obvious to end-users. Early adoption is beneficial as it allows users to start engaging with the intranet quickly. Users can also begin creating the content that brings the intranet to life.
Governance and Maintenance
Deployment and training are not the end of the story. A plan to keep the intranet up to date with upgrades, patches and other considerations will need to be created. This ensures that the intranet is always up to date and operating at peak performance.
Policies for the creation of new content, version control and content removal should also be implemented. Content policies govern the quantity of hosted material. Without these measures, the company intranet can quickly grow into a disorganized mess.
The Linchpin Advantage
Selecting and implementing an intranet can be a trying process. The impact that an intranet adoption has on the organization warrants the utmost attention when stepping through each phase. Linchpin, a social intranet based on Atlassian Confluence, boasts a multitude of features that make end users' lives easier and more effective. You can test-drive Linchpin for free, anytime and with your browser of choice. Our Linchpin experts are happy to help you make your Linchpin introductory project a flawless success.
Further Reading
- 7 Benefits of a Social Intranet in your Organization
- Linchpin Cloud: A modern intranet solution on its way to the future!
- Linchpin Mobile: Reaching your employees on the go with your intranet content
- Linchpin Intranet in Confluence – The key to keeping the balance between engagement & information overload
