Regardless of version deployed, enterprises are finding out the hard way that SharePoint won’t govern itself. SharePoint’s explosive popularity has often meant that planning has taken a backseat to deployment, and many enterprises find themselves in a Wild West environment. Without sufficient planning, SharePoint is often used recklessly if at all.
Use this Solution Set to:
•Understand what SharePoint elements require governance.
•Create a SharePoint governance model and plan.
•Govern SharePoint on an on-going basis.
Understand the common issues and develop a governance model to restore order and smooth operational management.
Vector Search -An Introduction in Oracle Database 23ai.pptx
Develop share point governance strategy
1. Develop a SharePoint Governance Strategy
Bring a Sheriff to the SharePoint Wild West
2. Introduction
Regardless of version deployed, enterprises are finding out the hard way that SharePoint won‟t
govern itself. SharePoint‟s explosive popularity has often meant that planning has taken a
backseat to deployment, and many enterprises find themselves in a Wild West environment.
Without sufficient planning, SharePoint is often used recklessly if at all. Understand the common
issues and develop a governance model to restore order and smooth operational management.
Use this research to get a handle on what needs to be governed
and how you can govern it to achieve operational success.
This research is designed for… This research will help you…
CIOs and IT managers who have Understand what SharePoint elements
already made the decision to deploy, require governance.
or have deployed, SharePoint.
Create a SharePoint governance model
Deployments with moderate and plan.
complexity and informal processes.
Govern SharePoint on an on-going
Enterprises and SharePoint basis.
deployments of all sizes.
Consult “Select the Right Collaboration Platform “ and “Evaluate SharePoint for ECM” for help with SharePoint
evaluation. For SharePoint Development see “Manage a SharePoint Customization & Development Team”.
3. Executive Summary
An ungoverned SharePoint threatens more than business requirements --
it can bring your business to a grinding halt.
• SharePoint should never be deployed without planning or governance considerations.
Understand
• SharePoint will become a mission critical application, with or without you. If you‟re not
prepared, disaster is only a matter of time.
• Governing SharePoint is not just throwing a team together or rehashing old policies. Design
and configuration of SharePoint is a key responsibility for modern IT Business Analysts.
• Develop a strategy around architecture, security, maintenance, storage planning,
Strategize
development, and policies; the sooner the better. Ideally this should be well before
deployment, but can still be done years later if necessary.
• Don‟t let additional governance needs deter you from using SharePoint 2010; with more
requirements comes more included governance functionality.
• Involving business stakeholders has the largest impact on operational success.
• SharePoint can be effectively governed by having a few basic processes, policies, and
Manage
standards in place.
• Training will make or break your SharePoint deployment.
• Effective governance goes beyond design and can mitigate the risk of operational issues.
Info-Tech Research Group 3
4. Governance activities aren’t optional
SharePoint Governance Strategy Roadmap
Understand Strategize Formalize Manage
I
• Govern or fail: the choice is yours.
• SharePoint success is a factor of use cases, so govern accordingly.
• Set up SharePoint like a content database, not a fileserver.
• Follow Info-Tech‟s SharePoint Governance Model to cover all the bases.
4
5. Dedicate resources to SharePoint
governance or your initiative will fail
SharePoint governance isn‟t a „nice to have‟ that SharePoint without governance can result in more
only really applies to large enterprises. cost, time, and grief in any number of ways.
Though upfront costs, if any, are limited, and it is
• Users can bring down the system without
easy to deploy from IT‟s perspective, SharePoint
proper access controls
should never be deployed without
governance considerations
• Confidential documents can be
(use, content, design).
compromised if security measures aren‟t in place
SharePoint is a content database, not a file
system, making features and management • Document management will be nearly
exponentially more complex; once it‟s set up, it is impossible without maintenance guidelines
notoriously difficult to alter, so the importance of
preparation cannot be understated. • Poor navigability and maxed out capacity by
content sprawl
“ It’s a very nice tool, I really love it, but it must be
planned in the beginning because it’s tough to go
• Use may cease if the application is too difficult to
use and navigate
back and restructure once it’s going. After two
years, it was a big mess. No standards. Problems • Collaboration initiatives fail as business
in the backend with disk space, massive document requirements go unmet
”
uploads, users adding list fields on the fly.
- Senior Business Analyst, Distribution
Info-Tech Do not deploy SharePoint without planning or governance considerations, no matter
Insight what your scenario. You need certain stops in place, even if they are light.
