Great Document Management Suggestions
Microsoft SharePoint enables important documents and business processes to be stored in a central information hub. It can also be a powerful communication and collaboration tool. On the other hand, a SharePoint implementation could also have a disruptive and resource intensive influence on an organization if it's not managed effectively. During times of recession, it's all of the more important to find ways to work smarter with less resource.
Follows these tips to maximize the value gained through your SharePoint implementation:
Think of SharePoint as a development platform...not much of a product
It's a common mistake for individuals to assume that SharePoint will provide them with what they want without customization. As a refined software application, SharePoint has many various features and plug-ins which may be confusing. Deployments effortlessly will go wrong if IT teams just turn on additional modules without considering the business case, requirements, and training needed to make them part of an ongoing business process.
The better comprehensive functionality available from SharePoint has to be built by an IT team (or a third party vendor) using SharePoint's.NET development tools. Hence it is more appropriate to view SharePoint as a 'development platform' rather than an 'out of the box' product. Representatives from various parts of the business will need to work along with the IT team from the very start of the project. The project team needs to clarify the business requirements and all technical and functional needs of the SharePoint implementation before starting the project.
Use low cost, plug and play discussion forum tools to enable project teams to discuss and capture ideas since they crop up just before, and during, a SharePoint implementation. External discussion forum channels can be simple to deploy, secure, low cost and available on a short term license basis.
Utilise company wide surveys to evaluate what's working and what's not with the existing Intranet and also to gather information concerning the tools and resources people would want to see included on the new Great SharePoint Intranet. Consider using survey tools that may be pushed directly onto employee computer screens so do not get buried in email in boxes. Integrated survey reminders can assist drive participation that may ensure that all views are represented within the research...including the important but often 'silent majority' who perhaps don't have extreme views or agendas and would ordinarily be less motivated to participate.
