Project Roadmap

Site Governance

A successful intranet relies on a business-supported governance model. The key to a good model is adequate resourcing and disseminating of ownership. Example of a Governance model:

The Intranet Owner should be appointed from top-level management. They should understand the importance of the intranet to the business and be prepared to set the agenda for the intranet over the long term, to align with wider business needs. They should be able to put the case for the intranet at the top management level, and be able to secure the budgets required for its successful ongoing operation. We recommend bi-annual meetings between the Intranet Owner and the Intranet Steering Committee to communicate top-level agendas.

The Intranet Steering Committee consists of the Intranet Manager and representatives from IT, Internal Communications and any other relevant business areas. They report bi-annually to the Intranet Owner and take the top-level agenda from the Intranet Owner, putting into place execution plans.

The Intranet Team, led by the Intranet Manager, consists of the various content owners, producers and communicators as required for the daily operation of the Intranet, and execution of any rolling activation plans.

Also included in this team are the Intranet champions, tasked with promoting local awareness and engagement with the Intranet. The Intranet team is responsible for responding to user queries and can escalate any issues to the Intranet Manager, who will raise it in turn with the Intranet Steering Committee. They will work closely with SMLWRLD in the event of technical issues, or if any operational, developmental, or productional assistance is required.

Key Resource - Intranet Manager

The intranet is an ongoing, continuous change project. The project does not stop at launch; instead, to ensure that it delivers a ‘better experience’ for employees, it must have focused resources (including staff time and budget).

With that in mind, an intranet requires dedicated resources, such as an intranet manager, to thrive. It is essential that an Intranet manager is assigned at the beginning of the project.

An Intranet Manager is responsible for the overall visual design, site navigation, site content, engagement and training of content managers, coordination with key stakeholders, and oversight of the technology.

This role usually sits within the Communications team of an organisation but should also have a strong connection to the Quality, Governance, and IT departments.

The following table is an example of primary responsibilities an Intranet Manager may have within an organisation. It can help your organisation understand the scope and breadth of the tasks (strategic and operational) needed to maintain and grow the intranet.

Intranet Manager – Primary Responsibilities

Content and data:The words on the intranet

  • Manage the homepage to maintain a proper balance of content and tools
  • Maintain an employee-led site navigation (information architecture)
  • Oversee authoring and proper use of online channels for official company news
  • Lead projects to improve sections of the intranet or deliver new tools through the intranet
  • Monitor user-generated content for appropriateness (titles and metadata including contacts, descriptions, categories)
  • Monitor site analytics and report on key performance indicators (KPIs)
  • Review search terms used by employees to assess missing content and inadequately labelled content
  • Monitoring and deletion of duplicate content
  • Policies and procedures – for content creation, page layouts, workflow and approval processes and home page governance.
  • Content – writing, creation, maintaining, auditing, reviewing, migration from other systems and meta data. Co-ordinate the update of content between many parties

Technology: The underlying hardware and software

  • Ensure proper coordination between the IT Department and intranet software vendors
  • Manage common administrative tasks in the intranet software

Engagement: Interaction with users and stakeholders

  • Coordinate the efforts of central content owners, including an annual review of articles and section pages
  • Support intranet group owners in maintaining active communities
  • Provide training and support to administrators
  • Involve users in structured feedback and planning activities
  • Conduct research on an annual basis to understand user needs around content, functionality, and navigation
  • Work closely with key stakeholders to understand their needs and involve them in planning and problem solving (including Communications, IT, HR, Risk and Legal, as well as executives and administrative employees)
  • Intranet usage – analysing site usage and trends, reviewing content and quality.
  • Needs analysis – conducting regular needs analysis sessions, evaluating usability, recommending, and implementing improvements