General resources

Useful reports

Intranet Roadmap - The Intranet Roadmap provides a comprehensive methodology that describes all the activities required to develop (or redevelop) an intranet. Using this best-practice intranet methodology will bring order to the complex and inter-related aspects that make up an intranet project.

Improving Intranet Search - This report provides a practical methodology for improving intranet search, including a wide range of guidelines and approaches that cover every aspect of the search solution. All of the recommendations are designed to be within the reach of every intranet team, and do not require in-depth technical knowledge or unlimited budgets.

Staff Directories - If you are implementing a new online staff directory as part of your intranet, this report will be invaluable. If you are enhancing an existing directory, the best practice guidelines and suggestions will provide many ideas on the next steps to take.

Managing Intranets and Portals - Is your intranet the heart of your organization? Managing Intranets and Portals is the new comprehensive guide to getting the most out of your intranet or corporate portal. This 160-page manual is packed with expert analysis backed up with corporate case studies detailing what's working for the world's leading companies. The guide will also provide you with tools and templates to help you manage and develop your intranet

Managing and Developing Intranets for Business Value - This global best practice report – based on research with over 500 leading organizations – lays out the truest picture yet of intranet redevelopment in medium to large enterprises. You'll find expert interviews, planning tools, templates and case study evidence detailing best practice in organizations that are gaining real business benefit from their intranets.

Intranet Usability: Design Guidelines from Studies with Intranet Users - This report helps intranet designers improve the usability of their designs by giving them the results of usability testing of 14 different intranets: 10 in different cities in the U.S.; three in London, England; and one in Hong Kong, China.

Usability of Intranet Portals - This report presents a unique perspective on intranet portals: not that of a vendor trying to push a specific solution, but the user experience perspective. What do portals mean to the users (your employees) and how can the portal team deliver what the organization needs?

Intranet Design Annual 2006: Ten Best Intranets of the Year - This report reviews the designs and usability of ten intranets that were chosen from a much larger number of nominated designs. The report is richly illustrated with 193 screenshots, giving readers the unique opportunity to see good intranet designs that are usually hidden behind a firewall.

Don't Make Me Think (Steve Krug; ISBN: 0321344758) - An excellent introduction to the key principles of usability, providing numerous examples and practical techniques. Highly relevant for the designers and maintainers of any intranet (or website).

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (Louis Rosenfeld & Peter Morville; ISBN: 0596000359) - The definitive book on information architecture, covering all the major elements of the discipline, and the key techniques. Provides numerous examples and case studies.

Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web (Christina Wodtke; ISBN: 0735712506) - A strong introduction to information architecture, providing practical examples, photographs and screenshots. Explores the key techniques for designing effective sites, showing how these fit together in real-world projects.

Leading Change (John P. Kotter; ISBN: 0875847471) - Provides a practical approach for implementing the type of organisational change required for many intranet projects. A must-read for all intranet managers.

Heart of Change (John P. Kotter; ISBN: 1578512549) - A companion to Leading Change which provides examples and stories of how to generate real and sustainable change within organisations.

The Information Architecture Institute - A non-profit volunteer organisation dedicated to advancing and promoting information architecture. Provides a range of useful resources, mailing lists and industry activities.

Boxes and Arrows - Provides a comprehensive resource on information architecture, including practical guides on common techniques such as card sorting, along with discussions of more advance information architecture principles. Additional articles are published on a regular basis.

Step Two Designs - Currently the most prolific publishers of intranet articles, covering all aspects of intranet design, strategy and management. Also provides reports and training courses.

Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) - Publishes reports and articles that specifically address the usability of intranets, which is one of the main elements of an intranet review. Also provides information on fundamental usability principles and techniques.

Intranet Portal Guide - The Intranet Portal Guide contains information, downloads and advice, structured into three phases: Before, during and after the project.