I previously wrote about the differences between Intranets and Internets. Today I want to ask the question, “Do processes that work well for the company Internet, also work well for an Intranet?”
I ask this because my company has decided to centralize all web-related projects. Previously, my team managed and developed all small to medium-sized intranet projects. This approach was good because it simplified efforts. It lessened the “decisions by committee” mentality and we were able to quickly turn out quality internal web-based applications. It was bad because developers were forced to wear analyst and project manager hats. Now the team that manages the assorted internet projects will also manage intranet projects. Is this good or bad? Is this smart business or will it just add to the overwhelming bureaucracy that seems to be building in my company?
Back to my first question. Do processes that work well for the company internet also work well for an intranet? The quick answer is yes. Intranet or Internet– we are both building software. All software goes through the same development life cycle. However, in order for this to work, we have to acknowledge that there are few similarities between the two environments. We have to agree that the overhead is different for each environment. We need to keep things simple. And lastly, we can’t forget that our number goal is to make life easier for the user.