Corporate Intranet

Companies normally turn to team building, training, arguments, and many more techniques in attempt to resolve internal conflict.

However, people make decisions based on judgment. How will this benefit me? Am I wasting my time? Why am I being sucked into doing someone else’s job?

There are many principles as to how decisions are made and what motivates people. However, by having a clear understanding of how the business process is supposed to flow within an organization greatly diminishes staff placing the responsibility on someone else.

You may find your team frustrated and complaining. You may experience an increase in project delays. Sometimes upper management feels they need to dictate to colleagues “how things should be,” but this management style only creates barriers from receiving honest insight from your colleagues and increases defensiveness. Creating a system that allows colleagues to pose “solutions” with their team will instill a behavior that allows them to continuously strive to find the best ways to work together.

Business Rule Tip!

a) If you have an intranet system or an internal blog, create a folder where everyone is allowed to contribute “solutions.” Anytime someone has a complaint or wants to criticize how things are done, they should pose a “solution” to proactively show an alternative way to deal with the issue. Encourage your team to provide useful suggestions on ways to improve “our” company efficiencies and an overall smoother operation. Important to explain how each suggestion must have a purpose, focus and clear communication as to the “why” and “what” you are trying to accomplish. This will increase “buy in” and prevent staff from taking these new suggestions personally. Please note: It is very important for senior managers to review these suggestions on a bi-weekly or monthly basis to enforce policies. If months pass before decisions are made, suggestions will decrease, while frustration increases.

Analyzing said suggestions from your colleagues will help to reveal “real problems”, and most likely reasonable solutions to those problems.

I have a question for you: how many times does upper management make decisions without asking those who are involved in the day-to-day activities? Fixes made without asking those who are involved will negatively affect other processes further down the project cycle.

Business Rule Tip!

It is important to understand how each process affects another function within the work environment. Learning “Process Mapping” will help you to see how one activity affects another and reveal where there are areas of opportunity for process improvement. By demonstrating to your team how each activity supports the other, colleagues will begin to understand how each player contributes to the team as a whole.

The work environment is a GROUP effort. By cultivating this change in thinking amongst your players, they will better understand how their strengths benefit others. By creating a supportive network, colleagues will understand who to go to for help. By maximizing each other’s strengths, the synergy amongst all will allow the company to propel forward.

Business Rule Tip!

Build Trust. By creating an environment where each individual understands they are all part of a team and helping one another professionally, trust occurs. Reach out to others when asked for guidance. Practice good communication. When conflict occurs, teams who have trust tend to quickly overcome conflicts in order to move on with business goals.

Compassion, respect, and patience breeds response. Relating to each other’s unique qualities and job positions during high levels of stress will create quicker turn around on your business goals. An interesting article that reinforces this methodology is called: The Power of Nice.

It has become a trend to use intranet applications and software in organizations of all sizes. Intranet applications serve as an internal website or a portal for the employees and people associated with the organization. An intranet application or an intranet software as it may be called sometimes, basically is deployed and access through local area network.

Before looking at intranet applications, let us first try to understand what basically an intranet is. A private network of computers that is used to share information or resources primarily constitutes an intranet. Applications use internet protocols (TCP/IP) and network connection to operate. Intranet applications and other required intranet software are installed on the central computer which acts as an intranet web server. The intranet application can then be accessed from other individual computers in the network, which act as clients.

Developing intranet software needs some important considerations:

The scope of intranet application and the number of users accessing it
Hardware and software that will support the intranet software depending on the scope and users
Setting up web servers, client machines and installing applications/software on each individual computer as required.
Designing the intranet applications modules and pages as required.
Deciding on the access rights of the users and testing the intranet application as required.

Intranet applications are used in many ways across organizations and have proved to be beneficial tool:

Employees involve in forum and online discussions, there by increasing interaction and sharing of knowledge
Intranet applications help in managing and publishing of processes documents and other documentation across all relevant employees and hence effectively facilitate better knowledge management
Since common information like policies and notifications about the organization are shared across all the employees through a common platform, intranet software helps in promoting corporate culture
Intranet software is also widely used to exchange various tools and applications like CRM tools, project management utilities, sales data, and so on
Intranet application also allows the organizations to have other relevant information like industry news, media news, press releases, and other events

Intranet software needs to be designed not only from a functional point of view but also from usability and aesthetics aspect. Also other important aspect about intranet applications is about security. Since much of confidential data would exist on the intranet, it is important that no unauthorized user accesses within or outside the organization. Intranet software also needs to be constantly monitored for any downtimes and rectified immediately on basis of usability. There may be good amount of advantages and threats for any intranet application. However, it certainly serves as an important tool for many organizations and will be continued to be used in the future.

