KM
COLUMN
SEPTEMBER 2002
Sixteen steps to a renewed corporate
intranet
Many intranets have reached, or passed,
their fifth birthdays. Having grown organi-
cally with limited funding, these intranets
have become steadily more inconsistent and
out of date.
Many corporate intranets have also lost their
identity, and now exist simply for the sake of
legacy.
The growing status of content management
systems (CMSs) is now providing many or-
ganisations with an impetus to revisit and
renew their intranets.
Unfortunately, while the technical aspects
of implementing a CMS are well understood,
many organisations are struggling to identify
the issues with the content, structure and
management of their intranets.
The good news is that by following a disci-
plined approach, it is possible to re-invigor-
ate an intranet, making it deliver real
business benefits, and supporting strategic
goals.
This article outlines a sixteen step process
which guides you through to a refreshed and
dynamic new intranet.
Warning signs
There are a number of clear indicators that
your current intranet has languished, and is
not delivering effective business benefits:
• Staff usage of the intranet is low, and not
growing.
• The majority of content is out-of-date,
incomplete or inaccurate.
• The intranet is very inconsistent in
appearance, particularly across sections
managed by different groups.
James Robertson is the managing
director of Step Two Designs, an
intranet and content management
consultancy based in Sydney,
Australia. James specialises in in-
tranet strategy, web content man-
agement, information architecture
and usability.
© Copyright 2005, Step Two Designs Pty Ltd • www.steptwo.com.au
knowledge management • content management • intranets • usability • information architecture
Is your intranet languishing in a
state of disrepair?
• Almost all information on the intranet is
reference material, not news or recent
updates.
• Most sections of the intranet are solely
used to publicise the existence of the
business groups within the organisation.
• There are few interactive features on the
intranet (it is not a place ‘to do things’).
• The updating of the intranet is an entirely
manual, and labour-intensive, process.
• There are few, if any, controls over what
can be published on the intranet.
• Content reviews and other editorial
processes are limited, or non-existent.
• The volume of e-mail used to send news
and updates is unmanageable, and still
growing fast.
• There is no clearly-defined list of
business goals for the intranet.
• Senior management does not see the
intranet as a strategic resource.
• Funding for the intranet is inadequate.
If these signs apply to your intranet, it is
time to instigate an ‘intranet renewal’
project.
Intranet potential
The intranet has the potential to be a valua-
ble strategic asset for the organisation. It can
deliver many benefits:
• Single interface to all enterprise
applications.
• Effective communication and news
distribution infrastructure.
• Centralised resource of business
information and knowledge.
• Supporting tool for initial and ongoing
training requirements.
 • Platform for an online community of
staff, particularly for those in
geographically isolated locations.
An intranet is also a necessary prerequisite
for a wider knowledge management strategy.
Before the larger cultural and process issues
can be addressed, a strong foundation must
be built to support the creation, capture and
distribution of information.
The intranet should be a key
component of strategic
initiatives
Disciplined approach
In order to achieve this benefits, and to ad-
dress the limitations of the current intranet,
a disciplined approach must be followed.
This is an approach we have found to be use-
ful:
1. Review existing intranet
2. Determine intranet goals
3. Identify stakeholders
4. Conduct stakeholder interviews
5. Conduct usability testing
6. Determine strategic and tactical recom-
mendations
7. Obtain management support and fund-
ing
8. Conduct a content audit
9. Address information architecture needs
10. Develop a new intranet design
11. Select and implement a content manage-
ment system
12. Create an intranet style guide
13. Rewrite key content
14. Migrate existing content
15. Promote the new intranet
16. Establish new processes
Step 1: Review existing intranet
The first step in the project is to examine the
currently-deployed intranet. This allows les-
sons to be learnt from the past, thereby en-
suring that the new version builds on
current strengths and addresses existing
weaknesses.
Sixteen steps to a renewed corporate intranet • Page 2
© Copyright 2005, Step Two Designs Pty Ltd • www.steptwo.com.au
This review must examine a wide range of
aspects:
• Conduct a comprehensive review of the
current intranet, using usability and
accessibility heuristics (guidelines).
• Identify information architecture
problems with overall intranet structure.
• Investigate the underlying technology
used to manage the intranet, and
determine implementation issues.
• Examine usage statistics to identify key
areas, unused information, and user
behaviour.
• Review any previous surveys or reports
covering intranet usage or issues.
The goal of this activity is to identify the pri-
mary strengths and weaknesses of the cur-
rent intranet, and to start identifying the key
recommendations for the renewal project.
It may be beneficial to obtain outside assist-
ance for this activity, as this provides a new
perspective on the intranet and the issues
with it. It can be very difficult to gauge the
true nature of the system, after working on it
for several years.
