In an earlier blog, we introduced you to 12 key business processes that demonstrate the measurable value of using the intranet to improve business processes.
Some processes will resonate more with some organisations than others. However, many of the principles and features in one process can be applied across different or related processes.
Here is recap of the 12 processes:
1.Connecting people
2.Accessing organisational forms, templates and documents
3.Authoring, publishing and accessing content
4.Producing and managing an event
5.Managing projects
6.Replacing paper forms and email with data-driven flows
7.Facilitating learning and training
8.Managing HR processes
9.Onboarding new employees
10.Supporting the IT helpdesk and applications
11.Delivering customer service
12.Supporting continuous improvement
So far we have covered in detail: connecting people and accessing forms; and templates and documents. In this blog we take an in-depth look at managing projects and facilitating training, both critical to organisational growth and efficiency, and both effective in increasing engagement when delivered via your intranet.
We have also published a workbook that covers all 12 and comes with a spreadsheet checklist of each process, benefit and capabilities with a column for your own notes and to record your date of implementation. You can also use this to audit which of the processes you already have in place, your ideas to improve them and set priorities for new processes you would like to introduce. Click here to download your copy.
Managing Projects
Organisations rely on successful intranet project management for both internal and external initiatives. Smoothly run projects make all the difference to excellent client service and internal transformation. A poorly run project can have a major negative impact.
Good project management relies on great team communication and the ability to access up-to-date information. This is where utilising the intranet as a business tool shines. Having a dedicated project team workspace where real-time updates can be posted and which provides clarity on everybody’s activities maximises efficiency and reduces mistakes.
A project team workspace is far more efficient than using email and file shares, which can lead to confusion and frustration.
If necessary, a team workspace can keep information secure to only the core team members, but it can also facilitate interaction with wider groups, for example seeking feedback from a wider community of employees.
Northcott, one of Australia’s largest not-for-profit disability service organisations, built an intranet with a team workspace for their Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) team.
The ECEI team works in centres away from head office and workspaces gives them a dedicated area to collaborate. It features relevant policies and procedures, a calendar, key contacts, tools, related resources and a forum to share and request information from each other.
Key metrics such as the number of children seen and plans completed, are also prominently displayed on the page to highlight the positive work the team have done.
How the intranet helps
- Providing a secure project workspace to focus and simplify team communication and coordination
- Accessing the latest version of project documents in a secure library
- Tracking progress with a timeline of major milestones and associated tasks
- Distributing project templates and methodology documents in a more efficient way than email
- Build skilled project teams and allowing team members to share ideas and insights
- Helping team members engage and collaborate so they get to know each other better, building stronger team dynamics
- Building a record of the project for reference, compliance and archiving purposes
- Interacting with a wider community of employees for feedback on wider projects
Benefits
- Delivers efficiencies over using email and too many meetings
- Minimises risk because all team members see the same workspace, comments and latest versions of documents
- Drives smoother real-time communication
- Improves compliance with key project management and organisational processes
- Drives openness, transparency and accountability among team members
- Results in engaged and coordinated teams
- Crowdsources feedback for wider input into a project
Example use cases
- Manage a major client assignment
- Coordinate on a bid for a major client
- Roll out a new IT system
- Derive company values with feedback from employees
Intranet capabilities used
- Team workspace
- Document libraries and lists
- Project tasks and tracker
- Social tools: blogs, wikis and discussion threads
- Document manager
- Social Q&A
Facilitating Learning and Training
A
successful intranet improves the delivery of training and learning within organisations. Often training is managed and accessed via a Learning Management System (LMS), but a typical LMS has a poor user experience which turns learning into a dreary and frustrating exercise.
An intranet integrated with or delivering LMS capability can deliver a far more attractive user experience where employees can search for and access the learning content they really need across different devices. Intranets put learning back into the hands of the employee and make it an activity people want to do rather than have to do.
For more information, discover Elcom for learning management
Intranets also support learning by distributing relevant content, including videos, organising and managing learning events and including information about learning.
The intranet can also play a more fundamental role.
Only around 10% of employee learning comes from formal training, with the rest coming from on-the-job experience and more informal scenarios. A social intranet is fantastic at facilitating connections and conversations that drive community-powered informal learning and support new role-based work experiences.
How the intranet helps
- Integrating a Learning Management System (or providing built-in LMS capabilities)
- Allowing employees to browse courses and view learning paths
- Accessing a variety of learning materials including video and interactive quizzes
- Organising training material into logical courses, modules and an entire curriculum
- Ensuring the completion of mandatory learning, for example compliance training
- Tracking learning progress for each individual, team managers and training administrators
- Running and publicising individual learning events
- Spreading informal and social learning through connections to experts and communities
- Getting feedback about training from employees
- Reporting relating to learning and training
Benefits
- Delivers learning in a far more user-friendly format than a traditional LMS
- Makes courses and learning content easily findable
- Administers training and related events more easily, saving time and costs
- Brings formal, informal and on-the-job learning into one place
- Allows a better flow of data for tracking progress, general reporting and getting feedback through intranet governance best practices
Example use cases
- Browse a particular course
- See individual progress on course
- Take mandatory compliance training
- Access specialist knowledge and experts to complement a course
- View team progress on completing a course
- Advertise a learning event
- Get attendees to rate a course
Intranet capabilities used
- Learning Management System
- Training manager
- Events manager
- Events calendar
- Search
- Content organiser
- Social tools: blogs, wikis and discussion threads
- Social Q&A
- Surveys and polls
Utilising the intranet as a business tool can transform the platform into a productivity machine and alleviate many frustrations caused by repetitive mundane processes. Automating certain functions via intranet processes can reduce risk and inefficiencies, while simultaneously supporting the need for compliance and governance.
Check out our final blog post in this series, which explores the features on your intranet that can manage HR processes and support the IT helpdesk.
Related resources:
