Our Businesses and Brands Directory
This intranet directory explains how three fictional Northstar Group businesses contribute and where to start with cross-business questions. Use its comparison and routing example to find the relevant service lead or request coordination help.
Every employee gets a seat — priced per employee in Communications & Intranet, quoted with this template ready.
Rolled out to every employee at AutoZone (125,000), PetSmart (50,000+), A.S. Watson and Raley's (20,000) — and at larger retailers we are not permitted to name.
Built for: Equipment repair and maintenance · Industrial parts distribution · Technical training and education
Overview
Our Businesses and Brands Directory is a reference-page template for explaining how distinct businesses contribute to a group and helping employees choose a starting point for a question. Its fictional Northstar Group example distinguishes Workshop, which repairs equipment; Supply, which sources replacement parts; and Learning, which teaches maintenance-planning approaches. A feature-card overview and comparison table make those differences easy to scan.
A worked example shows how a branch exploring equipment life might begin with repair options, involve parts sourcing if a part is identified, and include maintenance-planning education when useful. The page describes this as a coordination example, not a required workflow or a repair and safety procedure. Role-based contact cards direct employees to the relevant business service lead or to a portfolio coordination role when the question spans businesses or its destination is unclear. A final section tells employees what information to prepare and identifies shared content responsibility in the fictional example.
Use this template when employees need a stable, plain-language map of business roles and cross-business help routes. Replace the fictional names and descriptions with confirmed facts, and verify each role and destination before publishing. It is not a service catalog, an eligibility checker, or a substitute for authoritative technical guidance. Do not use it to promise services, define mandatory handoffs, or imply that the example describes your organization without review. Keep the page current when services, business relationships, or contact routes change.
Standards & compliance context
- Treat this page as an informational routing reference, not as a repair instruction, safety procedure, or evidence of regulatory compliance.
- Link to the organization’s authoritative safety, maintenance, or service documentation where applicable, and confirm those destinations with their owners before publishing.
- Use accessible heading structure, meaningful link labels, and a readable table with clearly identified column headers to support WCAG 2.1 AA practices.
- Do not imply that a business provides a regulated service, that a handoff is mandatory, or that a described process is approved unless the organization has confirmed that information.
General regulatory context for orientation only — verify current requirements with counsel or the relevant agency before relying on this template for compliance.
What's inside this template
Find the right business for your question
Orient employees to the directory’s purpose and clarify that Northstar is a fictional three-business example.
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A practical guide for employees who need to understand or connect work across businesses. Northstar Group is a fictional example of a three-business organization: Workshop repairs equipment, Supply sources replacement parts, and Learning teaches maintenance planning.
Three businesses, distinct roles
Scan the three business cards to understand each business’s separate contribution to the group.
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Their names are typographic examples; each card describes a different contribution to the group. NORTHSTAR WORKSHOP Repairs equipment and helps teams understand repair options for equipment they use. NORTHSTAR SUPPLY Sources replacement parts to support equipment repair and continued use. NORTHSTAR LEARNING Teaches maintenance-planning approaches so teams can organize knowledge and plan future work.
Where each business fits
Compare each business’s contribution with the situations in which employees may find it relevant.
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A quick comparison for routing a question; service details are illustrative. Business Contribution Useful when Northstar Workshop Equipment repair A branch wants to understand repair options. Northstar Supply Replacement-part sourcing A repair discussion identifies a part to source. Northstar Learning Maintenance-planning education A team wants to build its maintenance-planning knowledge.
Worked example: extending equipment life
Follow an illustrative coordination scenario that distinguishes repair, parts sourcing, and maintenance-planning education.
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A coordination example, not a repair or safety procedure. A branch wants to explore whether a piece of equipment can remain useful for longer. It describes the equipment, the issue it has observed, and the outcome it hopes to achieve. Start with Northstar Workshop to discuss repair options based on the branch's description. Bring in Northstar Supply if a part is identified to explore sourcing options for that part. Involve Northstar Learning when planning knowledge would help the branch organize and share maintenance-planning approaches. The businesses have different roles: Workshop concerns repair, Supply concerns parts, and Learning concerns education. The relevant business owner can clarify whether a specific service or handoff applies.
Choose a cross-business help route
Find the service lead for a business-specific question or the coordination role for a question spanning businesses.
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Start with the lead for the business whose service best matches your question. Business service lead Northstar Workshop, Northstar Supply, or Northstar Learning Ask for routing help when your question spans businesses or you are unsure where it belongs. Portfolio coordination role Cross-business coordination
Make the first conversation useful
Prepare the context a service lead or coordination role needs, and note who maintains the directory in this fictional example.
