Remove old ways of working

Old habits die hard, so wherever possible, remove the old ways of working. If employees are used to storing documents on a shared drive instead of uploading them to a document management system on your intranet, that is what they will continue to do as long as they are technically able to do so.
Examples of tasks that an intranet may 'replace':

• Room bookings

• Claiming expenses

• Completing 'return to work' information

• Completing a time sheet

• Storing documents to a shared drive

• Storing and looking up contact details (this could be internal or external contacts)

• Newsletters

• Completion of internal training modules

• Logging IT helpdesk requests

• Completing a purchase order

• Book annual leave

Action point – Identify what employees can do offline, as well as via the intranet. Think about what would happen if the off-line option was removed. Talk to your senior management team about removing these old ways of working and make sure it is factored in to your project plan.

Back to series index: How to build an intranet

The impact of an intranet on cultural change

Back to the series index: How to build an intranet

Developing an intranet is not just about implementing a software solution - it is also probably going to involve asking people to work differently. You might for example, be asking them to complete tasks via an intranet that they have previously done off-line, or that they have not previously done at all.

User adoption of your new intranet will depend on buy-in and belief that the system helps employees to do their job more efficiently and effectively than the old ways of working.

Action point – Involve your HR and Communications teams – ideally from the start of the project. They should be taking a lead in helping employees make the cultural shifts that the new intranet will bring – be it through effective internal communications, or the provision of training.

Action point – If training is required, make sure there is time and finance allocated for this when considering resource implications.

Next article in series - Content credibility