Tri-State Generation and Transmission Intranet Case Study oct 2015

1

How to lead and manage an intranet redesign project

Intranet Global ForumOct. 23, 2015

2

About Tri-State Generation and Transmission

Association, Inc.Wholesale electric power supplier owned by 44

electric cooperative across Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming.

Headquartered in Denver, Colo., employs more than 1,500 people at 37-plus sites.

Employees range from power-plant operators to linemen to knowledge workers.

3

About Nicole Carlson, Employee Communications

ManagerMore than 10 years experience in corporate

communicationsBackground in journalism, administrative studies

and project managementServed as project manager, intranet owner and

intranet SMETwitter: @nicjoy

4

Project background Intranet redesign and platform

change/upgrade Some departments using

SharePoint 2007 No audit processes for content or

formal ownership + active management of department sites

No formal design standards or

content organization Not all departments represented

5

Project goals

6

Project goals Design site that reflects needs of employees Involve and engage diverse workforce Representation of all departments + locations One platform + updated/modern design Improved method for displaying and distributing

corporate news Process automation Personalized content on the home page that is

generated from enterprise applications Active management by site owner

7

Project goals Replace outdated content + improve content

ownership and accountability through publicizing of content coordinators

Deploy content categorization processes Analytics and implement reporting schedule Improve knowledge sharing + reduce silos Addition of search Improve employee directory User-generated content published to home page

+ targeted locations

8

“You don’t know where you’re going until you know

where you’ve been.” –English proverb

9

Prepare and assess Benchmarking + research Developed business case + strategy

Business need + objectives + project-success criteria

Analysis of current intranet Determined intranet owner Wrote charter + gained approval Analysis of employee base and culture

Change readiness assessment

10

Prepare and assess Conducted workshops + focus groups Sent out surveys + analyzed results Developed multi-year roadmap Created communication plan (it’s never too early)

11

Plan Requirements Platform

selection Vendor selection Project plan Project site Project team

12

The meat and potatoes

13

Design + Build Information architecture

14

Design + Build Department meetings + content audits Design Processes and procedures

15

Design + Build Grid Gurus Branding Key stakeholder

involvement Employee

involvement

16

Ready, set . . . Go!

17

Launch

18

Launch Redesigned

home page

19

Launch New department pages include standardized templates and many new features

20

Launch Old corporate

communications

21

Launch

Rebranded corporate communications

22

Launch Introduction to The Grid

23

Launch

Communication plan

24

Launch

Launch-day breakfast for the help desk + stickers for Grid Gurus and employees

25

Launch Using our external Power

Works for You campaign + stickers and posters to promote The Grid launch

26

Launch

Continued education, training and communication

Communication plan includes year of follow-up communication and trainings

27

Treat each employee as a key stakeholder

28

Engagement + Adoption Began adoption +

engagement efforts earlyProject introduction and

updates, ambassador program, naming contest

29

Engagement + Adoption User experience testing

Heat mapsTree testingPolls + surveys

30

Engagement + Adoption Beta

Three-month period200 users

31

Engagement + Adoption Sneak peek (soft launch)

One week prior to launchNew and old sites simultaneously TrainingsBegan launch communication

32

Building trust + recognition + taking time for fun

33

High-performing project team Fun

Happy hoursTeam-building events

Recognition for job well done Provide adequate time for group development

Forming, storming, norming, performing Trusting each other to make decisions

34

When the going gets tough . . .

35

Obstacles and challenges New leadership (CTO and CEO) mid-project Introducing new concepts to employees

(metadata, content types) Introducing new platform Location and differences in job functions of

employees Many non-computer users No real previous intranet ownership Ended early relationship with contractors

36

Obstacles and challenges Internal resources had limited knowledge of

SharePoint 2013 Unavailability of training team

Project team took on creation of all training content

Expectations were high for project + project team based on previous project successes

Budget constraints

37

. . . keep going.

38

Celebrate successes Good support for employee communications

taking on ownership of site Already established + strong internal

communication platform Change readiness assessment results Strong project communication plan Grid Gurus Beta + soft launch

39

Measure successes Lessons Learned Launch garnered project team Ragan PR Daily’s

2015 Best Website Launch

40

Measure successes Metrics

LaunchPost-launch

41

Key takeaways Take adequate time for planning Lessons learned are not just for project end Don’t be afraid to end relationship with contractors Empowering users works Be upfront and honest about expectations COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE,

COMMUNICATE Take time for fun and recognition Thank your users + recognize it’s a big change Don’t reinvent the wheel, but also recognize where

your culture doesn’t fit what others have done

42

Questions

Twitter: @nicjoyEmail: ncarlson@tristategt.org

43