Continuous Improvements: The Key to Intranet Success

A structured intranet implementation guide that includes continuous improvement practices is essential to keep your intranet aligned with evolving business needs. While this may seem daunting, a structured and strategic approach can make it manageable.

This article provides a 10-step guide to a more successful intranet via continuous improvements. To dive deeper into this topic, sign up for our popular webinar: How to Implement a Successful Intranet in Microsoft 365. Or download this document: The Step-by-Step Guide to Intranet Success.  

Before diving into improvements, it’s vital to have a clear intranet strategy and vision. Understand why your intranet is necessary, what it should achieve, and how it aligns with your organization’s goals. Document this vision, including long-term objectives, and share it with relevant stakeholders, including the intranet governance team, to ensure alignment. Include this strategic foundation as the first step in your intranet implementation plan.

Creating overly detailed specifications may seem like a good idea, but it often isn’t necessary. Instead, rely on established intranet products and platforms that have proven successful over the years. If these solutions work for others, they’ll likely work for you, too. Avoiding overly complex specifications supports a streamlined intranet implementation and makes future intranet improvements easier to execute.

It’s better to launch a workable solution after a 3-4 month project than to spend a year on a comprehensive solution that might become outdated by launch. Business needs change, and an extensive project can lead to a solution that no longer fits. Prioritize launching a solution that meets current needs and allows for future improvements.

Pro tip: If you want to see hands-on intranet examples, download this free guide: 15 Intranet Best Practices.

Forming a governance team is a critical part of any effective intranet implementation guide. This team should include representatives from various departments and levels to ensure that all requirements are understood and that decisions align with your overall strategy. Focus the team on driving user adoption and making continuous improvements, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.

Establish clear, measurable targets linked to your intranet's strategy and vision. Ensure these targets are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Regularly monitor progress toward these targets using analytics tools, and share updates with your governance team. Key aspects to evaluate include usage, reach, user behavior, and content status. Monitoring usage and performance ensures intranet improvements are based on real user data.

Image 1: Monitoring usage statistics and progress in the Governance hub.

After monitoring progress, evaluate the results and compare them to your targets. This analysis will help you identify strengths and areas needing improvement. Use this information to prioritize enhancements based on their potential impact and alignment with your intranet strategy. This evaluation is key to driving continuous intranet improvements aligned with your goals.

Image 2: Comparing news article reach compared to targets

Feedback loops are essential for user-driven intranet improvements and sustaining implementation momentum. Implement a feedback channel—like a suggestion box or survey—to gather insights on what they value, what they dislike, and what changes they’d like to see. 

Image 3: End-user providing feedback on a business document.

Prioritizing intranet improvements based on impact ensures your efforts stay focused and aligned. Collaborate with the intranet governance team to consider the resources needed for implementation.

A clear roadmap for intranet improvements supports your long-term intranet implementation strategy. Ensure this roadmap aligns with your strategy and incorporates user feedback. Share it with your governance team and publish a high-level version on the intranet so end-users can stay informed about upcoming changes.

An effective adoption strategy ensures users embrace updates—critical to sustaining intranet improvements. When new capabilities are introduced, actively encourage user adoption through training, communication, and incentives, like recognition or rewards. Monitor usage of new features and gather feedback to ensure they meet user needs.

Instead of waiting for a major relaunch, follow this intranet implementation guide and focus on continuous intranet improvements to drive long-term success.

If you stop adapting your solution to meet evolving business needs, it risks becoming obsolete. By following the advice above, you can significantly enhance your intranet's effectiveness. Please also check out this document for more hands-on help: The Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving Intranet Success.

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