Chapter 35
Creating Real-World Applications
CONTENTS
The key to effective intranet usage is practical application.
Intranet value is a function of utility, not of bells and whistles.
To capture the value of the intranet, an organization must focus
on specific needs, conduct in-depth research, and consider organizational
values and requirements just as it would before making any other
significant change or addition-such as moving its corporate headquarters,
changing its internal structure, or completely revamping its mission
and vision.
An organization wants to build an intranet that reflects its real
world and that can be assimilated into its real world as an effective
tool. This medium offers a range of opportunity for effecting
positive change, because it encourages new ways of interacting
within the organization. It can rid barriers, expedite communication,
and link users who are geographically removed. The challenge of
the intranet is to strike a balance: to work within the real world
without foreclosing opportunities for innovation.
Creating real-world applications begins with defining the real
world-in this case, the organization that is considering building
an intranet. A clear understanding of the organization's strengths,
weaknesses, goals, and resources, and of the context in which
it does business, provides an essential foundation. Such an understanding
keeps the intranet development process focused and grounded and
helps ensure that the result properly reflects the sponsor's character
and requirements-in other words, that the intranet does what it
is intended to do.
This chapter discusses the process of defining organizational
requirements and preferences as they relate to a range of intranet
capabilities, which are discussed in further detail in Chapters
36 through 46.
Like any other significant initiative, constructing an intranet
requires front-end analysis and planning and extensive involvement
of the user. Too often, organizations fall in love with a technological
capability without giving adequate thought to how it furthers
a business objective, what its impact is likely to be, and how
to manage the implementation process. As a result, such organizations
might end up with a system that doesn't meet their needs or one
that doesn't maximize the benefits of intranet capabilities. In
the process, organizations also can waste time and money.
Therefore, discipline in the preliminary stages pays off in efficiency
and user satisfaction. This involves assessing the needs and setting
the goals that the intranet will be designed to address and achieve.
At the most basic level, an organization should define:
- Where-and what-it is today
- Where-and what-it wants to be
- How an intranet can help it get there
A lot of these macro decisions must be made at a high level of
the organization by people who understand and recognize the potential
of the strategic impact. The manager of information systems probably
doesn't have a good overall grasp of the company and therefore
is probably not the person with the authority to make these macro,
long-term decisions.
An intranet needs assessment should encompass three levels of
inquiry:
- Broad organizational priorities
- Specific internal communications needs
- Technical capacity and requirements
Defining priorities often involves an organization's strategic
planning process. For organizations that do not have a formal
strategic planning function, intranet design can provide a focal
point for this activity and, in fact, can be used to jump-start
it. This process alone is a very helpful one because it begins
to bring people in with the focus-the medium is the message. Getting
employees' input and getting employees involved in understanding
users' needs lays the groundwork for effective usage.
Because some organization offices and staffers do not talk to
each other daily, the intranet provides a focal point for getting
those discussions started. As the site is launched, it offers
an opportunity to maintain this newly established communication.
The organization's priorities are the management specifications
for which you are designing the intranet. You want an intranet
that achieves the goals of the employees who will be utilizing
it. Broad priorities include competitive, cultural, or philosophical
issues that affect the entire company and that are often expressed
as goals. For example:
- "We need to become more customer-oriented."
- "We need to instill safety-consciousness
at every level of our company."
- "We need to encourage and reward
innovation."
- "We need to attract and retain name-brand
R&D talent."
- "We need to flatten and simplify
our organization."
- "We need to get our products out
faster."
- "We need to manage growth."
- "We need to get a better handle on
our financial goals."
- "We need to share a common vision."
After priorities have been defined, the next step is to identify
barriers to the goals and possible solutions to the barriers.
Obviously, achieving complex goals requires multifaceted efforts,
and an intranet isn't the silver bullet. Each of these examples,
however, suggests a potential shift in how business gets conducted
and in how people interact-and internal communications has a role
to play. Defining that role takes the intranet needs assessment
to the next level.
Virtually every analysis of barriers to organizational goals yields
some discussion of information exchange. The underlying problem
might be timeliness, content, or access, and the issue might be
mechanical, structural, or philosophical. Some organizations (for
example, within the defense industry) have traditionally operated
strictly on a "need to know" basis and are only now
beginning to expand their internal communications channels. In
other organizations, such as high-tech companies enjoying rapid
growth, the challenge is very different; last year's hallway meetings
are no longer adequate now that there are five regional offices
in three time zones.
On the principle that knowledge is indeed power, organizations
that seek to empower their employees (or members) do so in part
by disseminating information and providing meaningful channels
for response and feedback. For these kinds of organizations, a
highly interactive intranet can provide an ideal forum.
