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Employee experience platform governance is the foundation for a successful digital workplace. This post – the fourth in our Steps to EX platform success series – explains what governance is, why it matters, and how to build a governance model that keeps your platform organized, accountable, and ready for long-term growth.
When organizations invest in an employee experience (EX) platform or modern intranet, the focus is often (and understandably) on essential EX features, integrations, and launch day excitement. But what truly determines whether your platform thrives or fizzles out over time? The answer is governance.
Governance is what turns an EX platform from a simple tool into a sustainable digital workplace. It provides structure and clarity so that your platform supports collaboration and growth – rather than slipping into disorganization and low adoption.
In this post, we’ll break down what governance means for EX platforms, why it’s essential, how to build a governance model, and best practices to ensure your platform’s long-term success.
What is employee experience platform governance?
Employee experience platform governance is defined as the framework of roles, rules, responsibilities, guidelines, and processes that keep your EX platform or intranet organized, accountable, and effective. Governance ensures your platform remains relevant, secure, and valuable as your organization evolves. Without it, even the best platforms can become cluttered, confusing, and underused.
Why is governance important for an EX platform or intranet?
Governance keeps your platform organized and reliable over time by delivering:
- Clarity: Everyone knows the purpose of your platform and who’s responsible for which aspects of building and maintaining it.
- Consistency: Content and processes stay aligned with business goals.
- Scalability: The platform can grow and adapt without losing its structure.
- Trust: Employees rely on the platform as a single source of truth.
- Continuous improvement: Regular reviews and feedback keep the platform evolving.
Without governance, you risk content sprawl, confusion, low adoption, and a lack of accountability.
Who should be involved in EX platform governance?
Depending on your organization’s employee experience needs, you’ll want to involve a variety of players in the governance of your intranet or EX platform, including:
- C-level sponsors/senior leaders: Set vision and secure buy-in.
- Stakeholders/sponsors: Oversee strategy and report progress.
- Intranet/EX manager: Day-to-day management and training.
- Content leads: Ensure departmental content is accurate.
- Content publishers: Create and maintain content.
- IT support: Manage technical aspects and integrations.
- Champions/ambassadors: Promote adoption and gather feedback.
- Steering group: Provide cross-functional input and escalate issues.
Governance only works when the right people are involved. A mix of leadership, operational roles, and advocates creates a governance team that can maintain structure and drive adoption long after launch.
Who should lead EX platform governance?
Typically, an internal project owner or intranet manager leads governance efforts. This person acts as the central point of contact, coordinating tasks and ensuring compliance with governance standards. Senior leadership should provide strategic oversight and support.
What a RACI matrix is and how is it used in EX platform governance?
A RACI matrix clarifies responsibilities by defining who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each task. Here’s what each one means:
- Responsible: The person who completes the task (e.g., content publisher)
- Accountable: The person ultimately answerable for the outcome (e.g., intranet manager)
- Consulted: Stakeholders who provide input (e.g., HR or IT leads)
- Informed: Those who need updates but aren’t directly involved (e.g., senior leadership)
Multiple individuals can be named Responsible, Consulted, and Informed for each part of the project, but only one person should be listed as Accountable for any given task.
In governance planning, use RACI to map roles for content creation, approvals, technical support, and decision-making. This prevents overlap, ensures accountability, and keeps everyone aligned.
What role does an EX or intranet software vendor play in governance planning?
Your EX or intranet software vendor is a key partner in governance planning. They can provide:
- Frameworks and templates: Vendors supply best-practice models to help structure governance.
- Training and support: They provide onboarding resources and ongoing guidance for governance compliance.
- Strategic input: Vendors advise on workflows and integrations to align governance with platform capabilities.
Leveraging vendor expertise ensures your governance plan is practical, scalable, and aligned with industry best practices.
What are the key elements of a governance model for EX platforms?
Below are the core elements of Intranet governance and EX platform governance you need to know, broken down into practical questions and answers.
What types of governance models exist for EX platforms?
The three main governance models for EX software and intranets are centralized, hybrid, and collaborative. Choosing the right model for your organization impacts everything from decision-making to content quality to long-term adoption. Here’s what each one entails:
- Centralized: A core team manages structure, content, and permissions. This approach is ideal for new launches or organizations needing tight control.
- Hybrid: One central team manages core areas, while departments have autonomy over their sections.
- Collaborative: Content creation and management are distributed widely, with clear guidelines and oversight.
EX software governance tip: In our experience, you can’t go wrong starting off centralized. You can then evolve toward a hybrid or collaborative model as your platform matures.
What policies, guidelines, and processes should EX platform governance include?
When you’re putting together a governance strategy for your employee experience platform or intranet, you’ll want to lay out usage policies, site provisions, and content standards – these are what will keep your platform organized and compliant over time:
- Usage policies: Define acceptable use, moderation, and review of user-generated content.
- Site provisions and decommissioning: Outline processes for future additions to your intranet, from smaller pieces of content (like new pages) to bigger additions (like creating a new site).
- Content standards: Set guidelines for tone, branding, and approval workflows.
Getting these details recorded before your platform launch will solidify standards, head off any differences of opinion among teammates, and help you avoid confusion later on. The clarity and consistency they create will ensure your platform remains a trusted source of information and a safe space for collaboration.
How do you manage an EX platform’s content lifecycle?
Laying out how you’ll manage the lifecycle of your intranet or EX platform content from start to finish is a key step in the governance process. Here’s what it entails:
- Planning: Identify what content is needed for launch and ongoing use.
- Creation: Develop content guidelines and provide training for authors.
- Review and maintenance: Schedule regular audits to keep content fresh and relevant.
