The intranet team

It's been a 1.5 years intranet revamp project and what sticks at the back of my mind is to nurture an intranet team who would continue to sustain and improve this animal. We started to define roles to cover the various aspects needed to keep a healthy and vibrant intranet. This has worked pretty well.

Intranet Sponsor
1. Overall strategic direction

• The Sponsor’s role is to ensure that the purpose of the intranet is sound in the context of the organization’s strategic objectives. He owns the intranet.
• The Sponsor should confirm the direction of the intranet, and engage in a strategic partnership with the team lead
• Ensure that the intranet is managed as a strategic corporate asset

2. Funding / Resources for the intranet

• The Sponsor will get commitment from, and request cross-functional support resource needs
• He will ensure sufficient funding and manpower resources to see through the maintenance of the intranet

3. Marketing the intranet

• The Sponsor will promote the intranet throughout the organization, and encourage adoption and use of the intranet by staff
• He will raise awareness of the intranet at the senior management level

4. Decision making

• Give sufficient mandate (and power) to the intranet team to enforce key decisions
• Trust in the intranet team to make detailed decisions
• Resolve differences and conflicts between intranet stakeholders
• Arbitrate and resolve conflict and interface problems that the project manager escalates

Team Lead

• Lead the intranet team
• Develop tactical plans for the intranet
• Coordinate intranet activities with the discipline of conducting regular team meetings
• Track tasks, issues and decisions made
• Plan the improvement and enhancement of intranet with team members
• Maintain knowledge and awareness of best practices and prevailing developments in web technologies, standards and requirements
• Apply these best practices to promote continuous improvement
• Obtain and manage intranet resources (including budgets)
• Report on intranet’s successes, challenges and next steps to the intranet sponsor
• Act as liaison between the intranet team and the intranet sponsor

Technical Lead

• Review and recommend improvements and enhancements based on usability review and problems encountered by users, administrators, content authors and intranet team.
• Coordinate the development and delivery of enhancement project to the intranet
• Resolution of technical issues
• Provide technical support to end-users

Operations Lead

• Develop and deliver training, both group and one-on-one, and provide advice and operational support to content authors.
• Coordinate and provide training, advice and support to intranet authors for any change or enhancement on the intranet
• Act as single point of contact for user feedbacks using a standard intranet email account
• Follow-up on users’ feedback and work with Technical Lead on improvements.

Content Lead

• Establish working relations with Content Authors
• Mentor Content Authors in their roles
• Coach Content Authors in writing
• Perform routine ‘inspection’ to see if content meets intranet style guide
• Maintain and grow the information architecture of the site
• Write and maintain content for areas without content authors

Communications Lead

• Communicate any change and enhancement to users of intranet
• Manage the communications activities of the intranet team
• Ensure visibility of the intranet at management and executive levels
• Design and implement initiatives that would engage staff to the intranet

Content Authors

• Familiar with the web writing conventions and the intranet style guide
• Agree and formalise on a publishing process with immediate supervisor
• Agree on a working schedule with immediate supervisor to upkeep the contents and adhere to the working schedule
• Ensure accuracy, currency and readability of content
• Proof read final draft of content before publishing
• Tag the content (based on list of existing tags) before publishing
• Seek approval on content from supervisor before publishing
• Updating content in response to feedback or change in work policies/processes