Intranet strategy & execution

by Toby Ward on Thu 04 Jun 2009 01:00 PM PDT | Permanent Link | Cosmos

Like any business, an intranet without a strategy is an intranet looking to die.

Although an over-arching business strategy should be highly complex that takes into
account many external factors and variables (e.g. competitive assessment), an
intranet strategy is not as complex nor time-consuming.

An intranet strategy has definition, is well documented and shared by all

stakeholders, and has key performance indicators (KPIs) or metrics. The strategy
provides direction for executable actions (in the context of this article, we will treat
strategy as synonymous with plan, though a strategy in the broader definition might
contain many plans). For an intranet, a typical strategy would include the following
elements:

• Vision
• Mission
• Target audience definition / segmentation
• Governance
• Goals
• Objectives
• Action plans
• KPIs (or CSIs)

Methodology

When looking at strategy at it relates to the process of developing or redesigning an

intranet, strategy encompasses the first two phases of Prescient Digital Media's
Intranet Project Methodology © 2009, Assessment & Planning.
1- Assessment – understanding the needs and requirements for the intranet

2- Planning – strategy development including the governance model and design

3- Technology – where execution begins with the selection of the technology

4 – Implementation – “the rubber hits-the-road” execution of the strategy

5- Marketing – communications, change management, and promotion

Execution

“A very general definition of the term “implementation” is execution of an idea, plan,

design, model, standard, algorithm, or policy,” writes Prescient Digital Media's Cathy
Mcknight in Implementing your intranet plan and other dastardly deeds. “In the
realm of information technology, an implementation is the realization of a technical
specification as some type of computer related system or applications. The key
words being; plan, specification and realization.”
In short, if your plans are sound, then execution is relatively straight-forward:
everyone knows their job, the schedule, and the budget. This of course is easier said
than done and requires strong project management to ensure that all plans are
executed as directed. Of course, even the best plans and projects have hiccups; all
technology projects hit barriers and are challenged by problems (technology is
imperfect, almost as imperfect as the people implementing the technology). To
overcome these problems and challenges requires the aforementioned detailed
plans, and a strong project manager or three that has experience steering intranet
projects.

The intranet is not just a piece of technology; not merely an IT project, nor is it a
communications vehicle or channel; the intranet is a business system that should
represent and support all areas of the business. In fact, the intranet is one part
technology, and many parts people and process, that requires a detailed strategy
(plans) to ensure all work in tandem. No complex system such as an intranet can
adequately support a company and a workforce without a thorough strategy.