Jonathan Collins at memeburn wrote a new blog post – 7 Top tips for getting your company rolling with Microsoft SharePoint. In my mind, the first 3 points are key to a successful SharePoint implementation -
1. Top down support
Every SharePoint implementation requires support from the head honchoes. Their support is essential and must continue once SharePoint is live. Leaders need to walk the talk and lead by example and the organisations executive needs to use SharePoint in a very visible way.2. Get buy-in from business
SharePoint shouldn’t be rolled out in isolation — engage and mobilise the organisation and get your business users involved. They will drive your business requirements and the end result will meet their needs if they’re involved in the process. They are the best campaigners as they have a stake in making it successful.3. Influencing the organisation
Gather exciting people for an exciting journey. Select successful thought leaders, subject matter experts, go to people and enthusiasts and get them, connected, engaged and involved. They become the core community that will support the business transformation and adoption.
Points 1 and 3 are closely related. It may seem like a bit of a catch-22, once you can get a critical mass of people using SharePoint, it will become self sustaining; everyone will begin to use it and wonder how they lived without it. This is why it is so important to get management, thought leaders and subject matter experts to consistently use SharePoint to disseminate information. They will make it the go-to source of information and the rest of the company will be drawn into using the site.
Point 2 could go a lot further or be completely flipped around. Business needs, process workflows, and requirements should be pushing you toward SharePoint instead of choosing SharePoint and then trying to figure out how it fits in your organization. Find out what problems need to be solved before deciding you need a SharePoint implementation. There is a strong possibility that SharePoint will add value to your organization, but approach it from the requirements side first.
- Does your company need a better way to collaborate and share information?
- Is your company buried in paper and would benefit from document archiving and document imaging?
- Do a limited number of people in the company have all the answers? And would they share the information if there was an easy way to do it?
- Do other common benefits apply…?
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