Decisions? Decisions? What decisions? I just want to write policies and procedures. Policies and procedures writers are results-oriented individuals and they are hankering to start the fun stuff, the writing stuff. Unfortunately, they cannot just write unless the company wants policies and procedures that do not work and that do not reflect the opinions and ideas of the targeted audiences of the policies and procedures. There is so much more to just writing.

Develop a Strategy First

A game plan must be developed that addresses more than fifteen decisions about setting up a system of policies and procedures. The end result of these decisions is a Procedure on the subject of Procedures. This document can then be used to guide the research, writing, reviewing, approving, communicating, training, improving, and revising of policies and procedures. The decisions also address the numbering system, the writing format, and the reporting relationships. This document can become known as the Procedure on Procedures. This procedure is the first and the most important procedure in the policies and procedures system

Pivotal Policy and Procedure Decisions to Make

What is the justification for the system of policies and procedures? Do you even have one?
Who manages the policies and procedures department? Who sponsors and funds the program?
How is the policies and procedures department set up? Who manages it? To whom does it report to and why?
What are the qualifications of the policies and procedures writer? Analyst? Manager?
How will ideas for new, or revised, policies and procedures be submitted?
Will the policies and procedures documents be printed and contained in hard copy binders or will they placed on the Intranet?
Will you incorporate a policy statement within the body of the procedural statements or will the policy statements be placed into a separate document and/or binders?
What is the numbering system for the policy and procedure documents?
Who will decide on the content? A cross-functional team? A general team? Or you? Will you be the primary person recommending the content of policies and procedures for approval?
What is the writing format, or the sequence in which content will be put forth that is logical and easy to read?
Who reviews the policies and procedures? A review team? A committee?
Who approves the policies and procedures?
Who distributes the policies and procedures? And in what formats? Hard copy, network, or Intranet, or all three?
Who communicates the policies and procedures?
Who trains and/or mentors the targeted audience?
Who audits the policies and procedures? And how often?
Who monitors the policies and procedures to assure they are always up-to-date? Who revises the policies and procedures?
Who recommends improvements to the policy and procedure content?

These decisions are the primary decisions that must be made before the policies and procedures writers start the process. There may be more decisions to make but I doubt there will be less. The document should incorporate all of these decisions as this document should become the bible for writing and justifying policies and procedures going forward. Without these decisions at least discussed, you are more than likely going to have to rework some of the policies and procedures if, and when, the decisions are finalized.

An Easy Way to Get These Decisions Reviewed and Approved Quickly

The policies and procedures writer, or writers, can team together and create the Procedure on Procedures document and include your recommended answer to each of these decisions. The decisions can become sections within the procedure, e.g., Policy and Procedure Review Process, Numbering System, Writing Format, Distribution, Communication, and so on. Now the draft procedure can be submitted to top management for review and approval. This method can cut weeks, if not months, off the decision process. After all, most policies and procedures are written by policies and procedures writers in advance of review and approval and everything they write represents their recommendations.

An efficient workforce holds the key to success for any business enterprise. Whether you run a small set up or a Fortune 500 business, your employees are an asset determining the success of all your endeavours. For the small scale enterprises, the importance of valuing human resource cannot be stressed enough. Most multinational firms have had a humble beginning and within a short span of time achieved high return on investment (ROI) owing to the pivotal role played by the workforce. Business owners are also aware that in present times it has become extremely important to motivate the workforce to achieve the desired results. This in turn has led to the growing popularity of intranets.

Intranet is an internal networking and communication tool that enables a firm to integrate its operations and bring employees closer. In present times, the intranet has become a well known tool for exchanging ideas and receiving regular feedback from the employees. This medium has helped the HR department in catering to the varied requirements of the employees in an effective manner. For example, by including the referral policy in their intranet, a number of firms have cut down on expenses associated with recruitment procedure. This has played a huge role in aiding smaller firms that have faced budgetary constraints in recent times.

In wake of the financial turmoil in the market due to the economic slowdown, a growing number of small and medium enterprises are taking a keen interest in intranet which has proven its effectiveness in ensuring optimum utilisation of resources. Moreover, it has helped the managers to identify interest areas of the associates and assign work accordingly. Due to these factors, it can be concluded that in the intranet will gain momentum in the years to come.