Take the example of a trade association. The association is responsible
for collecting information, processing it, and disseminating it
to their members. By creating a dynamic site that allows users
not only to view information, but also to update it and add new
content, the value of the intranet increases for the members,
and the cost savings increase for the association. Let's say that
one of the functions of the association is to collect news items
and share them with the members. By allowing users to add news
items in an interactive way, the intranet becomes a useful real-time
tool and is expanded through the efforts of employees who add
their own information.
Another example is an intranet for a sales force. It might be
essential that inventory information be completely up-to-date
all the time. In this situation, both the company and the individual
salespeople can keep inventory updated if the salespeople can
input their sales information as soon as they have it.
On the other hand, companies that, for whatever reason, stringently
control information flow will likely design a very different sort
of intranet, intended primarily to display the results of a deliberation
(for example, a corporate policy) rather than to elicit participation
in it.
The internal communications dimension should be addressed as part
of a needs assessment process, and the organization should define
specific gaps and rank them by priority. For example:
- "Our sales force doesn't get new
product specs on time."
- "Our divisional R&D people should
be talking to each other."
- "The finance department needs monthly
budget and head-count reports."
- "Our regional managers should get
together more often."
- "We have to speed up our orientation
program for new employees."
- "The grapevine is a lot faster than
Corporate Communications."
- "Our environmental people need to
stay on top of state regulations."
- "Our facility managers need guidance
from the law department."
- "We really should get more input
from the field on these new procedures."
Although no intranet can effectively address every item on a wish
list, compiling such a list provides a clear sense of the high-priority
gaps that system design must address.
No intranet can be designed in a technological vacuum. The third
level of needs assessment therefore evaluates the technical underpinnings
that already exist in terms of their adaptability to intranet
applications. Undertaking such an evaluation early in the process
helps avoid costly mistakes and helps suggest solutions that leverage
existing investments in technology.
While establishing broad priorities, the organization also must
establish what the technical realities currently are and how the
intranet can fit in with them. For example, if the goal is to
bring people together from different geographic offices for video-conferencing
and the headquarters has excellent technological capabilities
but the field locations don't, the intranet won't fulfill the
goal unless the organization is willing to upgrade the technology
in the field offices.
Don't aim for the lowest common denominator in the technical requirements;
aim for an average one. If it's a matter of upgrading only 2 of
40 offices to meet the technical requirements for an application,
the upgrade is worth investing in.
If video-conferencing is a priority but some users work from their
homes and have only 14.4 Kbps modems, those users need to be upgraded
to faster, direct connections, such as ISDN, frame-relay, or cable-or
the organization should reevaluate its needs and the importance
of video-conferencing.
This again comes back to organizational priorities. Is the intranet
supposed to enhance what people do in their individual functions
or bring people together?
If you're trying to automate things for the marketing team, it's
OK to supply the technical capability for only this team. But
if the intranet priority is focused on R&D and the marketing
members work closely with R&D on trends, the R&D team
needs the same technical capacity as the marketing team.
A thorough review of current resident technology provides the
basis for means testing for various intranet capabilities before
they are incorporated into the intranet's design, as shown in
Figure 35.1. For example, if most people in an organization don't
have video cards or if they work on 10-year-old 386 PCs, it makes
no sense to design an elaborate video-conferencing function.
Figure 35.1: Matching workstation capabilities with
intranet applications.
A needs assessment is the discipline applied to understanding
the context from which an intranet can add value. It requires
compiling and analyzing available information on organizational
needs, technical capacity, and intended usage.
Intranets, at their most powerful, are user-driven. For this reason,
experience shows that involving potential users early in the development
process produces better results. The intranet is intended to be
used by people inside the organization, so employees must be involved
in the front-end design and the decision process; otherwise, they
will not use it. Just as product-related research and development
increasingly engages customer participation, so should intranet
developers engage prospective "customers" for their
"product" from the beginning.
After the priorities are established, you need to decide who your
intranet will affect. This is the user universe, the people who
are going to use your intranet. The group might comprise every
employee, every member of a trade association, the heads of trade
groups, upper management, or any other segment that makes sense
for your organization. These people should be involved in the
decision process with the priorities in mind.
Here, the difference between the Internet and the intranet becomes
important. The Internet can be an anonymous corporate presence
that's established without involving many users. But the intranet
belongs to the organization and the user universe. Those in the
user universe have to feel ownership and must feel that the intranet
is accomplishing their needs; otherwise, the intranet won't function
optimally. An intranet has individual ownership. It is private;
it is "our" office. Within that office can be many different
conference rooms, some labeled by profession, some labeled by
task, others labeled by other distinguishing common agendas. Depending
on how the intranet is organized, users within an organization
can have individual identities, making the presence of user "buy-in"
vital.
Assume that Kristi is a scientist at the High Times Coffee Company.