6. Govern SharePoint to unlock the benefits of existing costs
Initial Costs are the same… but a Benefits gap… creates different Outcomes.
SharePoint 2010 (Standard Negative benefits exist and Costs accumulate every year
CAL) for 1,000 users, 3 server create new costs: while SharePoint becomes
farms, 2 WFE servers and SQL • Poor user acceptance more and more broken.
Wild West
Licensing: $105,000 • Overtime work
• System outage The longer SharePoint
1 SharePoint Administrator • Lost productivity remains ungoverned the
and 0.5 Business Analyst more difficult, time-
Staffing: $105,000 annually Grief level is high for IT and consuming, and expensive
Five year TCO: $630,000 business users. it is to bail out.
SharePoint 2010 (Standard Business requirements are Initial time and grief
CAL) for 1,000 users, 3 server achieved effectively with investment in governance
farms, 2 WFE servers and SQL SharePoint. activities pays dividends.
Governed
Licensing: $105,000
IT can quickly and effectively While benefits are
1 SharePoint Administrator manage SharePoint. difficult to quantify, they
and 0.5 Business Analyst will exist and negative
Staffing: $105,000 annually Grief level is low for IT and benefits will be avoided.
Five year TCO: $630,000 business users.
Info-Tech Use SharePoint governance to create business value. Without it, achieving any ROI at
Insight all is virtually impossible.
7. Case Study: Without Governance,
SharePoint failure is inevitable
Healthcare firm‟s SharePoint deployment implodes without governance.
The Situation goes… from bad… to worse.
• Started on Windows • Employees saw the • Lots of inexperienced users
SharePoint Services value, adopted en masse, and were given full permission
• Two instances: it became mission critical. rights.
• Internal site for document • Quickly became dependent • A project manager reset
library, project management, but there were no rules and access at the root level,
compliance and collaboration the basic version was short on locking everybody out.
• External site for resources. • Restore to a workable solution
collaboration with partners • Middle management tried to took IT 48 hours where
and BI
create a governance “nobody went to sleep.”
• 175 of 200 employees access
document, but didn‟t get • IT independently locked it
SP daily, 25% of have
traction. down using permissions.
SharePoint open at all times.
• Created the document, but • Instability created a new wave
without ownership it was of user antagonism.
abandoned.
“ You can plan for change or it will change for you and you won’t have any control. To use SharePoint
”
effectively it’s pretty much required that you have a governance group and meet regularly.
- Director of IT, Healthcare
Info-Tech SharePoint very quickly becomes a mission critical application, with or without you.
Insight If you‟re not prepared, disaster is only a matter of time.
8. Everyone needs governance, but
some factors create additional risk
Scale, complexity, and use cases all complicate Scale
SharePoint initiatives and significantly increase
the risk of disaster if left ungoverned. • More than 250 users use SharePoint.
• More than 2 instances of SharePoint are deployed.
Complexity
• SharePoint is being used across multiple
geographic offices or across countries.
• The Enterprise is subject to regulatory
requirements.
• User permissions need to be set up below the
department level.
Use Case
• SharePoint will be used for more than 3 unique
use cases (e.g. intranet, collaboration, ECM).
• SharePoint will be used for ECM, records
management or as an extranet portal.
Info-Tech Using SharePoint for small, simple initiatives isn‟t a free pass. Keep an eye on changing
Insight business requirements and use profiles so you‟re ready when your risk profile increases.
Info-Tech Research Group 8
9. Actualize SharePoint governance to
mitigate risk & realize benefits wholesale
Enterprises who invested high effort in SharePoint governance activities
were 81% more successful than those who invested low effort.
Governing SharePoint means: Enterprises with the highest governance effort ran
1. Co-developing a Governance Plan with the Business laps around those with the lowest governance effort:
2. Creating an Information Architecture Model
3. Setting up Permissions for different User Profiles Met business requirements 7.7x
4. Creating Policies around Content Retirement
Users follow policies 6.2x
Met user adoption goals 5.9x
Search effectiveness 5.4x
Compliance issues are
manageable 2.1x
Manageable for IT 1.7x
IT responsiveness 1.5x
Source: Info-Tech Research Group
Info-Tech Governing SharePoint is not just throwing a team together or rehashing old policies. It
Insight is a procedure and a business analyst job function, not a one-time project.