The Accountability/Alignment Process: Three Steps to an Accountable Organization

Generating genuine accountability and functional alignment into your workplace cannot be left to vague ambitions and abstract statements. Well designed processes must be embedded into the heart of an organization to ensure that each employee's goals and expectations are clearly defined and that the resources to bring about specific measurable results are in place.

In our recent book, Aligned Like a Laser, we outline an effective three step process for ensuring managers and employees are mutually accountable and that the entire organization is aligned toward specific goals.

The Accountability/Alignment process has three fundamental steps:

(1) Accountability
(2) Alignment
(3) and Achievement

These steps shape the essential foundation for the practice of accountability and workplace alignment.

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Step 1: Accountability

Accountability is articulated through a document called an Accountability Agreement. This document forms a context for success by making each individual's contribution visible within the organization. It is a brief - 2 to 3 page - overview of the outcomes that an individual is promising to deliver which also outlines the support and resources that he or she needs from others in order to achieve these results.

Seven Elements of an Accountability Agreement:

(1) Business Focus Statement

(2) Operational Accountabilities

(3) Leadership Accountabilities

(4) Support Requirements

(5) Goals

(6) Sustainment Plan

(7) Positive Consequences

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Step 2: Alignment

Alignment requires a constructive business dialogue focused on end results. After completing Accountability Agreements, a workgroup negotiates responsibilities and forms an understanding of each member's contribution to the team.

The alignment process involves resolving gaps and overlaps in the team's accountabilities, and it ensures that each member agrees to provide the critical support needed to fulfil the team's purpose.

Alignment clarifies the practice of accountability; it focuses energy and eliminates distractions across the entire organization. It also provides a renewed sense of confidence and interdependence based on a publicly declared promise to deliver business results.

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Step 3: Achievement

The Accountability/Alignment process brings immediate results, but lasting achievement is gained through maintaining the discipline fostered by the process.
There are several ways to ensure that Accountability/Alignment brings long term achievement.

Keep Accountability Agreements Visible

Post progress reports in prominent locations.
Provide a forum for people to comment on progress.

Put Accountability Agreements Online

A company's intranet can provide easy access to all Accountability Agreements.
Or, use our Align Online tool. Visit http://www.alignonline.com for more information.

Model Accountability

Leaders must set an example and share Accountability Agreements widely.
Also, references should be made to Accountability Agreements in reports and presentations.

Synchronize the Process

Link accountability to related processes such as goal setting and performance management.
Use accountability to prevent duplication of effort.

Ensure Business Results

Accountability is not about shifting blame; it embraces a process of mutual support and learning to ensure that goals are achieved.
Accountability Agreements can be modified according to past lessons and to better adhere to new circumstances.

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The Accountable Workplace

The alignment process legitimizes raising difficult conversations, creates a positive context for resolving disagreements, and builds an environment of mutual support. Improving an organization can be a gamble, yet successful organizational effectiveness initiatives have proven to be invaluable relative to the time invested. The Accountability/Alignment process can revitalize a workplace, focus attention on shared goals, and sustain a new way of working across an organization.

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At a time when many companies are scaling down their marketing budgets, big design firms are finding it harder to win new clients and projects. Things maybe tough for the larger design firms, but the situation could be ideal for freelancers and other smaller boutique operations that can operate virtually.

One obvious advantage that full-service design companies have over independent freelancers is access to a wide range of creative and technical resources. So how can the individual compete with multi-skilled consultancies? The answer is to form a Virtual Team using a product that provides collaboration software that gets everybody on the Same-Page.

By joining forces with other freelancers who offer complementary skills, you'll be able to offer a more complete range of services to your clients and prospective customers. One person on their own can't hope to compete with a full-service agency on price alone, no matter how tight budgets are. If a freelancer can't meet a project's business objectives, he isn't going to win the contract. Partnering with other freelancer makes you look more credible and professional, especially if the client is aware they'll only be paying for a specific service from the specialist. Clients are increasingly wary of design agencies offering services they'll never use and feel that they are paying for them through high ticket fees.

Here, then, are some tips for partnering with other freelancers and successfully running a joint project:

Recruit or be recruited

Both actually. You don't need to wait for a new project before sounding out potential partners. Bookmark the sites of potential partners. Register your details with freelance and recruitment directories, offer details of your services you. You never know if someone else is out there looking for the skills you have to offer. Use these same directories to search for complementary freelancers when you need additional help.