Take a step back, to assess why
the intranet is not successful
Step 2: Determine intranet goals
A succinct but meaningful list of business
goals underpins the long-term success of the
intranet. These must spell out what concrete
benefits the intranet will deliver to the busi-
ness as a whole.
Many intranets have the single goal ‘Provide
staff with efficient access to online informa-
tion’. This will not suffice: merely having an
intranet is not a goal in itself.
Business goals should relate to the wider
strategic direction of the organisation, and a
meaningful goal will help to clearly position
the intranet in relation to strategic projects.
Some example goals include:
• Provide an efficient communication
channel, both to and between staff.
• Support ongoing organisational
improvement.
• Increase knowledge flow within the
organisation.
• Increase the safety of all staff.
 Note that every organisation is unique, so it
is important to involve senior management
when determining the intranet goals.
Further information
See the paper “What are the goals of a con-
tent management system?” for a more com-
prehensive list of business goals.
Step 3: Identify stakeholders
Determine a comprehensive list of key stake-
holders, in consultation with the relevant
managers. This is used to organise the stake-
holder interviews.
The list of stakeholders also forms the basis
for a broader list of ‘content owners’, which
is crucial for ensuring that the information
on the intranet is both accurate and up-to-
date. The content owners list is also used
when conducting the content audit.
Potential stakeholders include:
• business groups
• IT sections
• content owners (authors)
• senior management
• end users (staff)
The involvement of all major stakeholders
throughout the project will ensure that the
true requirements are identified, thereby
maximising business benefits.
Involving end users also reduces the natural
level of resistance to change within the or-
ganisation.
Staff are often the best source of
intranet issues and ideas
Step 4: Conduct stakeholder
interviews
This is the primary mechanisms for identify-
ing the user and business requirements for
the intranet. By including a range of repre-
sentative users, a complete picture can be
built up of content and process needs.
Structure these interviews according to the
issues identified in the intranet review. Fo-
cus on the key business processes that each
participant is involved in, and identify how
the intranet assists with this.
Sixteen steps to a renewed corporate intranet • Page 3
© Copyright 2005, Step Two Designs Pty Ltd • www.steptwo.com.au
In this way, the issues that have the greatest
impact on the operation of the organisation
are identified and discussed.
The outcome of these interviews is a series
of general needs, and specific requirements,
issues, and problems. Synthesise these into
a single list at the completion of the stake-
holder interviews.
Note that surveys and questionnaires have
not been included in this methodology. In
our experience, they are not an effective way
of determining user needs.
Usability tests identify real
problems, not opinions
Step 5: Conduct usability testing
The most effective way of identifying prob-
lems with the design of the current sites is to
conduct usability tests. Even a small test en-
compassing five representative users will
identify any major problems with the design
of the intranet.
Develop specific tasks for the tests, focusing
on the key areas identified during the previ-
ous reviews and stakeholder interviews. The
users then attempt to complete these tasks,
with their actions being analysed to identify
specific problems and issues.
The goal of these ‘small scale’ tests is to iden-
tify the largest issues with the intranet, fol-
lowing the ‘80/20’ rule.
Note that usability testing should be con-
ducted throughout the intranet renewal
project. For example, the prototypes for the
new design must also be usability tested.
Step 6: Determine strategic and
tactical recommendations
The previous activities have gathered con-
siderable information on:
• The primary strengths and weaknesses of
the current intranet.
• Key usability and accessibility problems.
• Strategic goals and needs.
• The information needs of staff.
• Areas where the intranet can provide
greatest benefit.
This information must now be articulated
into a succinct set of strategic (broad) and
tactical (specific) recommendations.

Lack of management
‘sponsorship’ is the biggest
source of project failure
These recommendations will drive the over-
all direction of the renewal project, and de-
fine the key activities to focus on.
Sample strategic goals:
• Focus on processes to deliver business
benefits.
• Use the intranet to support
geographically isolated staff.
• Establish the intranet as the primary
news medium.
• Rewrite policy and procedures.
Sample tactical goals:
• Implement an improved search engine.
• Resolve accessibility problems.
• Maximise the value of the home page.
• Schedule regular usability testing.
Take the opportunity to look beyond the in-
tranet, and to identify process or cultural is-
sues that must also be addressed. The
intranet renewal will deliver greatest bene-
fits when tackled in conjunction with other
supporting initiatives.
Step 7: Obtain management support
and funding
The involvement and support of senior man-
agement is critical, if the renewal project is
to succeed.
Develop a brief executive report, outlining:
• the issues with the current intranet
• strategic and tactical recommendations
• benefits delivered by the project
Sufficient information has now been gath-
ered to concretely describe the costs of not
updating the intranet, and to quantify the
expected return on investment (ROI).
While the activities up to now have required
few resources, a more substantial budget
will be needed to move the project through
to completion.
