Step-by-step: implementing online forms

Online forms should be a key component of all corporate intranets, as they deliver clear productivity benefits and cost savings. Few organisations, however, have taken the next steps beyond simply publishing forms in PDF format.

This article discusses some of the reasons why online forms have not been more widely deployed.

An incremental approach is then outlined for implementing online forms. This is designed to minimise the cost and effort required at each step, while maximising the benefits delivered.

Benefits of online forms

More than just a repository for static content, the corporate intranet should be a 'place for doing things'. Online forms offer the simplest and most effective way of adding interactivity to an intranet.

These online forms can provide a strong incentive for staff to visit the intranet, as they capture common (or important) business tasks and activities.

Online forms also deliver clear time savings for both staff filling in the forms, and the 'back-office' staff processing them. This leads to measurable productivity gains and cost savings. This is in addition to the dollars saved by eliminating the printing of paper forms.

Online forms also offer the possibility of improvements in overall business processes, via integrating different IT systems, or providing new mechanisms for completing activities.