Why Intranets Fail? Risks, Common Issues & More!

​Intranets are likely to go down in history as one of the most egregious failures in corporate IT. Not because firms' intentions were incorrect, but because intranets, on the whole, have failed to deliver. Almost every organization, from the largest multinational to the smallest start-up, has attempted (and failed) to develop an intranet as part of a larger digital workplace strategy. And all of these businesses have spent money, time, and resources with the same outcome: information is not updated, the environment lack features those consumers want, and as a result, no one uses it. So, why do intranets fail, and what can you do about it?

A change to remote working for the majority of the workforce in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has presented new obstacles, including difficulties in internal communication and getting essential information, as well as a decline in employee productivity and motivation. As a result, businesses must remain flexible and adapt technology that lets remote employees perform more efficiently. As a result, modern intranets are more important than ever.

Traditional intranets have failed over time due to limits and downsides that limit their functionality. According to research, inadequate search functionality is a significant intranet concern for 48% of firms. Intranets fail for 37 percent and 22 percent of firms, respectively, due to a segregated system of records and a lack of integrations. List of reasons why Intranets fail:

• Lack of adoption by management
• Failed intranet strategy
• Lack of professional design
• Lack of ownership
• No focus on maintenance
• Trying to get results too fast
• Communication structure (top-down communication)
• Hard to navigate
• Poor content management and outdated content

Intranet risks and how to tackle them 

​ Even the most meticulously planned software deployments have at least one crack in their armor; therefore, the risk is a critical consideration when embarking on any IT project. Though no plan is failsafe when it comes to improving your digital workplace, there are several common stumbling obstacles that all managers should be aware of. We'll go through some of the most typical issues that intranet software projects face, as well as the best tips for dealing with them, in this piece.

Content management that falls short ​

​Companies that need an intranet system have a lot of knowledge. With this in mind, an intranet should be constructed in a logical and user-friendly manner, ensuring that the entire staff can trust it and locate what they need. The success of an intranet in the short and long term is dependent on content management.

You should include information governance and architecture as a fundamental component of your intranet project strategy. When developing information architecture from the ground up, profiling personnel by user types and having a complete understanding of common jobs and user journeys may be quite beneficial, as it will provide you with clear requirements that your content management system must match.

Risks related to resources and staffing 

​A typical intranet software project entails contributions from a variety of departments and individuals. This is true during the implementation phase as well as after the system is operational. Human resources for your project can originate from within the organization or from outside sources.

Everyone participating should be clear about what is expected of them both during and after the project. If particular roles and responsibilities change for whatever reason, the handover must be thoroughly planned, recorded, and agreed upon by all relevant stakeholders.

While we're on the subject, requirement modifications might pose a serious threat to intranet projects. If any important needs change while the project is still in progress, significant periods of downtime and greater overall costs are likely.

Issues with stakeholder involvement 

​A large percentage of intranet software initiatives fail because the organization's upper management does not contribute enough. Even if you've been given complete responsibility for the intranet project, involving key stakeholders will make it easier to implement the necessary changes in your company culture, reduce the risk of low adoption, and identify the people who will be most effective at motivating and engaging end-users.

It's difficult, but not impossible, to overcome this obstacle. Begin by identifying the key stakeholders and determining their level of interest.

Next, figure out what their main goals are and how your intranet project will help them achieve them. This should assist you in obtaining the essential support for your project, as well as all of the associated benefits. After then, make sure to keep a channel of contact open, especially if something goes wrong. The success of these ventures depends on transparency and timely updates.

Intranet Failure & Other Stats 

​Intranet failure and other stats are important to develop a successful intranet plan. Intranets have been failing for decades. Although the industry has grown and re-created itself in many ways, many of the same difficulties that existed 25 years ago still exist today.

According to research, roughly 74% of CFOs anticipate permanently shift on-premise staff previously to remote work.

A closed communication system has become the backbone of organizational operation and culture in today's remote work environment. Intranets can help increase employee involvement and productivity while also facilitating centralized information collecting.

Another important stat is that only 13% of employees indicated they use their intranet on a daily basis, while 31% said they never do.

Intranets have evolved from basic bulletin boards to extremely dynamic and personalized platforms. While this has a lot of promise to help employees, modern intranets also face the risk of being overloaded with information. These platforms are supposed to make communication and knowledge sharing easier, not to add to the uncertainty. When it comes to maximizing the added value of an intranet platform, employees must be at the center of the plan.

While 57 percent of employees believe their workplace intranet serves no purpose.

When it comes to selecting a cutting-edge solution and integrating it technically, many companies fail to devote the same amount of time and effort to train their employees. New tooling isn't the only thing that leads to meaningful change; new behaviors are as well. Employees will be more likely to use and efficiently use their intranet if they believe in its worth and understand its purpose.

Common Intranet Issues 

​Common intranet issues are easy to solve, yet they are often ignored. An intranet in the 21st century can be much more than an online directory or an out-of-date personnel photo. At least, that's how it should be.

So, what's holding your intranet back?

User experience is poor 

​This is frequently cited as the primary reason why intranets do not engage users. When employees log on to the intranet, the last thing they want to do is learn yet another new system for instant chat or document storage.

Take a Microsoft SharePoint Online folder containing important employee information and link it to a Workplace group. Alternatively, you can add folders from your favorite cloud storage services, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive. You can get this feature in AgilityPortal.

Lack of social media portal. 

​One of the most popular intranet trends is social collaboration. As a result, if your intranet isn't facilitating it, you're doomed. Workplace Chat is an excellent social tool for fostering a more cohesive workplace.

People are already familiar with how to use it, and it has a wealth of features such as emoticons, GIFs, and stickers. These tools allow them to communicate in ways that are familiar to them, allowing them to collaborate more effectively.

People can collaborate more efficiently using GiFs and emoticons.

You may also set up reminders for employees' birthdays and work anniversaries on their profiles. This allows people to interact, congratulate one another, and form a sense of community. AgilityPortal offers social media portal and other communication tools.

Although your intranet will contain a plethora of company data, not everyone wants or needs to know everything. So, how can you keep consumers from having to sift through mountains of useless data to get what's important to them? You can read our guide about knowledge management to solve this issue.

Most Common Intranet Design Issues

Most common intranet design issues stem from a lack of knowledge. Many companies' intranets are difficult to look at and even more difficult to navigate. It's probably time for a redesign if your employees aren't using your intranet or can't find what they're searching for when they do.

Accommodating employees

Many companies' intranets are difficult to look at and even more difficult to navigate. It's probably time for a redesign if your employees aren't using your intranet or can't find what they're searching for when they do.

Engagement issues 

Create a user-friendly intranet portal for employees. Focusing on your workers' goals and requirements is the key to making your intranet a place they want to be. Employees want to be able to log in to their intranet from any location. As a result, it must function properly on any device. Other types of issues when it comes to employee engagement which will go hand in hand with your intranet:

• Lack of clarity. The first barrier that presents itself is the lack of clarity amongst the staff and the management
• Lack of insight or commitment from the top management
• Lack of communication
• Generalization
• Lack of work-life balance
• Growth and recognition

Keep the intranet safe to use ​ 

Keep the intranet safe. Because it's an internal site, you might not think it's a big deal, but hackers can still get in. To assist in preventing this, start by granting appropriate access to employees based on their duties. Within a business, there may be a variety of responsibilities and authorization levels, and you'll need an intranet that supports this level of control.