The never ending road

If you're not careful, SharePoint 'implementation' can go on ad infinitum.

It's always good project management to specify an end date for any project (and have a celebration!), but with SharePoint particularly, it can be difficult to know when that end point has been reached.

The reason for this is that the aim of introducing SP to an organisation is usually to improve sharing and collaboration. So you can't finish a SP Project with a 'launch' and then assume that the system is in place and being used. That's really only the beginning of the story. Users need to be coaxed into using it, and this is where the project is in danger of going on and on.

And then there are upgrades. We implemented the 2003 version of SP over the space of a couple of years, and we're now planning the upgrade to 2007. Once that's done there'll probably be a 2009 version to worry about.....

My advice? Just really, really clear project plans. It's always a bigger project than it first looks, so plan for the unexpected and the unlikely. And don't be afraid to change plans as you go along - I know its not great practice to always change stuff, but its better to plan for a change, than for it to happen without you being aware - Sp can take on a life of its own!

And talk to other organisations, similar to your own, who have done it. If you can find someone who's really honest about the pitfalls, and what they did wrong, it'll save a world of bother.

SharePoint - Same old subject?

I've seen so many blogs about SharePoint, that I hardly feel I need create another one! However, most of the ones I read are aimed at developers, administrators etc.

I'm not them.

I'm a project manager of the SharePoint project in an international development NGO based in London. I'm part of the Organisational Development area of the organisation. I'm not a techie. I have no background in IT, but I am fascinated by new technologies - as a user, not a creator.

I've been working on implementing SharePoint here for the last 2 years. It's been a bumpy ride, and I want to share some of my experience with people who are starting out.

SharePoint is a massive technology. There are people who love it, and those that don't. I personally think it's a great product for collaboration and the sharing of knowledge - if used properly. And that's what I'm going to be concentrating on. Not the difficulties with linking it to Active Directory, or SQL servers etc etc - let the IT geeks worry about all that.
I want to share my experience about how it works in the business - in practice. How staff take to it, what problems we've had, what mistakes we've made.

Feel free to ask questions and make comments. I hope what I write can be of help to some people.....