The new financial year often brings a fresh sense of momentum.New budgets. New priorities. New projects that have been sitting on the “we’ll get to that later” list for far too long.
And for many organisations, one project tends to resurface right about now:
“We need a new intranet.”
It sounds simple enough, until you’re the one tasked with making it happen.
The problem: where do you even begin?
If you’ve inherited (or been given) an intranet project, chances are you’re facing one of these situations:
1. Your current intranet is outdated, clunky, or barely used
2. Content is scattered across multiple systems
3. Employees can’t find what they need
4. There’s pressure to “just fix it” quickly
And yet, despite all that urgency, the starting point is often unclear.
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Do you pick a platform first?
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Do you run workshops?
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Do you just start redesigning pages?
Jumping straight into solutions is tempting, but it’s also where most intranet projects fail.
Step one: get clear on the why
Here at Sorce, we have created our tried and tested intranet methodology. We know it works and before you think about technology, design, or structure, it's important to take a step back.
Ask a simple question: What problem are we actually trying to solve?
It might be:
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Reducing time spent searching for information
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Improving internal communication
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Supporting frontline workers
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Bringing tools and systems into one place
Without this clarity, your intranet risks becoming just another platfor, rather than a solution.
Step two: understand how work really happens at your organisation
An intranet shouldn’t be built around assumptions.
It should be built around how your organisation actually works day to day.
That means speaking to employees across different roles and asking:
1. What slows you down at work?
2. What do you struggle to find?
3. What tools do you use every day?
4. What would make your job easier?
The answers are often surprisingly consistent and incredibly useful.
Step three: don’t start with content migration
One of the biggest mistakes organisations make is trying to move everything from the old intranet to the new one.
In reality, this is your opportunity to start fresh.
Audit what you have, but be selective:
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What’s still relevant?
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What’s duplicated?
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What’s out of date?
A successful intranet isn’t built on more content, it’s built on better content.
Step four: think beyond “the intranet”
Modern intranets aren’t just places to read news or store documents, they’re the front door to your digital workplace.
That means thinking about:
Integration with tools that your organisation uses everyday
Task-based journeys (not just pages)
Personalised experiences for different roles
The goal isn’t to create a prettier intranet but one that makes work easier.
Step five: get the right people involved early
An intranet project shouldn’t sit with one team alone.
The most successful projects bring together every department from your organisation, including IT, HR, Internal Comms and Marketing.
This ensures the intranet works for everyone and not just one function.
Step six: start small, then scale
You don’t need to solve everything at once, in fact trying to do so often leads to delays and overcomplication.
Instead:
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Focus on high-impact areas first
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Launch with a clear purpose
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Improve and expand over time
Starting an intranet project at the beginning of a new financial year can feel overwhelming, but it’s also a huge opportunity to rethink how your organisation communicates, collaborates, and gets work done.
And it all starts with taking that first step.
If you would like more information on how to get started, why not download our guide Intranet Project Success from Planning to Launch
