10 Scariest Intranet Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
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The document outlines the 10 most significant mistakes organizations make when developing intranets, emphasizing the importance of executive sponsorship, clear goals, and audience involvement. Key mistakes include not having an executive sponsor, failing to define strategic goals, and poor design choices that alienate users. It also warns against assuming popular software like SharePoint will be a comprehensive solution without proper customization and planning.
10 Scariest Intranet Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
- 1. 10 Scariest Intranet Mistakes Watch the webinar video instead & How to Avoid Them October 31, 2011 Carmine Porco, Prescient Digital Media Chris Chambers, Prescient Digital Media Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 1
- 2. Twitter hashtag #Intranet2 Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 2
- 3. Agenda o Who we are (5 mins.) o 10 scariest intranet mistakes (30 mins.) o Questions and answers (15 mins.) Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 3
- 4. Who We Are Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 4
- 5. Highly effective intranets & websites Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 5
- 6. Listen. Understand. Deliver. Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 6
- 7. Intranet or Frankenstein’s Monster? o Its parts are bolted together from various sources, some of which aren’t quite official. o Some of its parts are missing and some expired a long time ago. Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 7
- 8. Intranet or Frankenstein’s Monster? (cont’d) o It lacks a brain and has taken on a life of its own. o Your audience runs screaming when told to interact with it. o It frightens its creator. Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 8
- 9. 10 Scariest Intranet Mistakes Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 9
- 10. 10. Non-existent executive sponsor o Must secure buy-in from an executive sponsor. 18% State lack of executive support as the #1 barrier to implementation. 9% State lack of a business case as the #1 barrier to implementation. Source: Social Intranet Study 2011 Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 10
- 11. 10. Non-existent executive sponsor (cont’d) o Executive satisfaction with Intranet 2.0 tools is still dangerously low (28%). o Executives aren’t contributing to social media tools as frequently as employees. o Solution: Business Case, Executive education Source: Social Intranet Study 2011 Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 11
- 12. 10. Non-existent executive sponsor (cont’d) Nexus of Intranet Success Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 12
- 13. 9. No ghouls (goals) o Knowing the future of your intranet isn’t as easy as looking into a crystal ball. o Need to define: • Mission & Vision • Long and short term goals • Critical Success Indicators (CSIs) for measuring the future success of the site. • Governance Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 13
- 14. 9. No ghouls (goals) (cont’d) o Majority of organizations Solution: Strategic Plan don’t have an intranet Vision strategy (or they have one and don’t follow it). Mission o Need to determine how Objectives intranet strategy fits into overall corporate strategy. Goals KPIs Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 14
- 15. 8. Nauseating homepage Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 15
- 16. 8. Nauseating homepage (cont’d) Can’t just spin a wheel… Red Communications Kitchen sink Personalized Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 16
- 17. 8. Nauseating homepage (cont’d) Or put lipstick on a pig… Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 17
- 18. 8. Nauseating homepage (cont’d) Need… Assessment Planning • Business stakeholder • Strategic input • Functional • Employee input • Information • Benchmarking input architecture • Wireframes • Creative brief • Design • Design Style guide Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 18
- 19. 7. Out-of-the-box search (no customization) o Can’t just purchase and install a search tool. o Need to find the right balance between usability and functionality. • Too many search options = overwhelmed users • Too few search options = frustrated users Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 19
- 20. 7. Out-of-the-box search (no customization) (cont’d) o Considerations for search: • Integrate meta-data into search. • Allow users to search by sites, people, doc's, blogs, etc. • Make banner search accessible from every page within the intranet. • Enable fuzzy-search terms. • Hardwire common search terms. Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 20
- 21. 6. Design your intranet like a website o Don’t be fooled. Intranet ≠ external website. • Different users with different intentions accessing different information. o Design must be supported by Information Architecture and Wireframes. o Personas & Use Cases Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 21
- 22. 5. Try to boil the ocean o Don’t try to do everything yourself. o Redeveloping your intranet is a collaborative project requiring input from IT, HR and Communications. o Phased approach: Don’t try to launch an intranet all at once with everything turned on. Source: Social Intranet Study 2011 Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 22
- 23. 4. Not summoning help from beyond o Benefits to hiring an outside consultant: • Non-partisan • Intranet specific-expertise • Benchmarking capabilities • Knowledge of intranet best practices o Avoid the political pitfalls that can kill an intranet. • e.g. Consultant can mediate between IT and Communications. Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 23
- 24. 3. Being sold a solution, rather than selecting a solution o No one-size-fits-all solution. o Thousands of technology solutions to choose from. o Follow proven process to ensure the technology you buy is right for your organization. Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 24
- 25. 3. Being sold a solution, rather than selecting a solution (cont’d) Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 25
- 26. 2. Failing to involve your audience o Involving your audience: • Eases political tensions by giving different departments a voice. • Ensures business requirements are accurate, when they’re gathered from a representative sample of users. • Reduces the likelihood of intranet silos. • Increases adoption rates. Users are more likely to use something they’ve helped create. Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 26
- 27. 2. Failing to involve your audience (cont’d) Business Focus Groups User Survey Requirements Interview Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 27
- 28. 1. Assuming SharePoint is a silver bullet o “Silver bullet”: A simple remedy for a difficult problem. o SharePoint: “Jack of all trades, master of none.” o Can’t just use it out of the box. o Expensive to customize. Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 28
- 29. 1. Assuming SharePoint is a silver bullet (cont’d) o “It’s a mile wide, and an inch deep.” T. Ward o Offers everything and the kitchen sink, but is best-of-breed for virtually nothing except Team Site deployment and My Sites (when deployed correctly). Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 29
- 30. 10. Non-existent executive sponsor 9. No ghouls (goals) 8. Nauseating homepage 7. Out-of-the-box search (no customization) 6. Design your intranet like a website 5. Try to boil the ocean 4. Not summoning help from beyond 3. Being sold a solution, rather than selecting a solution 2. Failing to involve your audience 1. Assuming SharePoint is a silver bullet Questions and Answers Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 30
- 31. www.IntranetGlobalForum.com Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 31
- 32. Contact Information Carmine Porco Chris Chambers Vice President, Vice President, Client Deliverables Client Development cporco@prescientdigital.com cchambers@prescientdigital.com (416) 926-8800 (416) 926-8800 (416) 728-2226 (416) 450-9732 @carmineporco @chris_chambers Skype:carmine.porco Strictly Confidential © 2011 Prescient Digital Media Not For Distribution 32