Better Connected Intranets

For those of you involved in the development of your organisation's intranet, the April '07 issue of CILIP's magazine, Update, has a news story (p.11) featuring the release of a report from the Society of Information Technology Management (Socitm), Better connected intranets: emerging good practice.

From the report's introduction,

Intranets have been a neglected area for development compared with public websites, but now the demand for service transformation is putting much greater emphasis on the requirement for employees to have easy access to information that they need for their work. Using ideas, experiences and lessons shared at a series of workshops in 2006, we have investigated what good practice in developing intranets involves.

Unfortunately the report is not a free download but the Update story does outline the top 10 applications for intranets.

• phone directory
• bulletin boards: classifieds, discussion, lost and found, events
• HR applications: absence recording, flexi-time mgt, expense claims
• job vacancies
• room bookings
• catering: lunch menus, online food ordering
• geographical information systems
• committee information system: agendas and minutes
• leader's briefing/monthly message from heads of directorates
• employee discounts: cut-price cineman tickets, restaurant meals, travel

It also shares these great ideas:

• photo libraries to help employees who are preparing web pages, leaflets and other publications
• a chief executive's blog (variation on the monthly message)
• turning the intranet's "how do I?" section into a wiki so employees can share their knowledge with others