That an intranet needs to contribute to the results of the organization is clear. How to build an intranet that does this in an often-turbulent environment is far less obvious. This article looks at the obstacles and suggests a method and tool for overcoming them. 

An intranet is like an irrigation system that waters the crops in the field. Through a series of canals, pumps, pipes and sprinklers, water—or, in this case, content—is distributed according to the needs of the different crops. The system works if we can see the crop grow. The contribution of an intranet may not be as easily measurable, but improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization are nevertheless the targeted outcomes.

An irrigation system without water is as useless as an intranet without relevant content. Some sources of content are within the organization, but others lie outside the boundaries of the organization. Content relevance points to the source as well as to the ultimate receiver—in other words, from the well to the plant. The wells of relevant content are somewhere in the marketplace (competitive information, emerging technology trends, changing customer needs, etc.). Content moves from these wells through the canals of organizational strategy and tactics to the pipelines of the different business units until a sprinkler makes the content relevant to the person performing a particular task. The route from source to task is often long and difficult to manage. One of the toughest challenges for the intranet professional (IP) is to get this flow right. 

We see two significant difficulties in determining the flow of relevant knowledge:

1. Finding trustworthy sources for establishing what content is and is not relevant. Examining corporate strategy statements does not necessarily provide dependable answers. In almost all organizations there is a gap between what is officially stated as a goal and what actually goes on. That helps the organization be flexible, but it makes the IP's work more difficult. 

2. Integrating corporate and individual knowledge needs. Asking individuals to describe their particular needs may not yield information that is relevant to the goals of the organization. This is not unusual because it is a rare organization where corporate, functional, and individual goals are perfectly aligned. 
 

[Complete article available in print] 
 

 

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