The largest cost is likely to be the purchase
and implementation of the content manage-
Sixteen steps to a renewed corporate intranet • Page 4
© Copyright 2005, Step Two Designs Pty Ltd • www.steptwo.com.au
ment system. It is important, however, not to
under-budget the key supporting activities,
such as the content audit and user training.
Step 8: Conduct a content audit
A content audit steps through each page on
the intranet, and generates an exhaustive list
of the current content.
This is a necessary pre-requisite to migrating
the content into the new content manage-
ment system.
A content audit also provide invaluable in-
formation about the specific issues with the
current intranet, as well as the particular
needs the system meets.
A content audit always generates a few ‘sur-
prises’, which often reshape some of the tac-
tical or even strategic goals of the intranet.
The content audit should be done by a mem-
ber of the main intranet renewal team, as
this is the only way the team will gain a full
understanding of the current intranet.
Step 9: Address information
architecture needs
Most first-generation intranets are struc-
tured along organisational lines. That is,
each business group manages a section of
their own on the intranet, where they pub-
lish information of interest to them.
It is our experience that staff have great dif-
ficulty in finding information when it is
structured in this way. Instead, the intranet
should be organised according to:
• task, activity or process
• subject
A large-scale restructure of the intranet is a
key part of the overall renewal project. To
determine a new structure, use methods
such as ‘card sorting’. This is both effective,
and enjoyable to run.
More information
For a detailed tutorial on using card sorting,
see our paper “Information design using card
sorting”.
Over time, intranets become
increasingly unstructured
 Step 10: Develop a new intranet
design
Develop a new design for the intranet, ad-
dressing:
• appearance
• standard page layout
• navigation
• site structure
• home page design
Of these, the navigation and standard page
layout are the most important aspects. If the
graphic design of the current intranet is sat-
isfactory, don’t spend the effort changing it
(this will provide some continuity for users).
The first step is to create a low-fidelity
(rough) prototype. This is used to check that
the overall layout is workable, and that the
flow of pages is meaningful.
Conduct a small usability test with actual
users to confirm this. This test can also be
used to check the validity of the new infor-
mation architecture.
Using an iterative process, refine the design
until you have a completed interface. At
each stage, usability testing is used to check
and adjust the designs.
A content management system
provides a strong foundation for
an effective intranet
Step 11: Select and implement a
content management system
Many older intranets are entirely managed
using only Frontpage, or Dreamweaver.
While this serves the needs of a small intran-
et, it does not scale to support the growing
number of pages.
A content management system (CMS) is re-
quired to provide an efficient, and control-
led, publishing process. A CMS will also
deliver many other ancillary benefits.
The technical requirements of many intran-
ets are not demanding, and a small-scale
commercial CMS may suffice. Alternatively,
an open-source CMS may provide a basis for
further in-house development.
Sixteen steps to a renewed corporate intranet • Page 5
© Copyright 2005, Step Two Designs Pty Ltd • www.steptwo.com.au
It is important to gather a comprehensive set
of content management requirements, by in-
volving all stakeholders. This will allow you
to select a CMS that meets your short- and
long-term business goals.
Implementing the CMS is, in some ways, the
easiest of the activities. Work with the ven-
dor, develop, test and deploy the new con-
tent management system.
Good project management principles should
be followed throughout the development ac-
tivities. If issues arise, these should be ad-
dressed with all stakeholders.
Further information
The process for selecting a CMS is covered
in the whitepaper “How to evaluate a content
management system”. The “Content Man-
agement Requirements Toolkit” also provides
a comprehensive list of pre-generated re-
quirements, which reduces the time needed
to prepare your CMS tender.
Ensure staff understand the
benefits of a consistent intranet
Step 12: Create an intranet style guide
Intranet consistency and quality is not a
product of the underlying technology, but
rather the training and support of the au-
thors.
To ensure that the intranet does not slide
into a state of disrepair, develop an intranet
style guide for authors, covering:
• usage of the standard page templates
• tips for good writing style
• guidelines for structuring pages
• linking conventions
• other support style guidelines
• the benefits for users of the consistent
style
This document should not be written in a
formal, proscriptive style. Instead, it should
endeavour to support the authors, and to
save them time.
Allocate time to train the authors in the use
of the style guide. Provide support, via
phone and e-mail. Over time, as the new
styles become standard practice, support re-
quirements will fall.

The majority of intranet content
is confusing, inaccurate or
misleading
Step 13: Rewrite key content
It is reasonable to assume that you have at
least a few large manuals on the intranet.
These typically cover policy and proce-
dures, or corporate governance.
These manuals form the core of the intranet,
yet are often the result of a quick conversion
from legacy paper documents.
As part of the broader content migration,
identify the most valuable information on
the intranet, including these manuals.