She has her user name and she has her own password. At High Times,
a goal in establishing the intranet is for top executives and
the public relations team to be aware of the latest developments
in bean roasting. As Kristi works on the intranet, she leaves
footprints. Those who have access can stay up-to-date on the very
latest developments. The top executives benefit from being "in
the know," as they should be, despite the demands of their
positions, and the public relations team is armed with the latest
news-good, bad, or otherwise.
The sponsoring organization should involve the user universe by
soliciting user input during the needs assessment phase. Doing
so achieves two goals: supplementing, validating, or challenging
project management's understanding of what is needed, and initiating
the process of gaining the user buy-in that will be critical to
successful implementation. Because a goal of the intranet is to
effect change inside an organization, the user must be involved.
User research can take many forms. Two of the most common and
useful are surveys and focus groups. Depending on the size of
the user universe, surveys can be conducted in person, by telephone,
through electronic mail, or on the Web-or in some combination
of these methods.
User surveys, like the needs assessment framework discussed previously,
should be structured to elicit three levels of information: general
needs, specific requirements, and technical capacity. Surveys
also should define the user group's familiarity and competence
with computer technology, which must be factored into any questions
of system design.
To reach a broad group of potential user universe, a paper survey
might be the best form. If you want to see who is capable of using
the survey, it is better to carry it out on the Web or through
e-mail.
At the end of this chapter is an example of a user survey designed
to be administered in person, including multiple-choice, yes/no,
and open-ended questions.
Also consider focus groups, because these take user research to
a deeper level and probe for underlying opinions and attitudes.
Properly facilitated and with appropriate participants, an internal
focus group on intranets can do double duty as a brainstorming
session that can yield extremely useful insights and ideas.
Before launching a new intranet or adding significant new functions
to an existing one, many organizations select a small group of
users to participate in beta testing. This method can be highly
effective and can greatly improve the intranet's functionality
while helping to generate users' enthusiasm and sense of investment.
User input at the beta level is important because it offers a
reality check to the intranet. Beta is the second letter in the
Greek alphabet, and beta testing is, in essence, the second test.
After the programmers and designers think that they have a functioning
prototype (the first test), they open an application, program,
or system to a limited group of pilot users-or beta testers-to
see how well the prototype really works. The beta test is interactive;
it tests both technical capacity and user interface, which are
equally important at the beta level.
The beta testing should be conducted when the intranet is still
open to changes and modifications. Feedback and analysis from
users will result in another series of improvements and enhancements
in the features and functions-the interface-of the intranet. This
beta testing allows the organization to find out what the intranet
is currently doing compared to the organizational expectations
for its design. It tests whether the intranet had the desired
effect. It exposes needs that weren't anticipated at the beginning,
because users will change the way they do things with a new system
or technology, and additional, unplanned-for needs are sure to
surface.
At this point, the organization will want to note what changes
to make to ensure that the intranet is in line with expectations
and user suggestions. Adjustments are made accordingly before
the software in question goes into production use.
Beta testing might reveal interesting, and often not-thought-of,
results. For example, a business might want to provide an intranet
to achieve better communication between accounts payable and vendors.
After beta testing, the business might discover that instead of
using the intranet to improve factual exchange of information
and follow-up, users were using the intranet only as a cyber water
cooler to swap jokes.
In another case, one priority of the intranet might be to bring
20 news and information sources together in a manageable format
so that information is easily retrievable in an organized manner.
The beta group might easily access the 20 sources with the intranet
but might find there are 20 more news sources they want the finished
intranet to include.
Beta testing is best conducted as a hands-on interactive group
session, with no more than 15 user-participants. Part training,
part focus group, these sessions should be led by an intranet
project manager, with adequate programming support to enable on-the-spot
modifications.
The specific selection of beta testers varies, depending on the
individual organization and the priorities established for the
intranet. It is generally useful, however, to choose pilot users
who fulfill these requirements:
- Represent a cross-section of the user
universe
- Have a relatively high level of technical
competency
- Actively support the overall project
If a priority of the intranet is to flatten the hierarchical nature
of the organization, the beta group should have members from every
level represented. In general, the techno-experts should not be
included in the beta group.
Aiming for a cross-section of users is primarily to ensure a "functional"
cross-section (that is, ensuring that people from different parts
of the organization, at differing levels of seniority, and so
on are included in the user group). The "relatively high
level of technical competency" issue means you want to be
sure they know enough and have the right equipment to actually
participate in the beta test. Of course, if 95 percent of the
people in your organization have never logged on to the Internet
before, the whole beta group should be skewed downward in terms
of technical competency. On the other hand, if everyone is a UNIX
wizard except for the one mailroom clerk, the technical competency
level among the beta group should be skewed upward.
