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.