Info-Tech Research Group 9
10. Treat SharePoint as a Content Database not a File System.
Complexity makes solution design mission critical
Don’t treat SharePoint like a File System Follow Content Database Best Practices
• Unlike hierarchical File Systems, SharePoint can • The inherent complexity of properly
sort, list, and group based on advanced formulas. designing a content database like SharePoint
necessitates a co-operative solution design
• This means that folders-within-folders structures between IT and the business.
aren‟t ideal, since folders don‟t allow for multiple
memberships, e.g. sort by author and project. • IT must distill the site creation process
down to individual steps, and ensure that
• To optimize SharePoint, use custom views to each step is tied to a particular business
organize content, and use folders to sort based on question or requirement.
audience and access control only.
• Ideally one or more Business Analysts
• These advanced organization options make proper should be involved in this process.
metadata increasingly important.
• Once use cases have been defined, relevant
• Trying to use SharePoint like a file system will canned templates can be presented to
result in process inefficiencies, poor business decision-makers so they can decide
navigability, and broken folder-within-folder due to which best suits their requirements.
URL length limitations.
Hierarchical File System Content Database (SharePoint)
Info-Tech Designing and configuring SharePoint is one of the most important responsibilities of
Insight the modern IT Business Analyst. Don‟t overlook their role in Business-IT alignment.
11. Use Info-Tech’s SharePoint Governance
Strategy Model to cover all your bases
Follow Info-Tech’s Governance Strategy Model Understand the elements
Architecture is the structure of information and
1 Outline Use Cases is the backbone of SharePoint‟s content system.
Access & Ownership matches user access
2 Design the
Front End
Info.
Architecture
Access &
Ownership
control and permissions to the information
architecture as well as determines who is
responsible for each sub-site.
3 Design the
Support Model
Maintenance
Maintenance covers both content lifecycle
management and backup/restore process.
4 Design the
Back End
Storage
Planning
Development
Storage Planning encompasses capacity
5
planning, storage quotas, and scalability.
Develop Policies & Standards
Development and customizations requires a
strategy and is often ill-advised.
Formal governance structure or not, all of these
elements must be considered when deploying Policies & Standards refer to the written rules
SharePoint, as soon as possible. and guidelines governing SharePoint operation.
Info-Tech Develop a strategy around each element as soon as possible. Ideally this should be well
Insight before deployment, but can still be done years later if necessary.
Info-Tech Research Group 11
12. SharePoint governance is not one-size-fits-all.
Pick a model, whether it’s a Chevy or a Cadillac
S h a r e Po i n t G o v e r n a n c e M a t u r i t y
Nothing BASIC
Basic ADVANCED
Advanced GLOBAL
Global
No governance Minimum requirements Formal governance plan Extensive governance
Situation
strategy is in place. in place to prevent and documentation over all dimensions of
The „wild west‟ of SharePoint disasters. dictate operations. operations.
SharePoint.
Audience
Never appropriate Appropriate for small Recommended for Ideal for large
and a recipe for scale deployments and larger, more customized enterprises deploying
disaster. simple configurations. deployments. SharePoint worldwide.
Use Info-Tech‟s SharePoint Governance Maturity
Assessment to determine which strategic path to
follow.
Based on your answers to a series of questions
about your environment, the tool will recommend
an appropriate strategic path for your organization.
Info-Tech This solution set focuses on basic and advanced SharePoint governance strategies.
Insight Follow the advice appropriate for your enterprise scenario in the „Strategize‟ section.
13. Follow Info-Tech’s SharePoint Governance Strategy Model
SharePoint Governance Strategy Roadmap
Understand Strategize Formalize Manage
II
• Prepare a governance team before focusing on strategy.
• Design the solution then develop policies and standards.
• Understand the most painful scenarios so you can avoid them.
• Keep a pulse on social tools in SharePoint 2010.
14. Develop an appropriate SharePoint governance strategy
for your enterprise by following Info-Tech’s model
Begin your governance strategy by building your governance team
and planning for business consultation along the way.
Info-Tech’s Governance Strategy Model will
guide you through the strategic decision Stay on the right trail…
making process.
When reading the
1 Outline Use Cases Strategy section follow
Info-Tech‟s Governance
2 Design the
Front End
Info.
Architecture
Access &
Ownership
Model Roadmap to keep track of
where you are in the process.
