When considering the development of an intranet for your organization, it's crucial to build a solid business case to justify the investment. A well-crafted business case will highlight the benefits and address the potential ROI, helping you gain buy-in from stakeholders. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you build a compelling business case for an intranet.
Understanding the Business Needs for an Intranet
If your organization is struggling with disconnected teams, duplicated work, or siloed communication, you may already be feeling the pain points that an intranet is designed to solve. While intranets were once seen as static portals, modern platforms serve as dynamic, centralized hubs for internal communication, collaboration, and knowledge management.
Here are some telltale signs your business may need an intranet:
Scattered Information - Employees are spending too much time searching for documents, policies, or resources stored in multiple systems or shared drives.
Communication Silos - Important updates are buried in inboxes or lost in endless chat threads. Teams don’t have a reliable way to stay aligned.
Onboarding Takes Too Long - New hires struggle to ramp up because there’s no centralized place to access company knowledge, tools, or training materials.
Duplication of Work - Different departments are recreating similar content or tools because there’s no shared library or visibility into other teams’ work.
Security or Compliance Risks - Sensitive internal information is being shared across unsecured or ungoverned channels.
Low Employee Engagement - Without a cohesive digital workplace, culture suffers with low employee engagement. Employees feel disconnected from the company’s mission and each other.
A well-structured intranet helps address these challenges by streamlining communication, centralizing resources, and creating a single source of truth for the entire organization. When built with a flexible platform like dotCMS, your intranet can scale as your business grows—supporting multi-site content delivery, governance, and integrations with the tools your teams already use.
How to Build an Intranet Business Case
A successful intranet doesn’t start with a platform—it starts with a plan. Building a compelling business case helps you align stakeholders, secure budget, and ensure your intranet delivers real value from day one. Below is a step-by-step guide to structuring your business case and getting buy-in across the organization.
1. Executive Summary
Start strong with a concise overview that outlines what the intranet initiative is, why it matters, and what benefits it will deliver. Focus on high-level outcomes that resonate with executives—like improved productivity, reduced inefficiencies, enhanced internal communication, and better employee engagement.
Tip: Frame your intranet as a strategic enabler for digital transformation, not just an IT tool.
2. Project Background
This section sets the stage. Describe your current state: What systems or tools are being used today? What’s not working? Reference employee feedback, performance gaps, intranet best practices or known challenges that are driving the need for change.
Common pain points to include:
Siloed communication across departments
Difficulties onboarding new employees
Inconsistent access to resources and documentation
Outdated legacy platforms that are no longer supported or scalable
3. Digital Workplace Requirements
Clearly outline what your organization needs from a modern intranet. These requirements should be grounded in your business goals and user needs.
Key requirement categories might include:
Centralized knowledge and document management
Personalized content delivery for different departments or roles
Integrations with existing systems (e.g., Microsoft 365, Slack, Salesforce)
Mobile accessibility for distributed or frontline teams
Security, permissioning, and governance support
Multi-language or multi-site capabilities
dotCMS Tip: dotCMS enables structured content and visual workflows, allowing marketing and internal comms teams to deliver relevant, dynamic intranet experiences—without needing developer help.
4. Current Intranet Marketplace
Provide an overview of modern intranet solutions available today. This shows you've done your homework and positions your proposed platform in context.
Consider comparing:
Traditional intranet solutions (e.g., SharePoint)
Lightweight SaaS tools (e.g., Notion, Confluence)
Enterprise-ready, API-first CMS platforms like dotCMS
5. Proposed Approach
This is your vision. Describe how your intranet will be structured and what steps you’ll take to implement it successfully.
Key areas to include:
Platform selection criteria
Target launch goals and use cases (e.g., onboarding hub, HR portal, team collaboration spaces)
Phased rollout strategy (starting with one department or use case before scaling)
Internal champions and cross-functional project team
With dotCMS: you can launch a branded, secure intranet site quickly—then expand features and integrations over time using APIs, templates, and visual tools that support both developers and business users.
6. Measuring Results
Your business case should define how success will be measured. Include KPIs tied to business outcomes, not just platform usage.
Example metrics:
Reduction in time spent finding internal resources
Increase in employee engagement or content contribution rates
Shorter onboarding ramp-up time for new hires
Reduction in duplicate content or redundant tools
Pro Tip: dotCMS gives you the tools to track engagement across content types, page views, and workflows—helping you optimize and scale your intranet strategy.
7. Project Planning
Provide a realistic timeline, budget estimate, and resource plan. This section demonstrates that your proposal is actionable, not just aspirational.
Include:
Project phases (discovery, design, build, test, launch)
Internal resourcing needs (IT, HR, communications, etc.)
Budget breakdown (platform costs, implementation support, internal time)
Risk assessment and contingency plans
If you’re leveraging dotCMS professional services or a certified partner, include that here to reinforce delivery confidence.
8. Governance
Governance ensures your intranet stays useful, relevant, and aligned with business needs. Detail how content will be maintained, who owns what, and how decisions will be made over time.
Consider:
Role-based access and content approval workflows
Content expiration policies or regular reviews
Guidelines for content creation and publishing
Ongoing stakeholder involvement
dotCMS supports flexible governance through workflows, permissions, and multi-tenant setups—ideal for enterprises with distributed teams and diverse content needs.
9. Business Case Approval
Close with a clear ask. Outline what approvals are needed, who the key decision-makers are, and what next steps look like. You should also summarize the ROI, strategic alignment, and long-term benefits one more time.
Helpful to include:
Executive sponsor names
Implementation support from IT or external vendors
Timeline for final approval
Decision-making criteria or potential blockers
The goal here is to make it easy for leadership to say "yes" by removing uncertainty and clearly tying your intranet plan to business value.
The Value of Building on an Open-Source Platform
Cost-Effectiveness
Open-source platforms like dotCMS offer a cost-effective solution and provide flexibility in customization, allowing you to tailor the intranet to your organization’s specific needs.
Flexibility and Customization
With dotCMS, you can leverage its open-source nature to create a highly customized intranet that perfectly fits your organization’s workflows and branding. This adaptability ensures that the intranet evolves with your organization.
Community Support
Open-source platforms often come with a strong community of developers and users. This means you can access a wealth of knowledge and support, ensuring that any issues you encounter are swiftly addressed.
Importance of Workflows, Permissioning, and Security
Streamline Workflows
Effective workflows are critical for maximizing productivity. An intranet should integrate seamlessly with your existing processes, automating routine tasks and simplifying complex ones. DotCMS’s flexible workflow tools can be customized to fit your specific requirements.
Manage Permissions
Proper permissions ensure that the right people have access to the right information. This minimizes the risk of data breaches and ensures that sensitive information remains secure. DotCMS provides robust permissioning capabilities to manage user access effectively.
Ensure Security
Security is paramount when handling internal data. An intranet should offer strong security features to protect against unauthorized access and potential threats. DotCMS includes built-in security measures and regular updates to keep your intranet secure.
Conclusion
Building a business case for an intranet involves demonstrating its value through clear objectives and measurable benefits. By leveraging an open-source platform like dotCMS, you can enjoy cost savings, flexibility, and a supportive community. Ensure your intranet includes well-defined workflows, effective permissions, and strong security measures to maximize its potential and safeguard your data. With these considerations in mind, you’ll be well on your way to securing stakeholder support and successfully implementing a powerful intranet solution.
Want to see how dotCMS can streamline your company’s communications and boost productivity? Schedule a meeting with our team to discuss your intranet needs and how we can help.