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Collaboration on SharePoint?What does it mean for your organization

Michal PisarekSharePoint MVP

Founder, Dynamic Owl Consulting

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Introduction: Michal Pisarek

Founder of Dynamic Owl ConsultingMicrosoft SharePoint MVPOrganizer of the Vancouver SharePoint Users GroupBlog: SharePointAnalyst HQ Contributing AuthorInternational SharePoint Speaker

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Dynamic Owl

SharePoint consulting servicesBusiness focused• Strategy & Roadmap• Governance• Change Management• Requirements Elicitation• Intranets and Digital Workplaces

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What we’re covering today:

What exactly is Collaboration anyway?

Creating collaboration solutions for your organization

Today’s Agenda

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Understand what collaboration is and isn’t

Tools and techniques to help you create great

collaboration solutions

Have a framework that you can use to define collaboration for your

organization

Session Goals

What is Collaboration?

Everyone’s favorite word but what does it mean?

Content authoring (DEMO)Poll: What is Collaboration?

Slide TitleDefinitions of Collaboration

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In times of crisis• You really want to have people sitting around and thinking?

You want action!

On the battlefield• You have a commander, he makes the orders, people carry

them out

When personal goals conflict• If you are rewarded to compete rather than collaborate you

simply wont

When Collaboration doesn’t work

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Collaboration has been proven outside the enterprise, now it is be moved insidePeople are infinitely more powerful in groups that individualsIt’s the people that make an organization powerful, not systems or toolsWe have the technical means to collaborate easily

Why so hot?

Creating Collaboration Solutions

How do you create great collaboration solutions?

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Process Mapping

Workshop

Scoping Discussion

Information Architecture

Requirements Analysis Prototyping Solution

Design / Build Training Roll Out

Defining Collaboration for your organization

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Problem Domain vs. Solution Domain• How to really get requirements

Why we use the iterative approach• People don’t know what they don’t know…until they

start using the system

Two things before we start

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Problem Domain: Where you discuss objectives, goals and needsSolution Domain: Where you define the solution

Problem Domain vs Solution Domain

Slide TitleWhy is this important?

Example 1:“We’d like to have a master suite, and 3 bedrooms, one for each of our 2 kids, and

one for guests. We’d also like to have an office, a playroom

for the kids, and…”

Example 2:Well, we want everybody to have

their privacy, and also need an area where the 2 kids can play together. We would like to be able to house

guests without having to move anyone to another room. And we

need a functional workspace where my husband and I can be

productive while working from home…

Slide TitleWhat does this have to do with SharePoint?

Example 1:“Let me just open up SharePoint and your fileshare and we can

create the libraries on fly”

Example 2:“We are here to talk about what you

currently do, what your issues are and what you think could be improved. Don’t worry about

SharePoint, we will get to that. For now explain to me what you do in

your jobs”

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Don’t open up SharePoint straight away – it will stop people for exploring the problem spaceDon’t ask about what they want in terms of SharePoint features, ask them what they doStay in the problem space long enough to understand the issues and opportunities

Tips

Slide TitleTips Less of this

Slide TitleTips More of this

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People don’t know what they don’t know until they start using somethingSharePoint is a great platform to iterate on solution features

Why Iteration is important

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Even with the best techniques things will be missed until the solution is usedYou should welcome and accept change BUTEnsure that you communicate the boundaries of changes (scope, time, budget)

Allow your users time to explore the solution

Slide TitleDefining Collaboration for your organization

Process Mapping

Workshop

Scoping Discussion

Information Architecture

Requirements Analysis Prototyping Solution

Design / BuildTraining Roll Out

Problem Domain

Solution Domain

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Communicating Iterations

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Spend more time in the problem domain

Don’t jump into creating solutions without exploring

business issues

Ensure that you iterate and let uses discover

what they didn’t know they didn’t know

Communicate how much iteration can

occur and the boundaries

Take Always

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Process Mapping

WorkshopScoping

DiscussionInformation Architecture

Requirements Analysis Prototyping Solution

Design / Build Training Roll Out

Defining Collaboration for your organization

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Activity Identification/Process Mapping• Representing their role on the

project, participants write down their activities and presents

• Group similar/like activities together• Identify inputs and deliverables

Process Mapping

Why it works: Findings can be a basis for the SharePoint site structure, workflows, processes, roles/responsibilities and deliverables (as well as project scoping). It is often an eye-opener for team members.

Slide TitleExample of PM Mapping

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DO:• Prepare for these workshops in advance and communicate the

intention to the attendees(frame it well)• Invite the right people in the room• Get business/executive support (some of the findings can be

provocative)• Make sure you have enough time

DON’T:• Invite too many people – 6-8 stakeholder representatives• Use cheap sticky notes

Workshops – Do’s and Don’ts

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Process Mapping

Workshop

Scoping Discussion

Information Architecture

Requirements Analysis Prototyping Solution Design

/ Build Training Roll Out

Looking at Scope

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You can’t do it allDetermine what you will and won’t do from everything that you have from the Process Mapping WorkshopClearly communicate scope (with SharePoint it can kill a project)

Scoping Discussion

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Collaborative solutions are usually:• Cross-functional (involving users from different

groups/departments)• Multidisciplinary (involving multiple SMEs, knowledge experts)

Important to understand • Who is involved (identify your stakeholders, involve them early)• How are the involved (what information do they provide and

require?)• Information dependencies

Scoping Discussion: Who will this involve?