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When you approach a business service lead or portfolio coordination role, include the branch or team affected, the equipment or service involved, the outcome you are seeking, what you have already learned, and which businesses you think may be relevant. In this fictional example, Corporate Communications and the business owners share responsibility for keeping the directory accurate. Revisit the information when a business service, relationship, or cross-business contact route changes.
How to use this template
- Replace the fictional group and business names with confirmed names, then ask each business owner to verify its contribution and the limits of the description.
- Confirm the service lead and cross-business coordination roles, and add only help destinations that exist and are accessible to the intended readers.
- Review the comparison table and worked example with the relevant owners so the routing illustrates a useful starting point without implying an unapproved handoff.
- Publish the page in the intranet location employees use to understand business roles, with a descriptive title and a clear route to related authoritative guidance if available.
- Assign content ownership and a review trigger, then update the directory when a service, business relationship, or help route changes.
Best practices
- Describe each business by its distinct contribution, using parallel language so employees can compare roles quickly.
- Label illustrative service descriptions and scenarios clearly, and do not present them as commitments or confirmed operating procedures.
- Keep the comparison table focused on the question employees are trying to route: which business may be relevant and when.
- Use role names rather than individual employee names so the directory remains useful when staff change.
- Tell employees what details to bring to a first conversation, such as the affected branch, equipment or service, desired outcome, and what they already know.
- Name an accountable content owner and review the page when a service, relationship, or contact route changes.
- Check that headings and table content are understandable to screen-reader users, and use descriptive link text for any destinations you add.
What this template typically catches
Issues teams running this template most often surface in practice:
Common use cases
Frequently asked questions
What does this directory cover, and what does it not cover?
The example introduces Northstar Workshop for equipment repair, Northstar Supply for replacement-part sourcing, and Northstar Learning for maintenance-planning education. It includes a comparison table, a worked coordination example, and role-based help routes. It does not define a complete catalog of services, confirm service eligibility, or provide repair or safety instructions.
Who should use this page?
It is intended for employees who need to understand the businesses or route a question that may span them. The fictional example uses a branch exploring options for equipment with an observed issue. Adapt the audience and scope to match the real group and the employees who need the directory.
Who owns the directory, and who should answer a service question?
In the example, Corporate Communications and the business owners share responsibility for keeping the directory accurate. Employees should start with the service lead for the business that best matches the question. A portfolio coordination role can help when the question spans businesses or the right route is unclear; replace these role names with confirmed roles in your organization.
How often should the directory be reviewed?
The example calls for a review when a business service, relationship, or cross-business contact route changes; it does not prescribe a fixed review schedule. Assign an owner to check the page on your organization’s chosen content-review cadence as well. Update the comparison and help routes when their underlying facts change.
Does this directory establish regulatory or safety requirements?
No. It is a routing reference, not a regulatory guide, repair procedure, or safety approval. Employees should use the authoritative procedures and qualified roles that apply to their work. If the real directory links to policies or technical guidance, confirm those destinations with the relevant owners before publishing.
How should we customize the Northstar example?
Replace the fictional company and business names, descriptions, example scenario, and coordination roles with confirmed organizational information. Keep each business description distinct and state where service details are illustrative or limited. Remove or revise any route that does not exist in your organization rather than leaving an unstaffed contact role.
Does the template connect to a service directory or business system?
The supplied structure contains authored text, feature cards, a comparison table, and contact cards; it does not specify a live integration or connected data source. Add only destinations supported by your intranet and verified by the relevant owners. Confirm that readers can access each linked page before publishing.
What is a common mistake when rolling this page out?
A frequent pitfall is presenting illustrative service descriptions as confirmed promises or treating the example sequence as a required handoff. Verify each description and route with the business owners, and label examples clearly. Also ensure the page has an owner and a visible way to request routing help.
Why use this directory instead of answering cross-business questions ad hoc?
A shared reference gives employees a consistent starting point, a quick comparison of business roles, and a repeatable way to request help. Ad hoc answers can vary by person and become difficult to find later. The directory still needs accurate content and clear ownership; it does not replace case-specific advice from the appropriate business lead.
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Every employee gets a seat. Request pricing for Communications & Intranet and we quote into a workspace with Our Businesses and Brands Directory ready.
Rolled out to every employee at AutoZone (125,000), PetSmart (50,000+), A.S. Watson and Raley's (20,000) — and at larger retailers we are not permitted to name.
