Your intranet - from start to never finished
Thoughts on what a dynamic intranet should, could, and can do
Hi Peer,
If you build it, they may come.
If they build it, they will own it.
If we build it, we will use and manage it - together.
The intranet never ends, and you are never finished. If you don’t believe that, then I have a bridge to sell you, and for an additional $9.99 a friendly troll - who will troll you! 🌉 Instead, let’s look at it through the lens of "usage & adoption" in the image of good change management. You’ve probably already started. The art of the possible awaits, with numerous things to consider, and why.
The Cloud offers endless potential, and you must sign off on it and get there. Or maybe you start(ed) there on day one (greenfield, what a treat). Or maybe you take a hybrid approach - best of both worlds with inevitable morphing over time.
No matter what state you find your intranet in, this article focuses on things to consider plus principles to guide plans that lead into what makes the cut, and why. It’s a quick hits pull from a wealth of knowledge and guidance from Microsoft MVPs (shoutout to Susan Hanley), customer use, and our own maturation of intranet product… with a few comments along the way.
The aim is to send your intranet into the now, to set you up for the success of never finishing. Never surrender! And never not read beyond the intro.
Let’s dig in.
Considerations for a “never finished” intranet
News, announcements & information (top/down, bottom/up) | You, the collective, have so much to say and share. No matter whether it’s for everyone, targeted to certain audiences, or bubbles up from smart connections between people - an intranet needs to be both a place to put information, a means to disseminate it all, and be personalized and dynamic at all end points.
Find what you’re looking for (Search, discovery, navigation) | Search + content structure + AI = “found it!” Microsoft Search has improved a lot over the years - available everywhere. Blend this with good IA (metadata, governance) and Microsoft Graph and your intranet becomes less of a black box, more of a multi-colored magician’s hat (or Dreamcoat™) that knows who you are and what you work on.
Collaboration + communication | When content lives side-by-side conversations, the outcome is more of a two-way street to find something, find an expert, ask a question, provide feedback, and make updates - all with fewer clicks, fewer context switches, fewer disconnects.
Personal, team, division, cross-company | The spectrum of the intranet reflects who we are, who we report to, and the variety of roles we play across numerous teams, projects, campaigns, etc. - meaning we work and share at various altitudes through our days. At times we might have a private document we share with one person, to then turn and work on a list with a dedicated review team, to then turn again (this time facing the audience) to address and engage the proverbial, internal everyone.
Usability, reliability, recognizable (responsiveness, theming, and branding) | Our projects, products, regions, and roles all do best with recognition and ease of use (or access). Your intranet offerings should easily and consistently represent who you are, what you and your team work on, and if that’s more than one thing - the consistency and alignment between needs to shine through no matter how or where your audience engages with you and your content.
Reorgs, acquisitions, growth | Expansion should be a benefit, not a burden. The same is true for how you accommodate new teams and people - along with the ease of integration. The time-to-adapt can’t be “too long.” As the business progresses and adapts, so too must the platform and all that gets blended in.
Continuous innovation, change management | Microsoft releases a lot of updates and innovation, and so too may you. Keeping all things aligned is key to planning what you do do and what you don’t. If you know we or a partner do or can provide a capability, it’s worth your time to stay connected with what’s coming. It, too, is equally important to message that out as coming change - with your unique spin on plans to adopt (or disregard).
Mobility and flexibility | This past year shined a light on the need to support hybrid work - be it a transition into it, soon/now planning to transition out of it, or find that living on with it is a preferred path forward. No matter, you’ll need to ensure that everyone is included and has access. From HQ, out to branch offices, to people on the go - the intranet needs to span networks, devices, and locations.
Intranet AND extranet | At work, we are not alone. We often augment our teams with vendors partners - and output to clients and customers. The intranet needs to span firewalls, provide targeted access to content and information, and be bound to policies based on what can or can’t be shared. I see a lot of customers centralizing on a single “content services” platform that can do all this with established zones and services that help protect (and self-serve) at scale.
Who should and can access, create, and consume (governance) | One of the most important pre-planning items for a robust, methodical intranet is developing and implementing a governance plan. Ask questions about who needs to access what, from where, and for how long. Establish policy levels, and then configure the tools, sites, and services to adhere to it in the unique blend of employee empowerment and IT control. They are not exclusive. It is possible. And It’s OK if things change over time. Governance adaption is one of the most never finished parts of starting and running an intranet.
Secure and compliant (proactive and reactive) | Moving to the cloud should not mean losing the ability to have visibility into your environment. Trust in technology - for security, privacy, and compliance - is not a given. It’s necessary. An intranet needs to protect your IP and sensitive data, whether it stays within your organizational perimeter or travels outside with remote users, customers, or partners while providing controls to further protect by policy, manage external sharing, control device access, monitor the health status of, and more.
VPN, multi-factor authentication | Greater levels of security - within your control - evolve based on access. The above policies apply once someone is logged in. But, at the point of login, an intranet must be the front door with the worlds-best bouncer who precedes “access granted.” Establishing a healthy authentication system, requiring MFA, and owning the pathways in - all are a must. And all must be in place at all entry points without being too cumbersome.
Apps and services integration | There’s an app for that. Judging how good an intranet is on its own is like eating spaghetti without sauce (just butter doesn’t count as sauce). There are so many first- and third-party apps and services to connect to and with. Choose your integration sauce and slurp away.
Out-of-the-box, configuration, customization (budget vs. requirements) | Following on #13 above, where there’s an app, there’s an API. But should you build it versus buy it versus live without it. And #7 above leans into this one, too. The more informed you are about what’s coming, the more you might say, “Let’s de-prioritize our time and money on x, knowing it’s coming in y months. That’ll free us up to do z instead.” And XYZ, just like that!
Get reliable intranet ROI by wrapping the ‘what’ with principles
Build a talented team - Establish roles and intranet guidance and review teams
Take a governance first approach. It. Is. Worth. It.
Ensure strategic line of site to business requirements
Align initiatives with strategic drivers and stakeholders
Track Microsoft 365 apps and supporting vendors (now + roadmaps)
Align strategies and deliverables across your IT, dev and design
Don’t underestimate time and budget. This one bears repeating: Don’t underestimate time and budget. (Groundhogs with endless cash flow need not apply)
Monitor and assert change management - for your and your vendors changes
Always include training, on both common and custom apps and experiences
Related, helpful resources for a Microsoft 365-based intranet
The intelligent intranet - a 4-stage approach to getting your teams connected with Microsoft 365 (SharePoint resource center)
Planning your SharePoint hub sites - co-written by Susan Hanley and Microsoft
Add Viva Connections for Microsoft Teams desktop (docs.microsoft.com)
“The Key to intranet success: Keep people at the center of your digital workplace" by Susan Hanley from the Microsoft 365 Virtual Marathon event:
Plus a related episode of The Intrazone, “Building blocks of your intelligent intranet” with guests Matt Wade and Laura Rogers:
Final thoughts
The future of the intranet comes with distinct challenges - adapt at the speed of business or die the static death of diminishing return. When employees are engaged with disciplined, dynamic, and personalized experiences, companies report improved retention, satisfaction, metrics, and overall profitability.
The intranet is the publishing center of all things happening throughout your company. It is where people keep up with news and discover what’s happening around them at work. And it must be balanced with the needs of IT to best govern, manage, and report on all throughout the life cycle of a dynamic, ever-growing, ever-changing intranet.
Cheerios, Mark “the never ending” Kashman 🛣
P.S. (Pun Sharing)
Get your eye rolls ready to bake… one pun from me, @mkashman 🙄, and one from the world:
Thanks for sharing this blog post.This post provided important information.