This week saw the culmination of months of hard work as we launched a new intranet for a client. It’s always satisfying to see a project move from concept to delivery, and this one was no exception.

Our first meet with the client was in February, and it took another five months of to-and-fro before we had a final agreement on the work ahead.

But while it was slow to get started (and intranet projects usually are), it’s been a whirlwind ever since. In a little over three months we’ve planned and configured the site, integrated tens of apps, developed and tested the IA and worked with the team to design and establish governance and workflows.

On the content side, we’ve developed the content strategy and put it into practice, pulling together an ace team of content designers, working with stakeholders to create hundreds of pages of accessible, clear content – in two languages! We smashed it: over 400 pages, sites, applications and communities in smidge over three months.

And alongside that we’ve helped the organisation get ready for launch, designing and delivering training for communicators and content owners, so the site doesn’t just look good on  day 1, but will be just as good on day 365.

We began as three organisations – Lithos, the client and an IIAB vendor – but quickly we were working and delivering together as one team. We’re delighted that the newly-launched intranet has had positive feedback already, including from the CEO.

A successful launch is a splendid note to end the year on. But as we always say to clients, there’s no value in launch – the value is in adoption and use, with the platform positively impacting colleagues for years to come. The team have ambitious plans to grow and iterate their intranet; this launch is just the start of that journey.

I also delivered a webinar on hybrid work for Modo Labs, looking at trends in hybrid work for 2025. I think it’ll be available on demand – so NO SPOILERS, save to say the future of work is really a reflection of the future of the wider world, of changes in society, tech, the environment, and so on. So in this session I drilled down from the broad trends impacting the globe in the year ahead, to how these might manifest in the workplace, and finally what this means for hybrid work.

Remote work and return-to-office is once again a big debate – thanks in no small part to people desperate to make it part of their tedious culture war – but I always enjoy the opportunity to reflect and share insights. Prepping an hour’s material is a massive task though. Or at least it is for me, because I like to create fresh material when I’m commissioned to do something like this. I’m not one for phoning it in with a rinse-and-repeat presentation.

Overall I think it went pretty well. Timings were on point and feedback on LinkedIn etc was good. I’ve got a huge amount of material from my research, planning and thinking, so I’m going to think how I can put it to use with a few blog posts or articles.

With that, I’m winding down for the year.  There are a few loose ends to tie up, but I’m looking forward to a proper break and a chance to recharge before 2025’s challenges come into view.

Some non-work things

On Monday my pal Lauren and I went to an event called Knits and Tits, a crafting-meets-intersectional feminism event at the Paradiso that aims to “challenge traditional perceptions of knitting, showcasing it as a vibrant and empowering form of creative expression that embraces womanhood and intimacy in a bold and unapologetic manner”.

As someone who has been knitting for – checks notes – a month, it was fascinating to see the crafting subcultures of Amsterdam close up. Women of all ages come together for an evening of chilling, chatting and watching a band, while doing crafts. There was a talk from Marieke Voorsluijs on how knitted representations of anything make them friendlier and more approachable. Knit or crochet a packet of cigarettes or a knife and it’s immediately fun. And so she began knitting vulvas in all their variety of shapes and sizes. There’s even a web series on crafting vaginas.

It was a lovely vibe. I should go to more leftfield events like that one.

I also saw Conclave at the cinema. A compelling political thriller that delves into the secretive process of electing a new pope (kind of West Wing for lapsed Catholics). Solid performances from Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossalini. I’d give it an 8/10.

Connections

Unily‘s Kaz Hassan was in town for Workday Rising, and we managed to find time for breakfast and intranet geek chat. We talked about the intranet as a critical interface for a hot mess of enterprise apps, the whole intranet/HR vendor space, and whether enterprise social is on its way out.

(On which I have views – will save that for another weeknote).

The agenda for next year’s Camp Digital has been announced. Once again I’ll be working with the team to identify brand new speakers from under-represented groups, and supporting them to plan and deliver short talks in our 300 Seconds session. The aim is to give people an opportunity to try speaking at an event, to build confidence and experience – and in doing so, build a more diverse pipeline of speakers with new and interesting stories the rest of us can learn from. As ever, the rest of the agenda is cracking. Hope to see you there.

Travel

I’m off on HOLIDAY. Did I mention that? I’m going to Africa for three weeks. 🇷🇼🇺🇬🇹🇿 🇰🇪

The next couple of weeknotes, if I get around to doing them at all, are likely to be primate-heavy. 🦍