A common issue on any kind of project is people thinking they know what they want rather than knowing what they really need.  “Don’t Ask Staff What Features They Want on a New SharePoint Intranet” advises against the traditional technology-centric approach when talking to stakeholders about a planned deployment and instead proposes a five-point plan for determining SharePoint intranet functionality.

First, conduct an intranet needs analysis to determine staff needs.  Then, uncover how SharePoint can allow for new ways of working through scenarios, case studies, stories, and examples.  Third, get everyone on the same page by making sure all stakeholders have the same definitions and priorities.  Fourth, learn what works from what other organizations have done before.  Finally, start with a simple and easy to navigate intranet and only add what is needed as the organization becomes familiar with the system.

There is always time to work out what to deliver before implementation starts. Even a few days or weeks spent uncovering business and staff needs will save months of deployment work, ensuring that the new intranet hits the mark.

One way in which your new SharePoint intranet may fall short of the mark is with out of the box search and navigation.  The Semaphore Content Intelligence Platform from Smartlogic will ensure that your SharePoint content is easily found and re-purposed, saving valuable staff time and money.

Ken Toth, February 2, 2012

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   February 2, 2012 at 2:16 am

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