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Capability or Outcome In/Out Scope Justification

Storage of all project related items

In Scope Having dual systems will compromise solution

Automate process of review

In Scope Business Critical FeaturePossibility of time saving

Project Dash boarding and Reporting

In Scope Requested by senior staffTime savings for Core Management Team

Complete Lifecycle development of project related content

Out of Scope Currently no lifecycle existsToo difficult and costly to have as part of scope

Scoping Diagram

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Process Mapping

Workshop

Scoping Discussion

Information Architecture

Requirements Analysis Prototyping Solution Design

/ Build Training Roll Out

Defining Information Architecture

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How you categorize and organize information in SharePoint such as:• Metadata, Content Types, Taxonomies• List/Library Names, Site Names• Site URL’s, Web Application Name

What is Information Architecture in SharePoint

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Creating a good IA ensure that users understand what your solution is for

A good IA provides context to your solutionsUsing your organizations nomenclature ensures understanding

Why IA is important

Slide TitleWhy you shouldn’t just use a Team Site

Unless these people work with you remove them

If you are not using these features remove them

A small description should go here informing users of the sites purpose

Slide TitleFrom Fileshares to Metadata

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Understand the content that you haveCan be painful but is essential for any further workThere are automated tools available

Step 1: Content Audit

Slide TitleStep Two: Look at each level of the file structure

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

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What do these folders represent?Why are they structured like this?What are the possible values?

Step Two: For each level ask the following

Slide TitleLevel

1

Level 2

Level 3

This level represents our customers.

This level represents who is assigned to create the client

report

This level represents the status of the report

Slide TitleFile structure usage Metadata Type Comments

Represents customers Name: CustomerType: Free Text FieldDefault: None

New customers are always added, too much overhead to maintain a taxonomy

Represents the assignee Name: AssigneeType: Person Field (Single)Default: None

Only internal staff can be assigned, and only a single person. Used to drive views

Represents the report status

Name: Report StatusType: ChoiceOptions: New, In Progress, For Review, FinalizedDefault: New

Limited amount of choices, all client reports are created with ‘New’ status

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Create in Excel or SharePointDetermine requirements for views Iterate and test

Step Three: Create and Test

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Process Mapping

WorkshopScoping Discussion Information

ArchitectureRequirements

AnalysisPrototyping

Solution Design /

BuildTraining Roll Out

Requirements Analysis

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Usage Scenarios • Use Cases, User Stories• Can be re-purposed into test cases and

marketing / roll-out material• The start of content targeting• Helps communicate the stories behind the

technology (who should care, what is it used for)

Requirements Analysis

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Process Mapping• Understand where SharePoint fits into the overall

process• SharePoint is rarely represents the entire business

process, but aids a sub-process (part of something bigger)

• Map the process of how end users and SharePoint will work together

• Drives workflow, alerts, business rules

Requirements Analysis

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Process Mapping

Workshop

Scoping Discussion

Information Architecture

Requirements Analysis Prototyping Solution

Design / Build Training Roll Out

Prototyping your solution

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A picture is worth a thousand wordsKeeps people in the problem domain as opposed to creating a prototypeShows progress to stakeholdersPeople like pictures

Prototyping: Wireframes

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Balsamiq is our tool of choiceQuick, easy and cheapSharepoint templates available

Prototyping: Balsamiq Mockups

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Use excel prototypes of get metadata requirementsUse Sharepoint prototypes to confirm

Document Libraries and Metadata

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Yes you can as long as people understand it’s a prototypeOnce you are confident with your problem understanding

What about SharePoint prototypes?

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Process Mapping

Workshop

Scoping Discussion

Information Architecture

Requirements Analysis Prototyping

Solution Design / Build

Training Roll Out

Solution Design / Build

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Any custom pieces could be developed in the prototyping phases as wellInvolve your developers in the prototyping phase so that they have a very good idea about what they are building

Solution Design / Build

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Process Mapping

Workshop

Scoping Discussion

Information Architecture

Requirements Analysis Prototyping Solution

Design / Build Training Roll Out

Training

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Yes you need to train your usersThey need training in two areas:• The mechanics of the solution (HOW do I upload a

document)

• An understanding of the solution (WHY am I uploading something here as opposed to there)

Training

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A big part of training is about building trust with the new tool. How to build trust:• Build a good foundation of trust in the system:

› Explain features like versioning and metadata and how it really works, what to do when you have made a mistake (the Recycle bin)

› What are the benefits of using the new tool instead of going back to old ways

• Show you understand their current issues and opportunities and how this new tool will address them. Tell their story.

Training: Building Trust

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Process Mapping

Workshop

Scoping Discussion

Information Architecture

Requirements Analysis Prototype Solution

Design / Build Training Roll Out

Defining Collaboration for your organization

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Test the solution for technical stability (nothing kills adoption and buy-in like a buggy system)Test it with stakeholders, using real data before going “live”. Repeat.Test the usage scenarios that the tool was designed for

Roll Out: Test it, test it and test it some more

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How to market the new toolTell their storyTarget message to stakeholder groupsAnswer “What’s in it for me?”Have executives/management sponsor a message, lead by example

Roll out: Marketing

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“We will not use file shares any more for this project. If it’s not in SharePoint, it doesn’t matter”Catch old habits (nesting of folders within document libraries)• Course correct, make necessary changes and understand why it

is happening

Roll out: Enforcement

Questions?

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Michal Pisarek (Vancouver)E: Michal@dynamicowl.comT: @michalpisarekW: www.dynamicowl.comB: www.SharePointAnalystHQ.com

Wrap-up: contact details