10 Steps to Plan a Digital Workplace Solution for Your Industry

Businesses have a new set of challenges to face in the digital age. Employees are increasingly looking for more flexible, collaborative and mobile work environments that allow them to manage their own time and achieve higher productivity levels. 

The modern workplace is also evolving with this demand, as evidenced by the prolific growth of the digital workplace services market that’s growing at a CAGR of 21.3% and is expected to be valued at USD 72.2 billion by 2026. 

(Image source: MarketsandMarkets.com)

What is digital workplace transformation?

Digital workplaces provide an opportunity for businesses to transform themselves from rigid hierarchical organizations into agile networks that empower individuals and teams with greater autonomy over how they do their jobs.

 

What are digital workplace solutions? 

Below, we offer a ten-step plan for a digital workplace solution for your industry. 

But, first, here is a quick primer on the meaning of digital workplace solutions. 

As the name implies, the digital workplace is a virtual, modern version of the conventional workplace. It delivers person-specific role-based services and all of the software, data and collaboration an employee requires on any device at any time. 

In addition, a digital workplace capitalizes on cutting-edge mobility solutions and technological advances to adapt to how people work and boost employee productivity, engagement and satisfaction.

Digital workplace solutions are comprehensive sets of technologies, processes and practices that enable the modern workplace. They provide employees with anytime-anywhere (work remotely) access to the tools and resources they need to do their jobs. 

The best example of a digital workplace solution is a company intranet.

A company intranet is a prime example of a work-from-anywhere digital workplace solution.

Making such a digital transformation to empower the future workforce, however, requires a coherent strategy. Many companies, including large multinationals like GE, fumbled their digital transformation journey. 

Ten steps to a digital workplace solution

An intranet is a digital workplace solution at the heart of your digital transformation, designed to empower employees with the anytime-anywhere tools they need for the future of work. The following ten steps will help you architect an intranet for your business.

Step one: assess the current state 

The first step is to assess your current state. What are your business goals? What challenges are you facing in employee engagement, productivity, communication, collaboration, or operational efficiency? How does your workforce currently work (collaboratively or independently)? What devices and applications do they use? 

Understanding your current environment is essential in designing the right digital workplace solution. 

Step two: establish an initial project team

The second step is to establish an initial project team. 

This team will be responsible for designing, building and implementing your digital workplace solution. The ideal project team should include representatives from all key business areas such as HR, IT, marketing, operations and sales. 

Step three: develop and define your intranet strategy 

Now it’s time to develop a strategy for your intranet. What are your business goals? What are your employees’ needs? How do you want employees to use the intranet? What content do you want to make available on the intranet? 

These are just some of the questions you’ll need to answer to define your intranet strategy. 

Step four: research and select an intranet vendor 

The fourth step is to research and select an intranet vendor. There are many vendors, so it’s essential to do your homework and find the best intranet vendor that meets your unique needs. Make sure to ask the vendor questions about their product’s capabilities, customer support and whether you can access a free demo. This will help you determine if they can help you meet your business goals. 

Step five: conduct a content audit 

This is where you’ll inventory all of the content on your current intranet (or other digital workplace solution). You’ll then need to decide which content you want to migrate over to your new intranet and which content you want to leave behind. 

Step six: design your intranet homepage 

Next, start designing your intranet homepage. 

This is your chance to make a great first impression and showcase the best of your intranet. The homepage should be visually appealing and easy to navigate. It should also be tailored to your industry and reflect your company’s brand identity. 

Promote your company intranet with an engaging and intuitive intranet homepage design.

Step seven: organize your intranet menu structure 

The next step is to organize your intranet menu structure. This will determine how employees find and access the content they need on the intranet. Again, the menu structure should be intuitive and easy to use. 

Step eight: migrate your intranet content and assign access rights 

This can be a daunting task, but the right intranet vendor can help make it a lot easier. Be sure to carefully review all of the content before migrating it over to the new intranet. You’ll also need to assign access rights so that only authorized users can view or edit it. 

Step nine: create a governance policy and build marketing buzz 

This document will outline who is responsible for managing and maintaining the intranet, how updates will be made, and what procedures need to be followed when implementing new features. It will also set out best practices for creating and sharing content. 

In addition, your marketing staff can assist you in generating buzz around the intranet’s launch, which will help to generate excitement and increase user adoption.

Step ten: prepare for launch

Now that you’ve done all of the hard work, it’s time to launch your digital workplace solution. Conduct training sessions where employees learn how to use the system effectively and efficiently. You’ll also want to present information about what employees can expect from their new intranet or other digital workplace solution. Also, give them ample opportunity to provide feedback during this transitional period. 

Finally, be sure to measure success by tracking usage and engagement metrics.

Final thoughts

The digital workplace is revolutionizing the way we work. As a result, it’s more important than ever to have a strategy in place for how you want your employees to use technology to collaborate and communicate. 

By following these ten steps, you can create a digital workplace solution that not only improves employee experience but leads to positive business outcomes.