During our recent webinar The Ultimate Guide to Intranet Steering Groups we asked a question “How many have an intranet steering group?” 70% of respondents confirmed that they did not currently have an intranet steering group, 24% did but the meetings were sporadic and the group could be more focussed and 6% had a successful steering group. These results are typical, so don’t worry if you are one of the 70%. This blog highlights 5 reasons why you need an intranet steering group and if you would like to read more you can download our ultimate guide to intranet steering groups.
What is an intranet steering group?
An intranet steering group is a group of people who come together to provide input on the progress of a given project. It may be formed entirely of staff within the organisation but more usually it’s made up of a combination of internal employees and external representatives with particular expertise. In an intranet context, the steering group will draw together knowledge and experiences, from each area of the business, to guide the development of your intranet.
5 Reasons Why You Need an Intranet Steering Group
The importance of having an effective intranet steering group cannot be overstated; the outcomes of group meetings will shape the future of the intranet directly and impact the business, In reality many organisations don’t have a formal steering group but recognise the need to have one, so don’t feel you are alone! Here are our top 5 reasons as to why you should have one:
1: Make sure the intranet is continually developed
As the name suggests the steering group helps to steer the project, ensuring it coincides with business needs. It’s important that your organisation’s intranet grows with the business, constantly improving its functionality. Without a steering group monitoring business needs, in conjunction with intranet efficiency, the intranet runs the risk of becoming redundant.
2: Help make sure your intranet is the best it can be
Here at SORCE, steering groups are particularly important. To help you get the most out of your intranet, we recommend forming a steering group and part of their remit is to continually evaluate your intranets performance and feedback new features they would like to see. This information feeds into the continual development cycle.
3: Give everyone a voice
Many employees might have ideas about how their job could be made easier, for example by being able to access company documentation from their private computer while at home, but sometimes they are not confident in suggesting ideas. This may be because they were not aware their idea was a possibility or because they do not know who to mention it to. By creating a steering group and ensuring everyone within the business knows who to raise intranet ideas to, everyone’s views, opinions and suggestions can be recognised.
4: Ensure everyone is trained to use the intranet
Your colleagues will have different intranet needs and it’s the role of the steering group to understand everyone’s user requirements and ensure that there is training and support available to enable everyone to feel fully engaged with your intranet and to be able to get the most out of it.
5: To help keep your intranet on track and on budget
The final reason for creating an intranet steering group is to ensure that your project pre and post launch stays on schedule and on budget. It’s also the forum for monitoring how your intranet performs against your original objectives.
I hope you have found this blog useful and you can begin to think about how you can start your own intranet steering group. Don't forget to download your copy of our Ultimate Guide to Intranet Steering Groups. If you would like to know more about our Engage intranet software please get in touch or book a demo.
