Good afternoon!

We are excited to celebrate and kick off 2023 with the relaunch of OneUSDA intranet, a centralized information hub for all USDA employees. We are building toward a future where every USDA employee can quickly navigate OneUSDA to stay informed, find news and resource links, and build connections across all we do at the department. In our effort to make USDA the best place to work, we recognize that sharing information, promoting communities of practice, leading with transparency and nurturing a learning culture are all critical. Over the past two years, USDA’s Office of Communications worked collaboratively with the Office of the Chief Information Officer, the Office of Human Resources Management, other USDA staff offices and agencies to continue the development of the OneUSDA website. 

This is your intranet!

• OneUSDA is employee-driven and led. As an information hub, you will find:
• The latest department, agency and staff office news and messages from leaders
• Quick links and tools that will take you to frequently used databases (i.e., WebTA, HRConnect and others)
• Program and employee highlights and examples of best practices and job opportunities. 

How can you help?

Explore! Over the next few days, take a tour. Every agency has room to develop a microsite. Think about what messages and content resonate with you and what does not. What types of information do you want to receive, how do you want to receive it and where should that information be stored? Are there opportunities to better manage internal employee communications and files that will reduce redundancy? Your feedback is imperative as we continue to build on this effort. Let us know! 

Content is important. Without quality content, the intranet will not be useful. So, please share! Whether you lead a program that innovated a new best practice, have a coworker who exemplifies federal service, have a detail announcement that is open to your agency staff or all department staff, or want to host an all-employee event—we have room for your words, photos and links. 

Submit content for consideration to OneUSDA@usda.gov. Please use the subject line “Content: [agency name, placement preference, title],” (For example: “Content: OSEC, Secretary Update, First Friday”). We will be reviewing incoming suggestions on a rolling basis and aim to integrate yours as best we can. 

Each agency will manage the development of its agency microsite and agency content strategy. 

What is next?

Tomorrow, we start to gather your feedback about what works and what does not work. We have already identified a few needs. These include: content development, greater ability to customize by agency, links to common libraries of documents, improved site search, and an employee directory. For now, we are focusing on function and navigation with a consistent look and feel throughout your user experience.

In the next few weeks, OneUSDA will start to automatically pop up when you open your browser to ensure that you are receiving the latest department news and updates at the start of your workday. 

“My agency/office already has an intranet.”

Many USDA agency and staff offices take advantage of a number of tools and collaborative workspaces provided by Microsoft O365, including SharePoint sites (aka workflow management systems). OneUSDA is not here to replace these spaces, but to help employees find and learn about them. OneUSDA works in concert with O365, making the best use of both software solutions. Some agencies also have existing intranets on other software platforms with content that will be migrated to OneUSDA. Over the next year, you can expect agency leadership messaging and news to migrate onto OneUSDA with links to the other locations.

Why?

In 2017, a review of USDA’s web presence found 1,600 different domain names in use, numerous duplicative intranet websites, an inconsistent look and feel across agency websites, and multiple content management systems (websites) that are incompatible with department-wide information sharing. And there are currently over 150 employee newsletters. 

Inconsistent and duplicate information creates confusion and frustrates our stakeholders and you, our employees. As one of our employees put it, “Off the top of my head, I must have to access at least six sites + email (and there are more, I know) to ensure that I have done my due diligence to be up to date.” We want to streamline this responsibility. 

To inform the development of OneUSDA, the Office of Customer Experience conducted a survey of over 16,000 employees and interviewed 132 employees representing the breadth of our diverse organization. Employees overwhelmingly responded that they wanted an easy-to-use, one-stop shop to find archived messages, department news, career development opportunities, leadership updates and share best practices. Today’s rollout includes the most recent updates to meet your demands. 

OneUSDA is part of a larger department-wide initiative to consolidate USDA’s web presence and remove duplicative software systems and websites that are incompatible with one another. This web modernization is mandated by Congress in the 21st Century Digital Experience Act. Over the past two years, we have made a lot of progress to upgrade or retire many of our outdated websites. Yet, there is more work to do.

Thank you for your patience and your feedback!

Building an intranet for a large department with as many as 29 agencies and staff offices is a multiyear undertaking. The right solution requires time and feedback. With your help we are going to adapt and grow. This is the beginning, and we are looking forward to a bright future.

Sincerely,

Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh

See this and other announcements on OneUSDA.

For more department photos, see our Flickr photostream.