- Content audits: Use tools and templates to assess what’s working and what needs updating.
Managing content proactively ensures your platform stays useful, engaging, and aligned with organizational goals.
What technical and integration standards are needed for an intranet or EX platform?
Governance isn’t just about content – it also covers the technical backbone of your EX platform. Clear standards prevent security risks and integration headaches. Here’s what to include in your governance plan:
- IT’s role: Lay out what your IT team will be responsible for – for example, overseeing integrations, user management, and compliance.
- Approved tools: List what’s allowed on the platform and who manages each integration.
- Troubleshooting: Define escalation paths for technical issues.
Technical governance ensures your platform runs smoothly, integrates seamlessly with other systems, and remains secure as your organization grows.
How do you measure and improve EX or intranet governance success?
Measuring success helps you refine your governance approach and keep your employee experience aligned with business goals. Here’s how to track your progress:
- Measurement plan: Set benchmarks for adoption, engagement, and content health.
- Feedback loops: Regularly gather input from users and stakeholders.
- Continuous improvement: Use analytics and feedback to refine governance and platform features.
By monitoring performance and acting on feedback, you turn governance into a dynamic process that evolves with your organization.
How to build and maintain a governance plan for your EX platform or intranet
Creating a governance plan can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to. Think of it as a roadmap that sets your EX platform or intranet up for long-term success. Below is a clear, step-by-step approach to help you start strong and keep your governance framework effective over time.
- Start governance early: Introduce governance during the EX platform onboarding process, not after launch. Early planning ensures governance is baked into every decision, from content structure to technical integrations.
- Map what you have: Document existing workflows for content approvals, publishing, and technical changes. Identify gaps and pain points so your governance plan solves real problems rather than adding complexity.
- Assign clear roles: Use the RACI matrix we outlined above to define responsibilities. This prevents confusion and ensures accountability across leadership, content owners, and IT.
- Create and share your plan: Draft a simple, accessible document outlining policies, roles, and workflows. Share it widely and invite feedback to build trust and ownership among stakeholders.
- Train your team to make governance stick: Provide role-specific training and easy-to-use resources like templates and checklists. Governance should feel like a helpful guide, not a barrier.
- Keep it alive – decide how often you’ll review governance: Treat governance as a living document. Review it at least annually, or sooner if your organization or platform undergoes major changes. Regular updates keep it relevant and effective.
Quick tips for building a governance plan for your intranet or EX platform:
- Get buy-in from leadership and key departments.
- Make governance collaborative by inviting feedback and adapting your approach as needed.
- Use templates and checklists from your vendor to simplify the process.
- Communicate changes clearly and often.
What are best practices for EX platform governance?
Here’s are the key best practices to follow as you plan and execute governance of your intranet or EX platform:
- Align governance with business goals: Make sure your governance plan supports your organization’s mission and objectives.
- Establish clear ownership: Assign specific people to each role and responsibility.
- Use intuitive, user-friendly platforms: The easier it is to follow governance processes, the more likely people are to comply.
- Foster a knowledge-sharing culture: Encourage contributions, recognize top contributors, and make it easy to share expertise.
- Provide ongoing training and resources: Keep content owners and users up to date on best practices.
- Leverage analytics: Track usage, engagement, and content health to identify areas for improvement.
- Recognize and reward contributors: Celebrate milestones and successes to keep momentum high.
- Commit to continuous improvement: Regularly review and refine your governance plan as your platform and organization evolve.
- Take advantage of vendor support: During the EX platform buying process, take advantage of demos and other conversations to ask potential vendors about how they support governance. After signing, be sure to put your EX vendor’s resources and expertise to good use.
We’ve helped thousands of organizations establish governance of their employee experience platforms, and the above tactics make the most difference when it comes to both short-term and long-term health of their platforms.
Why governance is a must for any new EX platform
Governance isn’t just a launch requirement – it’s the foundation for a platform that grows with your organization. When done well, it creates clarity, accountability, and trust. Think of it as an ongoing conversation, not a static document. The more you revisit and refine your governance plan, the more resilient and effective your EX platform will be.
Employee experience platform governance and intranet governance: Frequently asked questions
EX platform governance is a framework of roles, rules, and processes that keeps your EX platform organized, accountable, and effective. A strong governance plan ensures consistency and prevents issues like content sprawl or unclear responsibilities.
Intranet governance and EX platform governance work the same way. In both cases, governance refers to the framework that helps you maintain structure, accountability, and content quality – both when you launch your platform and over time.
Typically, an internal project owner or intranet manager oversees governance, supported by stakeholders from IT, HR, and communications. Senior leadership should provide strategic oversight and buy-in.
A mix of senior leaders, stakeholders, platform managers, content owners, IT, and champions from across the business. Having a diverse team made up of several different roles across the business ensures a well-structured platform that reflects organizational priorities and user needs.
Start by defining roles, responsibilities, and clear policies for content and technical standards. Document workflows and make the plan accessible to all stakeholders. Review and update regularly to keep it relevant.
The three main models are centralized, hybrid, and collaborative. Centralized gives a core team full control, hybrid balances oversight with departmental autonomy, and collaborative distributes ownership widely with clear guidelines.
Track adoption, engagement, content freshness, and alignment with business objectives using analytics and feedback. Regular measurement helps identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
Review your governance strategy at least once per year, or after major organizational or platform changes. Frequent reviews keep governance aligned with evolving business needs and technology updates.
Lack of clarity, failing to assign ownership, neglecting regular reviews, and not adapting governance as needs change are common mistakes organizations make when it comes to governance. Avoiding these missteps ensures your platform remains structured and effective.