3 Design the
Support Model
Maintenance
Follow the BASIC or ADVANCED
4 Design the
Back End
Storage
Planning
Development
signs in each section based on the
results of your Governance Model
Assessment.
5 Develop Policies & Standards
Info-Tech If you are interested in using SharePoint as an extranet, records management tool, or
Insight for social tools, see Info-Tech‟s Hot Topic slides for additional guidance.
Info-Tech Research Group 14
15. Build the governance team to make policy & design decisions
See Slide 31 for Info-Tech’s
Governance Plan Template
The SharePoint governance team should be The team-building process won‟t vary with
comprised of members from across the enterprise. maturity, though including the right people
becomes increasingly difficult and critical.
IT members should be those who handle system
use policies and application maintenance. Expect resistance to participation out of fear that
this is a highly technical issue.
Representatives from HR, Communications,
Marketing, and business silos should also While learning some technical details will be
round out the team to ensure design and use necessary, this is a business issue.
accord with enterprise standards.
Communicate clearly that this is a policy-
A team of five to seven members is ideal. building activity as important as any other
mission critical application or infrastructure setup
The team should have a standing quarterly and that departments sending resident techies isn‟t
meeting, though new capital expenditures and acceptable.
“
content issues may trigger interim meetings.
Seek people with knowledge of what [SharePoint]
In a basic setup, most support functions will can do for the organization and insight into how
come from IT. to set up the management structure for it.
- IT Director, Healthcare ”
Info-Tech Advanced scenarios must accord with overall enterprise architecture and strategic plan,
Insight requiring input from the CFO or legal council if compliance is an issue.
Info-Tech Research Group 15
16. Consult business units at every level of the decision-making
process to improve operational success
Enterprises that involved the business, Involving business stakeholders has
experienced higher operational successes the largest impact on operational success
Enterprises with high business involvement reported In addition to decision-making involvement, business
65% higher operational success than those with users can ultimately become responsible for many
low business involvement. maintenance activities, lessening the burden for IT.
Info-Tech If you plan on decreasing IT‟s workload by delegating maintenance tasks to end-users,
Insight note „who and how‟ so users can be instructed appropriately during the training phase.
Info-Tech Research Group 16
17. SharePoint use case drives governance requirements.
Prepare accordingly to mitigate this risk
Use Case Adoption Risk Outlook Guidance
Intranet Portal 79 % LOW
A standard Governance Plan will suffice.
Address structure and security foremost.
Collaboration 77 % LOW A standard Governance Plan will suffice.
See Slide 28 if deploying Social Tools.
Forms &
Process Automation 59 % LOW
Design more automation up front to
maximize end-user ease-of-use.
Search 33 % LOW Information Architecture is your
paramount concern. Plan it properly.
Extranet Portal 35 % HIGH
Incorporate extranet design and integration
into your strategy early. See Slide 21.
Content Management 35 % HIGH
Tackle separately from SharePoint
governance. Hire consultants. See Slide 19.
Business Intelligence 9 % HIGH A different beast. See Decide Whether
Microsoft BI Fits the Bill for guidance.
N = 47 Source: Info-Tech Research Group
Info-Tech Deploy SharePoint as an organization-wide initiative to achieve more operational
Insight success than if it were deployed for isolated departments.
18. Design an appropriate information architecture;
it’s your most important task and cannot be overlooked
See Slide 33 for Info-Tech’s
Information Architecture Template
Ensure proper design
There is no such thing as a basic architecture • Create a sitemap that outlines the overall structure.
strategy; its setup is so critical and irreversible • Define characteristics and owners for each section of
that it must be planned for in great deal as early as the pyramid, starting at the top and working down.
possible. • Determine how users will navigate through the site.
• Plan how search will be configured.
Start by estimating resources required and allocate
responsibility to do it or it won‟t get done.
Use business requirements and user groups as
inputs when designing the architecture, and expect
to be making access control decisions
simultaneously.
Architecture setup means answering these
questions?
• How will metadata be used?
• How will content be organized?
• Content availability
• Content creation templates
Info-Tech Spend 40% of total governance effort setting up SharePoint‟s structure.
Insight Budget at least a month for the task, though six months is not unheard of.
19. Use consultants & architecture management features
to setup more advanced information architectures
SharePoint 2010 offers advanced meta-data
management.
Advanced information architecture planning is
difficult. Hire a consultant.
Scale & complexity make design exponentially
harder as governance, architecture, and taxonomy
bleed together.
