Dan Kneeshaw

The issue of “Governance” seems to always be one of the popular topics at Intranet Portal conferences. It is also a frequent point of discussion within the Intranet professionals group of which I am a member. As an introduction to the concept of Governance I simply want to focus on providing a little clarity around the specific benefits and what it can do for your intranet. I will talk more about specific governance models and processes in future posts, but for now I want to focus on the benefits

To start I have to define what I mean when I say “Governance.” In a nutshell, “Governance” is the staffing, policies, standards, tools and incentive systems that help sustain and promote consistency for your intranet. Governance enables “the machine” to work effectively. In my professional experience I have found that governance has to become a priority and that managing the intranet is about much more than just the “technology.”

A strong governance plan and framework will:

• Clarify roles and responsibilities and help to reinforce authority
• Establish and promote a single, unified vision for the intranet
• Ensure consistent decision making to support the long term vision
• Establish criteria for the prioritization of activities
• Mitigate conflict
• Establish and propagate standards
• Leverage resources — both human and capital
• Coordinate procurement of resources and technology
• Remove roadblocks and reduce development time
• Encourage sharing of best practices

These benefits alone help to justify the time investment in setting up a governance plan. At a minimum it will minimize inefficiencies by pulling together resources, propagating standards, and sharing best practices across the organization to promote consistency and quality.