We are often asked how long a ‘typical’ intranet project takes to launch, and what factors can speed up the process.
Well of course firstly it is really hard to find a typical project, but we do know that from choosing Claromentis to be your provider to deploying phase 1 has over the last 5 years taken an average of 7 weeks.
Software as a service can be deployed within one day, using standard designs and our own infrastructure, if the requirements are simple.
I believe our world record is one week and I will refrain from discussing some of the longer projects, always extended by the demands of assembling and validating content, and nothing to do with technology.
In terms of what factors can speed this up, here are some of the most important :
- Provide a style guide and general instructions but let our team provide the interface. We have an established process and are just so fast at working within Claromentis.
- Restrict your project team to a manageable number.
- Expedite your sign off procedures for approval of designs or if relevant development.
- Keep phase 1 to what is really important, and not a very long list of functionality that is really only there ‘because we can’. This provides a sense of business focus and urgency.
- Provide a project manager yourselves and take the project management service from Claromentis. Then focus on the critical path, especially early on – prepare for all tasks that are on that path at the expense, if necessary – of those that are not.
- Use telephone conferences and webinars over physical meetings whenever appropriate to do so, they help preserve the focus on what needs to be done and are much shorter.
Finally – if it makes sense for your business to consider our Intranet Software as a Service solution that is the factor that above all else speeds up delivery – mainly because we don’t have to deal with your infrastructure, IT and active directory – but also because the lack of upfront investment makes it a less political project for our customers internally – freeing up motivated staff to just get the job done!
Home
intranet
After applying permission to a folder or document, have you ever wonder that you need to make sure the right person can view the document? Let’s say you added Group:Marketing, until now there is no to find out who are the member of “Group Marketing for instance” unless you have to navigate away to ‘People’ application and run a search or filter.
But now in 5.6.1 we’ve got a nifty solution. It’s called “View effective permission”, as you can see you can now review the permission on every single permission dialog box to make sure the right people has the right permission.
Resources-Technical
Claromentis, document management, Prod-Intranet, update, user interface
It is always great when clients appreciate your work - but even more so when they send you a crate of Beer Lao to let you know!
Today Albany surprised us with exactly that to acknowledge the hard work the support team have put in recently for them, so thanks to Howard and the IT team at Albany, and here’s Julian about to consume the first one..
Cheers Albany!
Just don’t ask him for anything too technical later today!
Services
client appreciation, support
Recently we have just completed a web-based job processing application based on Claromentis Sales Manager. For us this is one of the prime examples how a CRM application such as Sales Manager can be tailored to suit specific requirements.
The application is designed for Total Support Group - one of UK ’s largest service provider specialising in satellite/terrestrial antenna installation, helping them managing and sorting jobs which has to be distributed through 6 regional support offices through post-code recognitions.
Built-in Claromentis strong permission system allows each regional office to view only the jobs relevant to their region while the head office can monitor them all in real time.
Next time when you buy a digital set-top boxes for your television and having an engineer to install it, it might be one of the many jobs managed by Claromentis. A small contribution to get UK goes digital by 2012.
Prod-Sales
Case Study, crm, Prod-Intranet, software
We have many clients who enthusiastically embrace blogs and new media, which of course is engaging and excellent.
However with these clients I have seen a tendency to launch similar departmental intranet home pages, each of which has a video introduction to the department from the relevant VP or member of the management team, and the blog – along with of course rich and relevant departmental information – documents, self service, general contextual information and e-forms.
These can be very powerful templates – but what worries me is that talking head video from the VP is only interesting the first, or at best second, time you hear it. Therafter it can be very irritating, however relevant the message.
What I like is a component that checks if a user has seen that video, and if so switches it out for another relevant content or RSS feed that fits well with the design.
Intranets should be multimedia and rich – but they absolutely must be fresh!
Home
intranet software, intranet videos
We make Claromentis Intranet Software available on a range of devices, according to our customers needs. However the truth is I have often wondered just how practical this is.
Then recently I found myself in the car park of a potential new client, having completely forgotten the names if the main contacts I was meeting with. We had arranged the meeting in somewhat of a rush and over the phone, so emails didn’t help me.
Within a few minutes I had logged onto our intranet on my i-phone, found the opportunity in Claromentis Sales Manager – and had everything I needed.
Sometimes it really is useful to have your intranet accessible from any modern device!
Services
accessibility, intranet software
We are really sure now that we are making the whole process of selecting a design for a new Claromentis Intranet just too difficult for the typical company that joins us. For a certain type of company, with the relevant skills and indeed ambitions the existing process is fine – but not for many!
Precisely because Claromentis can easily be given a design that can be completely bespoke – exactly what you would like it to be – we have encouraged clients to think hard about what they would like the design to be.
But actually it seems that most new companies would prefer that we just tell them!
So we going now through an exciting process to develop questionnaires and models that will allow us to present the new intranet customer with a great design at the first pass – and then just let them comment on it and make minor changes.
What are the positives :
1. The client gets an intranet with a great and relevant design, fit for purpose, in very little time.
2. We know from experience most customers refresh their designs in year two or three anyway, after the experience of actually using it.
3. The client can focus on content, functionality, training and deployment issues – which is probably the best use of their time.
The truth is that we now know this is the best for all concerned – but we still find it difficult to move away from a completely bespoke and individual design for each client – because that is such a strength of Claromentis.
I am reminded of the fact that in previous engagements with intranet clients over the years we should say that certain clients just did things “because we can” – perhaps this is seeing our own process in exactly the same way. Just because we can deploy a completely individual intranet design for every customer does not actually mean that we should!
Services
Design, intranet software
Document Workflow is one of the key modules of Claromentis Document Management System
There are three basic terminologies in Document Workflow:
Category: It is a grouping mechanism for Workflow. Permissions are set default through Category
Workflow: A Document Workflow containing set of States
State: State of Document, for instance “Draft, Initial Review, Revision, Ready to Publish, etc”
Each State has one “Action” and one “Transition”
Action: Here we are able to specify what action is to be taken on the document at certain State of the Workflow. There are following actions we can select from: “None, Feedback Request, Move to a designated Folder and Send Email”
Transition: Here we are able to specify what type of transition is to be carried out at certain State of the Workflow. There are following transitions we can select from: “Not Auto (Manual), Auto:Based on Approval (On All Approve, On One Approve) and Auto:Time Based(On Time Elapse, On Date/Time)”
By using Document Workflow, you don’t need to worry about manually chasing each user to look at the document and give there feedback or approve it, it’s all done for you 
Prod-Document
document management
