Portal Requirements Discussion

Thank you for visiting the InScope blog!

We are looking for your input on our initiative to build a new employee portal. It's goal is to enhance communication within the company, to provide easy access to papers and forms, and to connect employees with each other.

We have already begun the process of designing the portal, but we need to make sure that we have all of our bases covered. We submitted a list of key features to the portal company:

1. Search – The search should be as easy to use as Google and help employees find the right information 98% of the time.

2. Employee Directory – Should include a robust search and should include pictures and a current company resume. A reporting structure (org chart) feature should also be included.

3. Integration to Online Time System – InScope currently has an online time system. It is paramount that users go to the employee portal to fill out their timesheet.

4. Forms Automation – The portal should provide for “easy to modify” online forms that include workflow to facilitate multiple work tasks and an approval process with the ability to do an electronic signature.

5. Single Sign On – An employee’s Active Directory log in ID and password should be all that is required to reach all features and content on the employee portal.

6. Content Management System – The content management system should be easy to use and have the necessary workflow and security to authorize content owners to update content and to provide for a review and approval step(s).

7. Access to Employee Information – Employees should be able to log on to find out personal information which may include vacations days left, payroll information and their current contact information on file.

8. Employee Community Features – The portal should allow for employees to create blogs, respond to news stories and surveys, and set up chat sessions. This should also include employee home pages so employees can share information with other employees. Video conferencing would be a plus.

9. Integration to Corporate Application Resources – The portal should be able to integrate with InScope’s SQL Server Reporting Services and the company’s issue management system which is currently in a system called JIRA built by Atlassan. Additionally, the portal should integrate to InScope’s Microsoft CRM System.

10. Wiki Capabilities – The portal should have a Wiki feature to allow for documentation of corporate information. The Wiki should have a robust search feature and provide an easy way to add content (including attachments) to expand on existing documentation. All content from the Wiki should have a printable view that can be distributed as documentation.

11. News Feeds – The portal should be able to integrate news feeds (e.g. CNN) and local weather.

12. Policy / Forms Library – The portal should be able to store all company policies and forms, and provide for a robust search to find certain policies and forms.

13. Calendar Feature – There should be a robust calendar feature which includes a company calendar of events and reminders of an employee’s personal calendar appointments for the day.

14. Outlook / Exchange Integration – Integrating with MS Outlook and Exchange would be a plus, but not a requirement.

15. Corporate Dashboard – Ability to develop a corporate dashboard with key performance indicators and other important corporate metrics.



Now is the time to voice your opinion- What have we missed? What are the top priorities out of these features? What will be helpful? What will be useless? What is vital for you? This is our team huddle place, it's yours to customize!

Comment freely- we appreciate your feedback!