Acquaint yourself with SharePoint‟s Architecture
Management Features:
• Content types and requirements for each
• Site content and structure
• Information Rights Management for documents
• Blocked file-types
• Web Content Management
• Managed metadata/taxonomy
Planning overall site design is crucial in
“ If you deploy without the right structure,
”
ensuring ease of use and end-user acceptance. taking it back is almost impossible.
- IT Consultant, Professional Services
Info-Tech Consult TechNet‟s “Implementing and governing information architecture” for
Insight additional info about architecture implementation and governance resources.
20. Overcome system stability and compliance risks
with a comprehensive security strategy
See Slide 34 for Info-Tech’s
User Access Management List
Security strategy answers the question „who can see which content?‟ Dedicate resources in line with user
volume, and consider consultants
Security strategy development must be done jointly by IT and when internal resources are
department contacts. insufficient.
Determine who has access to each sub-site, and whether departments Info-Tech recommends
can see each other‟s documents. enterprise-wide planning
meetings and consultant use for
Determine who has the authority to grant and change user
enterprises using SharePoint for
permissions, and how to address conflict between system
records management or in a
administrators and business users.
compliance environment.
“
Every SharePoint user’s permissions must be considered and set up.
[Security] takes a long time,
• List roles within the organization. maybe 30% of total effort. I was
• Use department contacts to determine what each role will need to brought in for the whole thing
access to perform their job. and security ended up surprising
• Have IT set up these permissions in SharePoint based on Active
Directory group memberships.
• Establish process for addressing overlaps and controlling updates.
us.
- IT Consultant, Professional
Services
”
Info-Tech SharePoint‟s security management tools are limited. If business requirements entail
Insight security at the folder or file level, building or buying a third-party tool is recommended.
21. Using SharePoint as an Extranet requires
additional design and security considerations
Collaboration with external partners is often Operating an intranet and extranet instance of
extremely beneficial, but confidentiality SharePoint requires additional considerations:
management beyond the firewall is tough.
• How will you connect the two platforms/portals
• Login-based portal access is ideal for access together, and how will you connect it with partner
control so only the right external users can see platforms outside the enterprise?
the content.
• Anticipate document management issues, e.g. how
• With sensitive data, additional business will you deal with multiple copies of the same
planning around compliance is recommended. document inside and outside the organization
• Determine whether the intranet will be used for the
extranet and whether its design will mirror the
enterprise‟s other public-facing content.
Enterprises using extranets were more than
twice as likely to require custom development.
Customized, Deployed Extranet
53% 23%
Customized, Didn‟t Deploy Extranet
N = 47; Source: Info-Tech Research Group
Info-Tech Extranets are trouble. If you‟ll be using one, allocate additional time and resources to
Insight the planning and setup, and expect it to be the most difficult aspect of SharePoint.
22. Develop a maintenance strategy or risk eroding the
rewards of your architecture & security tribulations
SharePoint provides the following tools for
maintenance and governance:
As long as standards are communicated,
maintenance tasks can be handed off to business • Site templates to promote consistency
users and IT involvement is only necessary for the • Quotas to limit size and regulate content
most technical issues (e.g. restoring from backup). • Locks for content regulation
• Workflows to enable Business Process
Management
• Self-service site creation to limit IT‟s role
• Web app permissions/policies for central
configuration
IT will need to be able to handle technical issues on • SharePoint Designer
a monthly basis. • Sandboxing for developing solutions in
restricted environments
While dedicated SharePoint administrators are • Auto-deletion to organize content
likely overkill, maintenance duties can be allocated
to existing system administrators.
Appoint a single point of contact for support and
knowledge transfer to assist with large data
volumes.
Info-Tech Assign responsibility for SharePoint maintenance or it won‟t get done. The decision of
Insight who is responsible is less important than making sure this decision gets made at all.
Info-Tech Research Group 22
23. Complete capacity planning based on
front-end & maintenance designs
Let these questions guide back-end
requirements:
Is scalability desired? When clustered environments and scalability
• If yes, estimate future demand and use storage and needs are paramount, deploying multiple systems
hardware to support it. or farms may be required.
Will there be quotas?
• If not, predict growth of each site carefully. Deploying SharePoint on virtual infrastructure
should be considered when scalability issues exist
Will there be upload size restrictions? around existing servers or when automated server
• Use restrictions to prevent unnecessarily large deployment is desired.
documents from occupying space.
