Checklist for a better intranet portal

How many times have you abused your intranet ? How many times do you feel that the intranet would have been much more better than the existing ? Thats what I also feel after looking at out company portal. People generally don't take intranets seriously because they think why waste money and resources on internal portal. But as the employee increases the need of putting up robust intranet is must. Here is Checklist to a better intranet

• List out all the tasks done by users
• Try grouping each task and give title to each group
• Prepare a rough sitemap after you group each items
• Separate task (links) and information (content)
• Prioritize each groups based on its high usage and criticality
• Place all the groups and Information in a paper and give it a structure
• Once the structure is ready, copy the same and make a draft design (wireframe)
• Take one group and try to make a flow of each task (start to end).You will end up finishing navigation for one task
• Try the same with other groups.
• Collate all and make a detailed draft and run the same in sequence, show it to some of the users and take feedback from them and see how well you can improve.
• After that you jump to creative design, converting the wireframes to design (Now you don’t have to worry about what will come here and there because you have your structure ready and you just have to concentrate on visual design)
• Finally after you complete the design process, concentrate on HTMLising
  Make CSS based layout so that your layout will be flexible to change.
  Try coming up reusable HTML templates, so that you don’t have to rework on the new modules or pages.
• Finally don’t forget to make a STYLE guide and SITEMAP of the entire portal