If you are interested in participating as a pilot user in the
development of the intranet, please complete the following survey:
CONTACT INFORMATION
Name:
Title:
Organization:
Mailing Address:
City:
State:
Country:
Postal Code:
Telephone:
Fax:
AREAS OF ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
- Circle the choice that best describes your areas of responsibility
in your organization:
Scientific/Technical/Engineering
Marketing/Sales
Legal/Regulatory
MIS
Corporate/Managerial
Accounting/Financial
Communications/Public Affairs
Operations/Production
Other
- Circle the choice that best describes your primary work location:
Production/Manufacturing facility
Research & Development facility
Corporate headquarters
Association headquarters
Other facility work patterns
- Circle the choice that best describes the frequency with which
you personally use a personal computer:
Frequently throughout the day
At least once a day
Almost every day
Weekly
Occasionally
Rarely
- Circle the choice that best describes the frequency with which
one or more support staff members who report directly to you use
a personal computer:
Frequently throughout the day
At least once a day
Almost every day
Weekly
Occasionally
Rarely
- Circle the choice that best describes the frequency with which
your work requires you to travel:
Almost every day
Weekly
Monthly
Quarterly
Rarely
- Circle the choice that best describes the frequency with which
your work requires you to meet with, telephone, fax, or otherwise
contact individuals who work at other locations within your organization:
Frequently throughout the day
At least once every day
Almost every day
Weekly
Occasionall
Rarely
- Circle the choice that best describes the frequency with which
your work requires you to meet with, telephone, fax, or otherwise
contact individuals who work within your industry, but outside
of your own organization:
Frequently throughout the day
At least once every day
Almost every day
Weekly
Occasionally
Rarely
- ArSe you comfortable working in English?
Yes
No
- Next to each of the potential features of the intranet listed
below, indicate the degree to which you would find each of them
useful in the course of your work (1 = Very useful, 2 = Somewhat
useful, 3 = Not at all useful):
Access to a database of scientific and technical information relevant
to our industry:
1 2 3
Access to a database of news and public affairs information relevant
to our industry:
1 2 3
Access to a database of financial information relevant to our
industry:
1 2 3
The ability to navigate quickly and easily to other, nonproprietary
Internet-based information relevant to our industry:
1 2 3
The ability to exchange e-mail with colleagues in like member
organizations:
1 2 3
The ability to exchange formatted documents with colleagues in
other like member organizations:
1 2 3
The ability to post and read public messages regarding developments
in our industry:
1 2 3
The ability to collaborate with colleagues in similar member organizations
online, in real time:
1 2 3
A central scheduling calendar of relevant industry meetings and
events:
1 2 3
Other:
1 2 3
COMPUTER RESOURCES
- Do you have routine access to a personal computer?
Yes
No
- The personal computer you most frequently use is:
A PC
A Macintosh
Other __________________
- The personal computer you use most frequently has:
A single-user modem
Dial-out capability through LAN, WAN, or some other network
No dial-out capability
- If you use a laptop or another portable computer, is it:
A PC
A Macintosh
Other
Don't use a portable
- If you use a laptop or another portable computer, does it
have:
A single-user modem
No dial-out capability
- If you have one or more e-mail accounts, please provide them:
Primary e-mail address:
Secondary e-mail address:
- Circle each of the following services to which you have access:
America OnLine
Prodigy
CompuServe
Internet
SLIP/PPP
Other
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
- If you use a personal computer with a high-speed modem, color
graphics, at least 8 megabytes of RAM, and a 486 or better processor
(PC) or System 7.1 or higher (Macintosh), you will be able to
participate in the pilot user group without making any significant
enhancements or upgrades to your system.
If you use a personal computer that doesn't have the features
listed above, you will need to make enhancements and upgrades
that cost between approximately $250 and $1,000 U.S. dollars.
If you do not have access to a personal computer, you will need
to purchase and configure equipment that costs between approximately
$2,000 and $3,500 U.S. dollars.
- Based on this information, circle the appropriate choice below:
The personal computer I use meets system requirements, and no
significant upgrades or enhancements are required.
I am willing and able, either personally or through my organization,
to procure the system I need. I will get technical assistance
through my organization.
I am willing and able, either personally or through my organization,
to procure the system I need, but I request technical assistance
from the intranet development team.
Thank you for completing this survey.
By now you should be convinced that the most important person
to consider when creating real-world applications is the user.
The organization that from the onset includes the user in the
decision-making process and testing ultimately will get the most
from its intranet. Don't leave out the all-important and often-revealing
needs assessment. The results will put you in step with the organization's
priorities, internal communications network, and technical capacity,
leaving you with the most appropriate blueprint for your intranet.
When the time arrives to make application decisions for your intranet,
fully explore three key questions-What does the intranet as a
medium offer? What does my organization need? and What is the
mix between the medium and the organization's needs?-and your
intranet will begin to build itself.
The next 11 chapters further examine the specific core functions
offered with intranets.
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