Vibrant MCSE BOOT Camp Notes :

Setting Intranet Goals

As suggested earlier, goals for an intranet may be modest or ambitious, highly specific or very broad. Regardless of what the goals may be, what's important is that they be defined-clearly and in advance. As with any other major initiative, the sponsoring organization should ask itself some very basic questions before embarking on establishing an intranet:

• What do we want to accomplish? This is goal-setting at its most basic, and it helps establish a target and a focus for developing the intranet.
• Why do we want to accomplish it? In effect, this is the devil's advocate question, forcing the organization to consider the intranet in the context of its overall business strategy. (Hint: "Because the other guy is doing it" is not an acceptable answer.)
• How do we expect to accomplish our goal? This question helps establish a framework for project planning, including leadership assignments, technical specifications, resource requirements, a timetable, and staffing patterns.
• What will it cost? A true picture of intranet costs should include estimates of both short-term outlay and expected savings over time.
• How will we monitor progress? Intranets tend to evolve over time, and it is essential to build in mechanisms for determining progress against expectations.
• How will we determine success? As with any other initiative, intranet effectiveness is ultimately determined through cost/benefit analysis.

At a more specific level, the sponsoring organization needs to define the following criteria as well:

• Who are the intended users of the intranet? The universe of potential users can be as broad or as narrow as the organization requires. It may be defined as "every company employee," for example, or "all department heads." The user universe can also be defined along unconventional lines, such as "the mayors of all of our plant communities," as an effort to create new alliances.
• How do we expect our target audience to use the intranet? User interaction with an intranet will vary considerably, depending on the site's functions and the user's needs. For each user group, the organization should define specific utility and benefit to help assure design of a site that meets the needs and expectations of each group. For example, middle managers may find the greatest utility in a cross-platform messaging function, while sales reps may find a central archive most useful.
• What does the audience need in order to use it? Having defined who will use the intranet for what purposes, the next step is to assess what's already in place in terms of computer capacity, connectivity, and resident expertise. In some cases, for example, a given user group may require extensive basic training, while for others, all that's needed is connectivity and a simple user manual.

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