One problem that it seems all organizations face when they deploy SharePoint is that it’s just not like other software solutions. Deploying SharePoint is not like rolling out a new Accounts Payable system - there are many deeply embedded business practices, from the use of folders to the use of e-mail, that are disrupted when on organization decides to commit to SharePoint in a big way. But the reality is that companies often completely underestimate what it takes to deploy SharePoint as a collaboration tool.
While there are plenty of terrific companies that offer training on how to customize or configure SharePoint, I haven’t been able to find any real training that helps organizations identify best practices for how you collaborate on a document within a document workspace or how to configure metadata (site columns) so that you optimize the experience for both end users and content contributors. I think this is largely because a lot of best practices are tied to organizational culture, which means that it’s harder to find a “one size fits all” solution. In the past several weeks, I’ve heard multiple people tell me that “SharePoint isn’t intuitive.” It’s hard to argue with statements like that, but the truth is that using SharePoint may not be intuitive because using collaborative workspaces in SharePoint is a completely different way for people to interact. I believe that what is mostly not intuitive is the new way of working and the fact that inexperienced solution designers do not always know how to optimize their designs for usability -- it’s not always an issue with the tool itself. Most solution builders would do a better job if they could, but the training on how to do that just doesn’t seem to be out there.
So, what do you do? Well, the easy answer for me to say is that it helps to hire a consultant who understands both how SharePoint works, how to optimize the use of the tool, and best practices for “business sustainability” of SharePoint-based collaboration sites. Of course, this is a self-serving answer because that’s really what I do – help organizations deploy SharePoint for optimal usability and end user success – to get real business value. But that model doesn’t necessarily scale. I think the real answer is to use a consultant to help document and develop best practices, model sites, and end user training that is oriented towards the specific needs of your business and then train design “coaches” within the organization to provide “center of excellence” support in both best practices for SharePoint design as well as best practices for the optimal way of accomplishing a variety of business objectives using SharePoint – what I usually call “repeatable business solutions.” The answers aren’t always black and white or even obvious, which is why it helps to have a coach to provide guidance and choices to help you make the best decision for your solution and for your team.
Post new comment