A practical checklist for publishing Intranet content during transformation

Publishing Intranet content is a core part of most transformation and change programs. New systems, new processes and new ways of working all need clear explanation.

Done well, Intranet content helps people find answers, complete tasks and build confidence during change.

The problem is not the intent. Project teams are often under time and resource pressure to deliver. Content is created quickly and published without being integrated into what already exists.

Over time, the impact becomes clear. Guidance overlaps. Old pages stay live. Content with no owner drifts out of date and remains published.

This checklist is for transformation teams who want their content to support change now and add long-term value.

1. Treat publishing as a design decision, not an admin task

Publishing is not just uploading a page or a document.

Every publishing decision affects:

• where people expect to find information

• how easy it is to scan and understand

• what appears in search results

• who is responsible for keeping it accurate

If a decision will still matter after go-live, it needs design thinking. That includes understanding user needs, existing content and long-term ownership.

2. Start with what already exists

Before creating new content, take time to understand:

• what guidance already exists for the task

• where people currently go to get help

• what is unclear, duplicated or out of date

New content should solve a known problem. It should not sit next to older guidance that says something different.

If you are not reviewing or retiring existing content, you are adding to the problem you are trying to fix.

3. Design around real tasks, not project structures

Users do not think in terms of projects or programs. They think in terms of tasks.

Ask simple questions:

• What is the task someone is trying to complete?

• What do they need to know at the moment they are doing it?

• Where would they expect to find that information?

In most cases, the answer is not a project page or a document library. It is an existing operational page that supports day-to-day work.

4. Choose formats that reduce effort

Steve Krug’s core principle applies here. Do not make people think.

For most guidance:

• use clear, structured web pages

• write for scanning, not reading

• put the most important information first

PDFs increase effort. They are harder to scan, harder to update and harder to govern. Use them only when a document is genuinely required.

If documents are needed, link to them from a relevant web page under a clear “Downloads” heading. Consider hiding the file itself from search results so it can only be accessed from that web page.

5. Integrate new content into the future state

Ask one key question early: “Where should this content live once the change is business as usual?”

Use that answer to guide publishing decisions during the project.

This usually means:

• updating existing pages rather than creating new ones

• embedding new steps into current task guidance

• avoiding parallel content that only makes sense during delivery

6. Agree ownership before go-live

Every page and document needs:

• a named content owner

• a clear purpose

• a review cycle

If no one is comfortable owning the content after go-live, that is a signal that the approach needs to change.

Ownership is not a formality. It is how content stays accurate and trusted.

7. Work in partnership, not in isolation

Transformation teams are well placed to:

• identify content needs

• shape messages around user impact

• test whether guidance makes sense to real users

They are rarely best placed to own content long term.

Work with business-as-usual teams from the start. Make decisions together about structure, placement and retirement of old content. This reduces rework and protects the quality of the Intranet.

Final thought

Transformation projects succeed when change is easy to understand and easy to act on.

That does not come from publishing quickly and moving on. It comes from integrating content into how the organisation already works, designing it around real tasks and handing it over in a state that can be sustained.

The goal is not to publish more content. It is to leave the Intranet clearer, calmer and more useful than you found it.