Instinct + Think = Partner

Visit your potential partner's website and review his portfolio. When considering a particular individual, follow your instinct - if you have any doubts about working with someone, chances are it won't work out. Check out the clients listed on the website. How did the client enjoy working with your potential partner. Check on their references.

Put everything in writing

Bearing in mind that this team of freelancers may only exist for one project, each individual should have their own contract. Don't make the mistake of being responsible for paying the team. Contracts and invoices should go direct to the client. You are not an employer so it's up to everyone to make sure they get paid, not you. If you do decide to bundle invoice you are entitled to charge a markup (15 to 20% depending on industry) for your efforts.

Avoid confusing the client

Don't allow your team to start emailing files to the client. A client may not understand what each person does. It makes sense to use a collaboration website with project management tools. Same-Page.com offers a highly customizable workspace where you can focus the team. Make a list of the project contacts readily available, create calendars and provide a centralize email notifications system.

Co-ordinating a team

Usually the person who builds the team is the one who should lead the project. Sometimes a client will approach the freelancer with a project in mind, recognising that at least the majority of it can be produced by a lead freelancer. Using a project management tool like TaskTracker allows the efforts of the team to be funneled through a lead project manager. Assigning task and letting team members know that co-workers are depending on their reporting each completed task is a priority. Deploy an issue management system for dealing with project interruptions.

Frequent communication

Use a hybrid intranet / extranet solutionto keep stakeholders informed all the time - that means everyone who has any involvement including the client as well as all creative and technical suppliers. Details of all developments should be passed by the email system to everyone involved.

Break it up into small pieces

Turn a large project into several smaller ones. This makes it easier to manage by assigning each task to the team member whose responsibility it is.

All this advice requires you to use some project management skills on a day to day basis. But it's all possible if you plan carefully and use common sense.

Just remember, for your team to be effective everyone needs to get on the Same Page!

Ecommerce can be a puzzling subject and many of us need a little help decoding it. So here are a few every day E-commerce jargon explained for the lay man:

Immerce

Immerce is the new expression being used for commerce that is done completely over the Internet.

Merchant Status

Merchant Status is attained, when the merchant rents or buys special software that is used to process the transaction. Depending on the bank and the type of business that you are operating, you may need to purchase or rent a hardware known as a processing terminal.

Merchant Account

A merchant account is obtained only after you successfully attain merchant status. A Merchant Account basically is a link between a business and a merchant bank which allows the merchant to accept credit card payments from customers.

Internet Merchant Account

This account permits the receiving of credit cards online. Transactions are processed online, in real time. If the card is approved, the customer and the merchant are both notified and the sale goes through.

Merchant Brokers

These are brokers that help in setting up credit card accounts for online businesses. They charge a setup fee and lease or sell the software and hardware as required. If getting a merchant account through a traditional bank is proving to be trouble some, merchant brokers are an option.

Extranet

Extranet is an extension of a corporate intranet. It joins the internal network of a company with the intranets of its customers and suppliers. This networking makes it possible to create e-commerce applications that link all parts of a business.

Soft Goods & Hard Goods

Soft goods are items which exist virtually or electronically for example e-books, or music files, that are downloaded. Hard Goods are items that exist in reality, for example books or cds.

Electronic Cash or E-cash

This is cash issued by the bank in the form of numbers. E-cash is anonymous and reusable. Unlike credit card transactions, the identity of the shopper is not known to the merchant.

Electronic Checks

The E-check is a message that contains all of the information that is found on an ordinary cheque, but it is signed digitally, or indorsed and is transmitted electronically by email, fax or phone.The digital signature is encoded by encrypting with the customer's secret key.

Electronic Wallet

Electronic Wallets store your credit card numbers on your hard drive in an encrypted form. Customers initiate a credit card payment via a secure transaction enabled by the electronic wallet company's server.

Telephone Billing Systems

Telephone transactions allow the customer to purchase an item or service, and the amount will be billed to his or her telephone bill.

Micro transactions or Micro payments

Micro transactions are transactions of tiny amounts, only some cents or dollars, normally made in order to download or access graphics, games, and information.

Disintermediation

Disintermediation is the method of evading retail channels or mail order houses and selling directly to the customer.

Commerce Service Providers (CSP)

CSPs are business web sites that provide ecommerce solutions.

High Risk Processors

High risk processors or brokers are financial institutions or companies that that issue merchant status accounts to high risk businesses.