SharePoint 2010 is recommended for these
Will rich media be uploaded?
• Rich media (e.g. videos) requires substantially more scenarios as it offers more advanced and flexible
storage, so only enable them when necessary. configuration options.
How long will documents be kept?
• Shorter refresh cycles free up space by clearing old Advanced SharePoint physical infrastructure
content. planning is a process unto itself. Consult TechNet‟s
Will auto-deletion be used? “Plan for server farms and environments” for
• Use auto-delete to minimize orphaned junk and keep additional guidance.
storage needs down.
Info-Tech Capacity planning and maintenance are inextricable. Revisit capacity planning
Insight once a maintenance plan has been outlined to ensure that both fit together.
Info-Tech Research Group 23
24. Customization is resource-intensive & often unending.
Prioritize ruthlessly to determine where it’s necessary
Don’t undertake any customized If you absolutely must develop, use SharePoint API‟s
development unless it is absolutely necessary to help relieve some pain.
for fulfilling business requirements.
Use SharePoint API’s so developers can:
Without highly capable in-house developers, • Quickly create solutions without re-writing code,
SharePoint customization is a lost cause. methods, or objects that already exist.
• Connect to other applications and systems
Leverage pre-customized web parts for more • Create applications that run inside SharePoint or
advanced functionality rather than developing in- the reverse; integrate SharePoint into solutions
house. using the Client API, Web Services or REST to
access SharePoint data.
While SharePoint 2010 does offer a sandbox
For a comprehensive guide to development, see
environment, Info-Tech clients have reported
Info-Tech‟s SharePoint Development Solution Set.
that it hasn‟t performed as desired.
“
“
“ Turning customizations on is easy,
developing new functionalities is hard.
Deploying a new application in
hours of someone babysitting.
“
SharePoint is non-trivial. It takes six
- IT Director, Education
- IT Director, Education
Info-Tech Consult Windows SharePoint Services “Fantastic 40 Application Templates” for
Insight customizable templates to avoid the time and effort of starting from scratch.
25. SharePoint records management is
an uphill battle
Understand Records Management Issues Follow the Best Practices
SharePoint isn‟t ideal for records archival, • Manage SharePoint content transparently and
especially at high volumes, given its weak as business records.
management tools.
• Manage all SharePoint and external records in
While SharePoint can handle records that are the same system, regardless of whether that
native to SharePoint, handling non-native or system is SharePoint
external records requires custom
development and is not recommended. • Implement enterprise-wide records
management policies
SharePoint records management issues typically
stem from the fact that complying with • Setup pre-defined business rules to manage
regulatory requirements is extremely difficult. records rather than having end-users do it
manually.
Have a compliance expert design an enterprise
file plan before any SharePoint records
Follow these principles to increase staff
management planning begins.
productivity and streamline both information
management and compliance activities.
SharePoint’s is not a DoD 5015.x compliant
solution.
Info-Tech The first & second rules of records management with SharePoint are the same:
Insight “Don‟t use SharePoint for records management.”
Info-Tech Research Group 25
26. Use policies & standards to communicate use
guidelines, and prevent being undermined by rogues
Start by deciding which Content policies & standards Design policies & standards
activities require policies
or standards. • Posting to existing pages: one copy • Creating new sub-sites: Determine
only, naming formats, site ownership, security, database
refresh/delete cycle administration, and navigation.
• Posting to the homepage: • Page layout: Be consistent,
Compliance issues, or ownership/oversight, how to deal minimize scrolling
activities to be followed with department conflicts • Blogs/wiki: Is personal information
without deviation will • Posting to profiles: What content acceptable?
require policies. is appropriate? • Announcements: Aim for concise
• Promote use and personal info, • Security: Plan in design phase,
underscore appropriateness communicate with users to
• Social tools: Will they be used? determine appropriate access
Topics to be evaluated
How? Determine expectations. • Branding: Use standards, consider
should include:
• Records retention: Define records co-branding and differences from
content oversight, site
and required policies external branding
design, user experience,
• Content audit: Determine • Document libraries: Promote
site management, and
frequency and type protected formats, native formats
security.
are best, and PDF big files
Info-Tech For guidance and templates on creating particular policies, see TechNet‟s “Information
Insight management policy planning.”
