SharePoint Inquiry Questions

The following are some good questions to ponder when creating a site for a user:

1)      What do you know?

2)      What do you not know?

3)      What are the objectives for the site?

4)      What is needed to reach the objectives?

5)      Does anything need to be learned to create the site?

6)      What is the best way to learn what is needed?

7)      What will the expected results be from deploying the new site?

8)      What is the best way to communicate and review the new site with the user(s)?

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SharePoint Having a Voice

When utilizing SharePoint, it’s important to give everyone a voice. Overall, here are some key talking points:

• Have users understand that they are in control of their destiny – they can and should make informed choices on their content and documents.
• Tell users it’s OK to be inquisitive – and challenge the status quo to seek knowledge they need to succeed.
• Let users consider alternatives and talk them through with the proper SharePoint administrator, content manager or analyst.
• Remember that end users using SharePoint are part of a learning process – by users being active in the pursuit of knowledge, they will become passive learners.
• Evangelize the SharePoint environment so that users will be critical thinkers which will help it to expand and be successful.
• Users need to know how to problem solve and seek answers to common problems so they are self-sufficient in regard to the SharePoint environment.

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SharePoint Technology Roadmap

One item that is important when utilizing or managing a SharePoint environment is to have a technology roadmap each year at the minimum. By planning for one year – this may help one to evolve planning for two to three years out.

Typically this roadmap would be changed/adjusted as needed but at the minimum could contain the following quadrants as an example:

Year (Example 2018) -> Quarter 1

SharePoint cumulative update installed on development, testing and production environments.

Year (Example 2018) -> Quarter 2-3

SharePoint release of new sites/functionality

Year (Example 2018) -> Quarter 4

Install of packaged back-up and restore software

Year (Example 2019) -> Quarter 1

Migration of legal sites to Office365 cloud

Migration of on-premise Mysites data to OneDrive for Business

Year (Example 2019) -> Quarter 2-3

SharePoint release of new sites/functionality

Year (Example 2019) -> Quarter 4

Migration of file share data to Office365 cloud

SharePoint – pilot of financial web-parts dashboard display

 

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SharePoint & Teaching

When teaching others about SharePoint – the following items one should be mindful of:

·         Observe how you react to mistakes – and not be defensive – SharePoint is challenging to learn so users should be taught with patience

·         Try new learning techniques – users learn differently so be mindful of this – therefore creating many different mediums (live classes, remote classes, videos, quick guides, self-help written modules, etc.) is essential

·         Teach in your area of strength – if one is good with out of the box SharePoint aspects – they should teach in that area, if one is good with workflows, they should teach in that area  

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Organization Change & SharePoint

Overall, SharePoint can be utilized to challenge the “status quo” thinking. SharePoint empowers teams to continuously improve via process, people and behavioral changes.

Some traits that are usually exhibited when change is involved with SharePoint:

·         The new process has users scared – so hand holding and direction on the value of SharePoint is needed.

·         Users feel that SharePoint is a time wasted, nothing gained technology – so it needs to be sold via learning sessions (classes, videos, handouts, etc.).

·         After time, users will realize the value and the environment ecosystem of SharePoint will be healthy and productive.

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SharePoint and Change – Part II

The following are some key items to consider when using SharePoint as a platform for change:

1)      Know what SharePoint can do and how much can get done with out of the box as well as custom functionality

2)      Know how much work – can get done based on cost, scope and schedule with SharePoint

3)      Know what can released during regular hours and what needs a change control or e-mail communication to users (example a solution deployment that re-cycles application pools)

4)      Know what can be completing taking into consideration – ideal time (how long item will take without distractions)

5)      Have a definition of what done means in regard to a site or functionality request

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SharePoint and Change – Part I

The following are some key items to consider when using SharePoint as a platform for change:

 

1)      Let proper team members know of change so that a plan for how to communicate change to organization can be created

2)      Define how SharePoint will be utilized in the organization. Will its main purpose be document management, content sites or utilization of key and core workflows

3)      Account for governance – know what users will be allowed and not allow to do. Make the governance plans readily available in a wiki or series of blog posts.

4)      Account for at least a one hour to 90 minute overview of SharePoint functionality that users will need to know (upload documents, use lists, how to search, how to use managed metadata, etc.)

5)      Develop and fine tune – processes for how best to manage work and requests in SharePoint by utilizing request forms for requirements so that an Agile model can be followed by creating from such requests the needed stories and tasks for what was being asked.

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