Publish What you can Manage

Turning the Intranet into a Quality Asset

An intranet is often seen as a staff‑only space where anyone can drop anything into a folder and hope that someone will look at it later. That mindset turns a powerful tool into a cluttered archive. The real value lies in the stories, instructions and data you publish, and in making sure they stay useful. Quality matters on an intranet as much as it does on a public site, because employees rely on that information to do their jobs, solve problems and collaborate. If your intranet is a dumping ground, you lose trust, and users will turn to other sources - even external ones - despite having the knowledge inside your own walls.

Treat every piece of content as an asset rather than a cost. When you view pages, documents and media as valuable inputs, you are forced to ask: Is this information still accurate? Does it help people take action? Does it fit our brand voice and style? If the answer is no, the item should be retired, updated or consolidated. The same logic that guides a library’s cataloging applies here: keep only what people actually use, and keep it in good shape.

The intranet isn’t a document‑management challenge, although it does involve storing files. The core problem is publishing: creating, curating, and maintaining content that drives productivity. A small set of well‑structured pages can move more people than a vast sea of disorganized posts. The goal is to surface that handful of high‑impact resources - how‑to guides, policy summaries, project status dashboards - so they stay in front of the staff who need them.

A practical approach begins with a review cadence. Ask whether each page or document has been accessed at least once in the past year. If a resource never shows up in analytics, it’s probably a candidate for removal or a major rewrite. That question forces leaders to acknowledge that an intranet that cannot be managed is a broken system. When an organization can’t answer it, the intranet becomes a liability instead of a tool.

Building a sustainable process starts with a style guide. A style guide is more than a set of rules; it’s a reference that aligns tone, length, formatting, and visual treatment. When employees have a single, clear document that tells them how to write headlines, how many words the body should contain, and how to place images, consistency follows. Consistent writing style and structure give users a predictable experience and reduce the chance that a page will become outdated or confusing.

Alongside the guide, training is essential. Most staff are not seasoned writers or designers; they simply want to get the job done. Training should focus on practical skills: how to write a concise summary, how to choose the right image, how to format for readability, and why accuracy matters. When people understand that publishing a page with the wrong phone number is just as embarrassing as printing a bad business card, they’ll double‑check facts and maintain higher standards.

However, a one‑time training session isn’t enough. Publishing is a continuous practice, and users need reinforcement and feedback. That’s why an ongoing review process is crucial. Set a rhythm - quarterly, for example - where every page is examined for accuracy, relevance and usefulness. Communicate the findings to the creators, and let them know that the audit is a support mechanism, not a punishment. When editors see that the review saves them time by catching mistakes early, they’ll be more willing to keep the content clean.

Motivation, reward, and measurement go hand in hand. If the intranet team sees that their contributions lead to fewer support calls, quicker project handovers, or smoother onboarding, they’ll recognize the real business value of their work. Recognize high‑impact content creators publicly, track metrics such as page views and time on page, and share success stories with the wider organization. When people see that a well‑maintained intranet saves time and effort for everyone, the culture of quality takes root.

In short, a healthy intranet hinges on a disciplined process: create a style guide, train staff in professional publishing, schedule regular reviews, and measure the impact. When each step is embedded in daily workflow, the intranet stops being a storage room and becomes a living resource that employees turn to for real, actionable information.

What Tetra Pak Did Right

Tetra Pak, the global packaging systems leader, faced a similar challenge in 2002. Their technical service area had a 4,500‑strong audience, but the intranet was a maze of disjointed pages and stale documents. The company realized that simply storing information wasn’t enough; they needed a system that ensured relevance and accuracy. The solution was a blend of policy, training, and continuous review that turned the intranet into a trusted tool.

The first step was the creation of a comprehensive style guide. The guide addressed everything from the voice to the layout of content. For instance, it specified that summaries should not exceed 120 words, that all images must have alt text, and that headings follow a strict hierarchy. This single reference point eliminated the ambiguity that often leads to inconsistent writing and design, making every piece of content immediately recognizable to users.

