1. @Baycrest - Lessons Learned from an Intranet Development Project
Saundra Crockford, Jacqui Phillips, Information Technology Department,
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Introduction. Corporate Intranets are gaining
popularity as business-to-employee portals for
communication, decision-making, enterprise-wide
learning, knowledge and information management,
collaboration, and easy access to resources. To keep
pace with the growing trend of information sharing
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care has embraced this
new technology by developing @Baycrest, a
knowledge infrastructure designed to facilitate
Baycrest's collaborative and client-care focused
environment. Initial @Baycrest Intranet goals were
to increase workplace productivity, reduce
operational costs, and eliminate duplication of effort
by sharing resources and information in a common
area accessible by all employees. By virtue of its
design, @Baycrest is scalable, globally accessible to
staffand easy to use.
Background. @Baycrest was designed as an
internal enterprise portal for corporate knowledge/
information transfer and as a central repository for
resources related to daily task performance. It is an
area to communicate, collaborate and facilitate
decision-making that may increase workplace
performance. It is projected that posting items on the
Intranet eliminates or significantly reduces overhead
and resource costs related to producing hard copies.
Initial focus was placed on functional areas such as
project collaboration, information retrieval and
electronic document management. Current databases
include a forms repository, Baycrest White Pages
telephone and resource directories, a corporate
calendar, online publication of policy and procedure
manuals and drug formulary, document libraries for
departments and committees, IT Help Desk Quick
Tips and How-To Info, and an Internet links page
relating to evidence-based practice. Electronic
document workflow was initiated for processing new
employee forms in Human Resources and Payroll.
Design Considerations. General guidelines for
@Baycrest site and database development include:
* Lotus Notes and Domino Designer R5 used to
design, develop and populate Intranet.
* @Baycrest server and database security aligned
with network security and firewall protection.
* Development team: 0.4 FTE Project Manager, 1
contract Notes Developer (consultant = 0.5 FTE)
and an interdisciplinary Intranet Working Group.
* Standard web browser is Internet Explorer.
Lessons Learned. Critical success factors include:
Project and Change Management - Initially,
@Baycrest was designed and developed without
following a project management methodology.
Treating the Intranet as a program and the
applications or databases as projects may decrease
product delivery time. Clearly stating project
deliverables, specifications, scope and accountability
may increase client satisfaction and match
expectations, decrease change requests and reduce
database re-design. Including usability testing and
evaluation before product launch would also facilitate
quality assurance.
Dedicated budget and staffing - Implementing
appropriate FTE staffing levels and dedicating
ongoing funding will help meet the (Baycrest vision
and web-based development opportunities.
Departmental ownership - Involving staff in the
planning process and communicating @Baycrest
successes may foster a sense of staffpartnership with
the development team. Decentralized content
management of databases by designated staff editors
facilitates departmental ownership ofmaterial.
Computer literacy and training - Given current
computer literacy levels at Baycrest Centre, it is
important that databases and applications be designed
with the novice user as a benchmark. By using
Internet web browser standards and clear, intuitive
navigation features it is hoped that training time for
new databases will be reduced.
Electronic workflow - Current manual paper
processes are not documented or tracked.
Submission and processing of forms is based on
"scenarios" rather then a standardized process.
Before creating workflow behind electronic forms
and transactions, paper processes must be reviewed,
clearly defined, and redesigned as required. This
may also eliminate duplication ofeffort.
Future Plans. @Baycrest portal development will
expand to include knowledge and resource
management, executive decision support, e-
commerce and electronic transactions, client care and
clinical information (internal e-health). Later phases
of database development will also include electronic
document workflow, automation and distribution of
materials. Wireless technologies will be reviewed to
expand portability of key databases such as manuals
and the drug formulary. Further integration with the
Internet site Baycrest.org is planned along with
sharing development and leadership resources.
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