Strategy is Imperative for Intranets and Websites

The strategic plan for the intranet helps manage the initiative to ensure that priority is given to items that will have the most impact for staff and the organization. Therefore, if something (either functionality or content) is seen to have value to the employee in saving them time (a measurable goal) then it should be given priority. Also, a strategic plan not only helps prioritize items for the first few phases but provides insight and direction on how the site can grow and what those implications are (this would indicate the degree of collaboration seen as important and how fast that needs to be fulfilled).

Any requirements gathered are a wish list. Certainly there are some obvious priorities both in terms of what wasis mentioned frequently (typically search and staff directory) as well as what the IT can feasibly rollout in the first two phases. But how will content priorities be determined? They must be aligned with the organization’s goals and the intranet’s goals so that employees can be assured of getting the information they need (and not just what they want or like to have).

In order to ensure that the site doesn’t just become a document dumping ground, goals must be in place so all employees understand what the intranet is there to do for them.

• The functional plan can’t be completed until the strategy is completed otherwise all the decisions will be based on what is easiest for IT and not what the intranet needs to achieve for all employees.
• The governance plan can’t be completed until the strategy provides clear goals –even as simple as “content will be kept up-to-date”; otherwise there can be no guideline.
• That is the same for the content management plan – until there are goals in the strategy it will be hard to determine what content is mandatory for the home page and the secondary pages and what will need RSS etc.
• And the IA is also directly related to the strategy, even again another simple goal that “the content must be easy to access within three clicks”, will impact how the IA is structured – so if a few employees say they want a separate navigation or site, if it doesn’t meet the goals of the intranet it doesn’t happen. (That is not to say that they wouldn’t get something but just because one group of employees has a focus doesn’t mean it is right for all employees and it can be managed to help the group achieve their goals while not impeding other employees from theirs).

People will start asking for everything. The strategy is a clear, intelligent way of telling employees what direction the organization is taking and what the intranet is being used for.
A strategy is invaluable. It doesn’t matter whether for a profit or not for profit. Every organization needs to work efficiently and effectively. A strategy helps ensure that the right decisions are being made for the intranet (or website) at every phase.