Chapter 2: Intranet Justification

Overview

Author: Mike Parsons

• The value of Return of Investment (ROI)

• Arriving at an intranet ROI

• Avoiding problems with ROI

In this chapter we'll get down to determining the value of intranets and how we can communicate this to our peers and managers. In short, we'll endeavor to understand the relationship between intranets and business. That means we need to talk about money, costs, and spreadsheets. But don't let that get you down because that's not all we'll talk about. This chapter will not only help you to promote the value of intranets but also force you to look at how you can best serve your users.

To describe and measure intranet technology and its business impact we will use the term 'Return On Investment'. ROI is a common term within the business and technology industries and is understood in the wider business community.

During this chapter we will cover the following topics:

• The definition of ROI

• What's the value of ROI?

• The ROI climate

• ROI types

• Possible ROI problems

• The ROI process