This information should invariably be re-
written and restructured, to delivery the best
business benefits. These pages must be:
• easy to read
• concise
• written to match the online medium
• comprehensive and up-to-date
• well structured
• extensively hypertext linked
Obtain the resources of at least one profes-
sional technical writer to assist in this re-
write. In most cases, you will need to devote
a team of writers to the task for several
months.
While this clearly involves considerable cost
and effort, the benefits delivered by this re-
write cannot be overstated.
More information
See the article “Losing sight of the content in
a content management system” for further
discussion of this issue.
Step 14: Migrate existing content
The content audit has produced a compre-
hensive list of all information stored on the
current intranet. This must now be mapped
to the new structure, and migrated into the
CMS.
It is important to approach this in a ‘ruthless’
way, as this will be the only opportunity to
comprehensively clean up the intranet con-
tent.
Sixteen steps to a renewed corporate intranet • Page 6
© Copyright 2005, Step Two Designs Pty Ltd • www.steptwo.com.au
Follow these rules when migrating content:
• Identify a content owner for each page.
• If an owner cannot be identified, do not
migrate the page (it is common for groups
not to accept responsibility).
• Ensure all pages are reviewed for
accuracy and relevance by the content
owners before migrating them.
• Conduct a brief editorial review to ensure
the information is understandable and
readable. If not, have the content
rewritten by the content owner.
While this process can be slow for a large in-
tranet, it provides an invaluable mechanism
for conducting a ‘spring clean’. If this is not
done, the new intranet will be crippled by
the inadequacies of the old content before it
even goes live.
Step 15: Promote the new intranet
Staff throughout the organisation should be
kept informed of ongoing progress. Then,
when the new intranet has been finalised,
organise a public launch. This must clearly
spell out the features provided by the new
intranet, and how these will benefit the us-
ers.
This launch should be supported by a com-
prehensive communication plan, outlining
the message, medium and timing of the pro-
motion.
The promotional activities must run in con-
junction with the training provided to au-
thors and end users.
At all times, follow the principle of ‘sober
selling’, also characterised as ‘under prom-
ise, and over deliver’. In this way, the pro-
motional activities become a valuable
communication exercise that builds trust in
the new intranet.
Effective update processes
ensure the intranet is
sustainable
Step 16: Establish new processes
The intranet must be kept up to date if it is
to build and retain the trust of staff. To
achieve this, sufficient resources must be al-
located to the update processes.
Put in place ‘triggers’, so that when a piece of
information changes, steps are automatical-
ly taken to update the intranet.
Note that these processes focus on people,
not technology. It is the staff within the or-
ganisation who must understand the reasons
for updating the intranet, and who must be
provided with the time needed to make
those changes.
The intranet is only truly a success when its
use is a standard part of daily activity,
whether accessing pages, or creating new
content.
Further information
See the article “Centralised or decentralised
authoring?” for a discussion regarding con-
tent creation strategies.
An effective intranet can be
created, within any budget
Working within a tight budget
While this process may seem somewhat
daunting, it is eminently possible to com-
plete the entire exercise within tight budget
constraints.
Depending on the nature of the organisa-
tions, it should be possible to complete indi-
vidual steps (such as the usability testing or
stakeholder interviews) within a few days
each.
Much of the work can be done internally by
the project team, with limited assistance
from external consultants.
More articles!
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Step Two DESIGNS
www.steptwo.com.au • contact@steptwo.com.au
knowledge management • content management • intranets
Sixteen steps to a renewed corporate intranet • Page 7
© Copyright 2005, Step Two Designs Pty Ltd • www.steptwo.com.au
To gain the greatest benefit within the avail-
able funds, it is important to focus on the
major issues, and ‘quick wins’.
For example, creating an attractive layout is
much less important that resolving the
handful of usability problems preventing
staff from finding information.
Similarly, when determining goals, look for
the key features which will bring staff to the
intranet on a regular basis. These are often
news or communication tools (such as dis-
cussion groups).
The aim is to build a momentum with the
new intranet. Once there is sustained use
and interest in the intranet, it becomes much
easier to find additional resources to contin-
ue expanding the features and content.
Conclusion
While the current intranet may be languish-
ing in a state of disrepair, the process for re-
newing it is both known, and achievable.
By following this sixteen step process, the
intranet can be made to deliver substantial
benefits, in support of overall business strat-
egy.
By putting in place effective content and
supporting processes, you can also ensure
that the intranet is sustainable over the long-
term.
Further resources
See James Robertson’s weblog (Column Two)
for further resources, including links to oth-
er articles, and detailed case studies on ap-
plying this approach in practice.
James’ weblog can be found at:
www.steptwo.com.au/columntwo/
Did you like this article?
Send your thoughts and feedback to:
jamesr@steptwo.com.au
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