For those who believe, no proof is necessary… For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.
(John & Lyn St. Clair Thomas, Eyes of the Beholder)
 

Success in Selling your Intranet

Many Intranet Portal initiatives fail before they even get started, simply because there is "no business case". A frequent comment is "We just couldn't get the numbers to add up". However, one must remember that some decisions get made in companies without good numbers!

Take the example of the Executive Car Wash, where chauffeurs for members of the board can get their limousines washed on-site, before venturing out. Was that a good business case?  One doubts it!
 

The three reasons for purchase

For any typical organisation, one can identify three factors that come into play in decision-making:
   - The Rationale Reason
   - The Emotional Reason
   - The Political Reason
 

The Rational reason for purchase is where people usually focus all their efforts: if the project delivers a positive net present value, where benefits exceed costs, then we proceed. If not, we do not.

However, this ignores the Emotional Reason (the individual and his feelings) and the Political Reason (how he is influenced and seeks to influence others)

If one were to buy a car on the basis of a Rational Reason alone (e.g. "it gets me from A to B in a certain time and comfort") then marques like Ferrari would have been out of business years ago!

The lessons? Firstly, research the key decision makers in your organisation.  Find out what they want (emotionally) and need (politically) to achieve their goals.

You will need to appeal, not just to their wallet, but to their hearts and minds too!
 

Intranet Stakeholder Analysis

A stakeholder is any person, group or institution that has an interest in your Portal project. This definition includes both intended beneficiaries and intermediaries, winners and losers, and those involved or excluded from decision-making.

The extent to which you formalise your stakeholder analysis will depend on your time, funding and access constraints, but some form of analysis is mandatory!
 

Stakeholder Types

Primary stakeholders are those who are ultimately affected by the project, i.e. who expect to benefit from or be adversely affected by the change.

Make a list of all the stakeholders across the organisation

Determine their interests, importance and influence

Assess their ability to participate and find ways to involve them