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How long does it take to implement a new intranet? At the risk of sounding like an analyst, the answer is ... it depends.
Implementation times have become shorter over the years, in part as a result of cloud computing and advances in intranet technologies, in part as a result of changing expectations. But as anyone who's been involved in an intranet project will tell you, the best laid plans can still get thrown off track.
Here's what experts say you should expect when it comes to rolling out a new intranet.
Average Intranet Deployment Time? It Depends
Implementation times vary according to the type, purpose and technology the intranet is built on — in other words, the scope of the project, said Zenify's digital workplace architect Cristian Salanti. The main consideration is whether an organization just wants a news feed and a few functionalities such as an employee directory and polling, or if they want full-blown collaborative intranet aimed at optimizing the way the company works.
Other dependencies include what the build involves, notably whether it includes content design issues alone or whether IT needs to work on it for platform provisioning, interfaces or other technologies. While the timeframe for the installation of an IT-driven intranet is difficult to assess, a content-focused intranet should not take more than three to four months, said Salanti. If the project runs longer, he warned, the content used in the build will become obsolete and contributors will become disengaged.
Salanti recommends taking a phased approach to the build. "If a department does not have time to do their work because of other priorities, you should just leave them behind and engage them later," he said.
For those looking for a quick and early win, Salanti recommended rolling out simpler solutions at the beginning with the plan to enrich them after launch.
Related Article: The Biggest Problem With Intranet Design
Expect – and Plan For – Delays
Expect delays, Salanti said, typically due to one of three problems:
1. Vague Objectives
Vague goals and objectives lead to unnecessary delays, he said. Rather than requesting something like "better communication," he suggested focusing on specifics, like improving the delivery of internal services within the company and supporting company values in the process.
2. Involving the Wrong Stakeholders
Organizations that fail to engage and motivate the right stakeholders and contributors from the start will inevitably lose momentum. Organizations need to engage each individual internal service owner and show them how the intranet will to save them time while improving the service provided to the employees.
3. Lack of Project Sponsors
Each department has multiple project and conflicting priorities. If is important to have a sponsor that understands and supports the vision and keeps people accountable.
View Intranet Roll Outs as an Evolution, Not a Final State
Organizations have a lot of options when creating an intranet today, said Tom Keuten, SVP and Microsoft alliance lead at Rightpoint. Standalone solutions, “intranet in a box” options and possibilities from within a business's existing portfolio all have their pros and cons.
All the major players in the enterprise software space (e.g. Microsoft, ServiceNow, Workday) are now competing to be the digital front door to start an employee's day, he added. This can cause conflict inside companies because product or application owners all want theirs to be the main entry point.
“We advise clients to look at software that not only allows companies to manage basic communications, but also enables native integrations into these other platforms and has a robust search capability,” Keuten said.
In terms of implementation times, he too said it depends. Organizations looking for a basic new modern intranet because they don't have one, or looking to replace an old one that's fallen into disuse can have one deployed in about 10 weeks from project kickoff to launch, provided they follow best practices. After initial launch, intranet stakeholders can evaluate features and review analytics to understand what employees value and what is missing, and then evolve the product, he said.
Launching the basic functionality buys time to conduct more research to really understand unique employee archetypes and needs, Keuten noted. Here it is also possible to add more customizations and integrations with other systems during development, to create a more advanced experience.
Related Article: Will SharePoint Online Disrupt the Intranet Market?
Factors Influencing Intranet Timelines
There are always different levers which can be adjusted to impact an intranet timeline, he said. The main trade-offs are:
1. Upfront Research
The amount of upfront research that is done to understand employee needs and get consensus on requirements is a big variable.
The more employees you need to engage, the longer the timeline. The more stakeholders needed to gain consensus, the longer the timeline. “If you do not do any research at all because 'we know what they want' the timeline will get extended later when we churn in requirements during development,” he said.
2. Configuration and Development
Once you have a base set of requirements, you can shorten any configuration or development cycles by cutting back on “nice to have” requirements to get the intranet launched sooner. A good platform will allow organizations to continue to add functionality after the intranet is launched.
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Keuten echoed Salanti's warning around the lack of clarity around goals, identifying it as the main cause of extended implementation times. Lack of stakeholder alignment on goals and approaches will often lead to key players blocking progress.
Sometimes stakeholders change, he continued, and the new person(s) will have a different vision than the previous. Keuten said he's seen projects get delayed because other projects were prioritized above this one, and resources were taken off the intranet project for a higher priority project (e.g. regulatory).
Louder for Those in the Back: Intranet Projects Need a Clear Vision
A reasonable timeframe for a medium-sized organization could range from two months to six months, said non-profit IT consultant Lawrence Guyot. Strong project management, clear objectives and dedicated resources are critical to reduce the implementation period, he said.
Methodologies like agile can foster a more dynamic implementation process, he said, with sprints allowing for rapid development and continuous feedback. However over-scoping the project can lead to unnecessary delay. A focus on an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) strategy can significantly streamline the process, enabling faster deployment and iterative improvements based on user feedback.
“Protracted implementations are often attributed to a lack of clear vision, inadequate preparation and shifting project scope,” he said. "Such issues can lead to cost overruns, reduced user engagement, and potentially a final product that is misaligned with the user's actual needs.”
To mitigate this, organizations need to have a well-defined strategy from the outset, including a thorough understanding of user requirements and business objectives, and by maintaining effective communication channels that align teams and decision-makers throughout the project lifecycle.
Eight to 12 weeks for a minimum viable product is an acceptable timeframe, said Firstup manager of global market insights Rupert Coghlan. However, the complexity and culture of an organization will determine whether that is feasible. For many companies, a goal of between three and six months is more realistic.
Faster implementations also require the organization to agree to the MVP approach, working in an agile manner and treating their intranet as an ongoing project with constant improvement and evolution at the center of this approach. “A strong project manager and governance structure for decision-making will allow teams to ‘fail-fast,’ make quick decisions, gain user feedback and get people excited about the release of a new platform,” he said.
Other factors that will affect the implementation period, he said, are the depth of functionality, technical complexities and requirements, available resources (internal and external), and the urgency or buy-in from the organization.
“The successful adoption of the intranet relies not only on the swift execution of the implementation team but also on a thoughtful assessment of employees' willingness and capability to embrace change,” he said.
The longevity of the change is not guaranteed by a speedy implementation alone. Achieving success with an intranet project necessitates a comprehensive approach that includes well-planned change management and communication strategies.
Additionally, emphasis should be placed on efficiently moving employees through the change and ensuring their effective use of the new intranet.
“Organizations can have an efficient, timely, and smooth implementation process by being agile, keeping the user at the center of their design, and sticking to the objectives and goals of the plan” he said.
Coghlan also points to lack of clear objectives, incomplete planning, ambiguous governance structure and technical challenges as factors that can contribute to prolonged intranet implementations and the viability of the intranet in the long-term.
He stressed the importance of strong communications of what and why the change is occurring to overcome employee resistance and build stakeholder buy-in, as well as to avoid misunderstandings and misalignment.