Work for a large-ish company, that has an intranet?

**bugjuice** · 6th March 2006, 15:25

then I need your help..

I've been given a mission to find out what improvements our company's intranet (not internet (external)) could get, by looking at what other companies use for their intranet.

if you could PM me, and I'll just fire over a couple of q's (basically good and bad things about your intranet etc), and shouldn't take more than a few minutes (depending on how fast you can type!).

I'd love to offer the world in exchange for your help, but that'd be quite hard.. chocolate fish..??

**Colapop** · 6th March 2006, 15:31

If you make it something not chocolate then you got a deal!

**bugjuice** · 6th March 2006, 15:34

beer..?? altho I'm not sure how well liquid fits into envelopes..

I've been asked to get 3 reports, but I'm happy to look at as many as poss (makes me look even better), and a couple of screen shots for examples of what works and what doesn't, if your company allows it..

cheers guys..

**Colapop** · 6th March 2006, 15:36

Not beer (I miss it so...) just your thanks will be enough...

Although I might ask you to keep your eyes peeled for a bike for me (once I got some more $$ - don't ask long story)

**bugjuice** · 6th March 2006, 15:37

can always do that mate..

**SPORK** · 6th March 2006, 15:49

At school the main problem is that it looks like complete shit... Plus it takes about 4 tries navigating through different badly named links to get to where you wanted to go to...

**Finn** · 6th March 2006, 16:09

Bugjuice, Look at your intranet as just a vehicle to expand and deliver your company information or knowledge base. Where most companies go wrong is they don't put a good framework around information. What you probably need is a Content Management solution that will take care of this for you. It will help you manage the companies asset (information) and if deployed correctly can have a significant impact on business processes which are typically very manual, even in todays world of technology. What I mean by this is that no matter how much money you chuck at more and more systems, information will become more difficult to manage. Companies need to focus on fusing people, processes and system together.

**HDTboy** · 6th March 2006, 16:16

We have it, but I rarely use it. I'll have a beer though

**Lazy7** · 6th March 2006, 16:37

we develop intranets as part of our business. done big and small.

its always the case when talking to people about what they want, that they ask for a whole bunch of "nice to haves" that they never ever use. And worse, these nice to haves start getting in the way of doing their job.

simplicity is the key. if it takes more time to use it than it saves you from using it then its wasted.

a lot of the time, the word "intergration" is the best way to look at what features will best serve your company... and depending on what your company does this can range from having a simple centralised address book that "intergrates" with outlook - as an example... to a full blown workflow system that "intergrates" with every persons part of the machine.

I'm reminded of a quote that says:
The biggest waste of time is trying to solve problems that you dont have.

**bugjuice** · 6th March 2006, 17:15

it's not that we're looking to build one, it's that I've been asked to find ways on how to improve what we have already, by looking at other companies and how they do it.

Years ago, the intranet started, and a select few were given FrontPage on their PCs and no guidelines. A few years ago, a product was built inhouse to create a new intranet. It wasn't brilliant, and lack of budget meant a lot of features weren't finished. Over the years, they've been pulled or added to, or fixed up, but it's just lacking an edge. It works, but only just, and only cos it has to.

By seeing how others do it, I can report back and say that 'this is a good thing to do..' etc..

I don't want any specifics on companies either. may be staff counts (rough guestimate would be fine), but nothing else. I can even share my findings if it'll help other companies too. Since I'm doing this, and others are sharing, I can share back with what I find..

**Lazy7** · 6th March 2006, 17:43

Originally Posted by bugjuice

it's not that we're looking to build one, it's that I've been asked to find ways on how to improve what we have already, by looking at other companies and how they do it.

Years ago, the intranet started, and a select few were given FrontPage on their PCs and no guidelines. A few years ago, a product was built inhouse to create a new intranet. It wasn't brilliant, and lack of budget meant a lot of features weren't finished. Over the years, they've been pulled or added to, or fixed up, but it's just lacking an edge. It works, but only just, and only cos it has to.

By seeing how others do it, I can report back and say that 'this is a good thing to do..' etc..

I don't want any specifics on companies either. may be staff counts (rough guestimate would be fine), but nothing else. I can even share my findings if it'll help other companies too. Since I'm doing this, and others are sharing, I can share back with what I find..

i dont want to sound like a rude bugger - but i would suggest that going to look at other companies and see how they do things to try and work out what new features your intranet needs is probably the wrong way to go about working out what to add.

we do it, but we develop intranets so we need a base product that is generic enough to suit.

but if your going looking for features to solve issues rather than issues you have and how to solve them - i think its a bit backwards.

**bugjuice** · 6th March 2006, 18:01

hey, if it were up to me, I wouldn't be asking, and I have tried to get out of doing it. I'm just a graphic designer, not a web developer.

But the boss wants it done. I don't get it done, I don't meet my KPI - ie bonus.. So a couple of pages spewing how crap our intranet is, and how good everyone else's is, is worth a couple of g's to me. And, if I get it done, I'll shout a beer or two, to whoever helps, when my bonus comes thru

**Lazy7** · 6th March 2006, 18:55

Originally Posted by bugjuice

hey, if it were up to me, I wouldn't be asking, and I have tried to get out of doing it. I'm just a graphic designer, not a web developer.

But the boss wants it done. I don't get it done, I don't meet my KPI - ie bonus.. So a couple of pages spewing how crap our intranet is, and how good everyone else's is, is worth a couple of g's to me. And, if I get it done, I'll shout a beer or two, to whoever helps, when my bonus comes thru

check this out then. top 10 intranets of 2006 with screen shots and detailed descriptions

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/intranet_design.html

**EZAS** · 6th March 2006, 19:59

OMG this is the best thread EVER.

On my second day here: maxnet.co.nz I was asked exactly the same thing. "Improve the layout of our intranet" its ugly and all over the place.

The only problem is, if everything is in scattered areas and I move them, know one will know where the hell they've gone.

Currently I'm working on this All you need for a connection to the internet + I'm trying to add more to the modems and routers section.

I've worked at Ihug (which has an AWESOME intranet), the layout is very very basic. Major headings at the top, sub headings appearing down the side. Its very simple and affective.