4 SHAREPOINT ADOPTION BEST PRACTICES

In a recent article, we discussed about some of the signs that may alert you about a deficient

SharePoint implementation in your company. Slow user adoption is one of these signs and the most

important factor in reaching SharePoint’s full business value.

Adoption is a common problem millions of businesses around the world are facing when it comes to

SharePoint implementation. According to a Microsoft market research, 78% of Fortune 500

companies are using SharePoint. In spite of a high number of users, many view SharePoint as

nothing more than a network.

Usually, SharePoint is pushed by IT with backing from management, but SharePoint is a

solution based on end users experience. In most cases when users are first exposed to SharePoint

they may feel intimidated by its complexity. A good SharePoint adoption strategy involves special

attention to employees and their experiences, which companies have to take into consideration

from the beginning. Here are 4 aspects we consider mandatory for a correct SharePoint adoption

that in the end will influence the ROI:

1. Get everyone on the same boat

Provide everyone a clear perspective of SharePoint’s value for the company and how they can take

advantage of it in an efficient manner. This may involve explaining the motivation for SharePoint

implementation, each specific stage in the adoption process and how they will be involved. Start

with the key stakeholders so they can support your motivation along the entire process.

2. Engage executives

Engage with various business units’ representatives to identify common issues in their departments

and design relevant SharePoint use cases. You have to speak their language which in most cases

won’t be as technical as you expected, and demonstrate SharePoint’s value for their department and

specific processes. Show them how SharePoint will help them reach their specific objectives and

improve their day-to-day work process. Keep in mind that it is extremely important to customize

your speech according to each audience and present SharePoint using their language.

3. Provide trainings

Users tend to use SharePoint in the most common and well known way, as they see and learn from

their colleagues. Self-learning is not the same for all employees. Internal training programs are thus

essential in the SharePoint adoption planning. These training programs should bring together novice

and champion SharePoint users in a collaborative environment that should increase the first ones’

confidence in their own abilities.

4. Define a workable governance and stick to it

With so many functionalities and without a clear governance plan, a relatively expensive and

complex solution like SharePoint becomes a place for storing files, where nobody wants to get lost

in. You have to develop a clear governance plan, and to decide for each new feature if it is really

useful for users and for the company, if it is truly necessary, sustainable and if it brings value to the

business. This is the great difference of a correct SharePoint adoption plan – users start by

customizing SharePoint features to their true needs and understand how to use it less as a file

sharing solution.

To achieve successful SharePoint adoption, you have to focus on users, their experiences and their

daily interactions. SharePoint’s capabilities exceed what users are accustomed to experience with

software solutions. It is very easy for your employees to become frustrated and to avoid using

SharePoint. Also, it’s often hard for people to realize the full potential of SharePoint and how it can

help them achieve their specific goals.

Thus, once made the decision to implement SharePoint in your company, design an adoption

strategy and set clear objectives to make sure everyone is going in the right direction. Be aware that

SharePoint adoption is not an easy process and it needs full-engagement, understanding and

patience.

ABOUT IT GREEN LIGHT

IT Green Light is an IT consultancy company, focusing mainly on special IT projects and technologies.

Headquartered in Romania, the company develops IT projects worldwide through its offices in

Munchen and Dubai. For over 10 years, IT Green Light designs and implements collaboration

solutions, business intelligence, corporate intelligence and knowledge management solutions.

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