Next, Tetra Pak identified 70 administrators - essentially the editors - who would be responsible for maintaining the content. These individuals were not just IT specialists; they were subject‑matter experts who understood the practical needs of their colleagues. A dedicated training program equipped them with professional publishing techniques. The training emphasized accuracy: “Would you hand out a business card with the wrong number? Then, why would the phone number on your webpage be wrong?” This analogy helped the staff appreciate the impact of careless errors on the user experience.

The learning curve for publishing quality content was steep, but the leadership made a point of continuous support. Regular coaching sessions, quick reference sheets, and a help desk for content queries ensured that editors did not feel isolated in their new roles. Over time, the editors grew more confident, and the overall quality of the intranet improved significantly.

Measurement became a cornerstone of the initiative. Every three months, all pages were audited. This cadence had a twofold benefit: it kept outdated content from lingering, and it reduced the workload of the editors. As they became more familiar with the structure and standards, they could spot and fix errors faster, lessening the time required for each audit. The quarterly reviews also served as a performance metric, allowing the organization to tie intranet health to broader business objectives.

Feedback from users was overwhelmingly positive. Staff reported that they could locate information quickly, that instructions were clearer, and that the intranet was a reliable source for daily tasks. This success translated into real operational gains: faster onboarding of new hires, fewer help‑desk tickets related to procedural queries, and improved cross‑department collaboration. The intranet shifted from a passive repository to an active enabler of productivity.

Tetra Pak’s experience illustrates that the key to a thriving intranet lies in treating it as an evolving asset. A style guide provides consistency, training empowers staff, and regular audits maintain relevance. When the entire organization sees tangible benefits, the culture of content quality strengthens, ensuring that the intranet remains a valuable resource for years to come.

Keeping Your Intranet Fresh: A Practical Playbook

Maintaining an intranet isn’t a one‑off project; it’s a living process that demands ongoing attention. Here’s how to keep your intranet useful and up‑to‑date without turning it into a maintenance nightmare.

1. Establish a simple review schedule. Pick a rhythm that fits your organization - monthly, quarterly, or semi‑annually. Use analytics to identify pages with zero or low traffic, and flag them for review. This data‑driven approach prevents guesswork and ensures that attention goes where it matters.

2. Create a “content health” checklist. For each page, ask: Is the information still correct? Are there newer policies or procedures? Does the tone match our brand? Does the layout aid readability? Having a quick set of questions helps editors decide whether to update, archive, or delete content.

3. Encourage peer reviews. When a new page is drafted, have a colleague from the same or a related department read it. Fresh eyes can spot inaccuracies and suggest improvements that the original author may overlook. Peer review also fosters cross‑departmental understanding and promotes ownership.

4. Leverage a tagging system. By assigning relevant tags - like “HR policy,” “IT support,” or “project management” - you make search more effective. Users can filter results by topic, reducing the time spent navigating through unrelated content.

5. Automate reminders. Use your content management system to send notifications to content owners when their pages are due for review. Automation removes the burden of manual tracking and keeps the process on the radar.

6. Celebrate successes. When a team reduces support tickets by improving a knowledge‑base article, share that outcome. Recognizing tangible benefits reinforces the value of the intranet and motivates continued effort.

7. Keep training updated. As your intranet evolves - new features, new standards - refresh training materials. Offer short, focused refresher courses that highlight recent changes or new tools. Continuous learning keeps staff competent and engaged.

8. Solicit user feedback. Periodically ask employees what’s missing, what’s confusing, or what they wish were easier to find. Feedback loops help prioritize updates and demonstrate that leadership values employee input.

9. Use analytics to track impact. Beyond page views, monitor metrics like time on page, bounce rate, and completion rates for instructional content. These insights reveal whether users are actually finding what they need.

10. Align intranet goals with business objectives. Tie the health of the intranet to KPIs such as training completion, project turnaround time, or customer satisfaction. When the intranet is seen as a strategic asset, it receives the necessary resources and attention.

By embedding these practices into your organizational rhythm, the intranet becomes more than a static repository - it transforms into an active partner in daily work, continuously delivering accurate, relevant information that empowers staff and drives business success.

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