Info-Tech Research Group 26
27. Be prepared: SharePoint 2010 has even more to govern
What’s New* What to do
• Sandbox development environment • Incorporate new development
Administration • PowerShell scripting language requirements into the governance plan
• Multitenant hosting and resource-sharing • Control the sandboxing environment
• Employee profile pages and activity feeds • Keep a pulse on activity without
Social • Social tagging of relevant content overbearing governance. See Slide 28 for
Collaboration • Knowledge-sharing wikis more guidance
• Digital asset library for all content • Leverage new information management
Information • eDiscovery for audits and litigation policy features, e.g. enable the auditing
Management • Improved metadata management policy for document libraries
• SharePoint Workspace offers Office, Visio, • Review content publishing process
Integration and Exchange 2010 integration • Invoke additional web design controls for
• Publish Silverlight applications rich content
• SharePoint 2010 requires 64-bit servers • If upgrading, schedule the
System running 64-bit Windows Server 2008 and implementation to coincide with planned
Considerations SQL Server server upgrades
Info-Tech Don‟t let additional governance needs deter you from using SharePoint 2010; with
Insight more requirements comes more included governance functionality.
Info-Tech Research Group *See Appendix for additional new features 27
28. Let users self-govern social tools to
improve productivity & knowledge-sharing
SharePoint 2010 includes a number of new social Create an acceptable use policy before
tools, which cannot be divorced from its content deployment and keep a pulse on activity to ensure it
management features. isn‟t being used inappropriately.
The new tools, SharePoint Communities, integrate The value of social tools is in peer-to-peer
with existing content management and include: use, so any superfluous architecture will
• Employee profile pages discourage use and undermine the business case.
• Employee activity feeds
• Social tagging Unlike other aspects of SharePoint, users should be
• Knowledge-sharing wikis encouraged to set-up communities and self-govern
them.
“
The value proposition of social tools centers on:
• Knowledge sharing enables the transfer of One mistake that a lot of organizations make is
information and expertise, through publishing creating walled gardens. Team pages, wikis, and
information and subscribing to activity feeds. content management sites need to be as open and
transparent as possible - they shouldn’t reflect
• Productivity is enhanced by enabling team
organizational and departmental boundaries.
“
members to access enterprise-wide data without
Anyone should be able to access shared
management intervention. Tools include activity
knowledge.
feeds, instant messaging and web conferencing.
-Steve Brewer, FONA International
Info-Tech Larger enterprises will see benefits sooner. Small shops must choose collaboration goals
Insight carefully. If everyone knows each other already, then social tools may not help.
Info-Tech Research Group 28
29. Create a formal plan to document governance activities
SharePoint Governance Strategy Roadmap
Understand Strategize Formalize Manage
III
• Write the Governance Plan.
• Case Study: Portrait of a Comprehensive Governance Strategy
• Use Info-Tech‟s Governance Templates as a starting point.
• Understand the challenges of governing a global SharePoint initiative.
30. Write the governance plan
1 Vision Statement & Business Case 3 Policies & Procedures
• Outline how SharePoint will meet business • Refer to existing IT policies for appropriate
requirements and create value. use, confidentiality, and compliance issues.
• Overview Objectives, Scope, Risks, and Strategy. • Create policies and standards as needed around
2 Roles & Responsibilities
security, site design, content principles, e.g.
•
•
Existing IT rules still apply
Consistent user experience
Delineate:
• Role-based security
• Executive Sponsor/Champion
• Governance Board/Steering Committee
• All sites/pages must have an owner
• Business Owner: Business design and functionality • One copy of each document only
4
• Solution Administrator: Technical design and functionality
• Metadata Steering Committee or Individual Communication & Training
• Site sponsor: Content manager with a business focus
(collection/review/publication)
• Site steward: Technical design and day-to-day site • Communicating with the business
management • Communicating with the governance team
• Initial training for all users, including content
Have members contribute based on expertise: and delivery mechanism
• Who is responsible for technical management? • On-going support, both operational and end-
• Which social tools will we use? user
• Who will create new sites? Who will have access?
• Who is responsible for page design?
• Who is responsible for Metadata?
Info-Tech The governance plan is a living document and is never „done‟. Revisit it as needed to
Insight accommodate changes in use cases, responsibilities, and policies.
Info-Tech Research Group 30
31. Use Info-Tech’s Governance Plan Template
to get a head start on the process
The SharePoint Governance Plan is the
Governance Team‟s most important
deliverable and serves as the underpinning
of your entire SharePoint Governance
Strategy.
Leverage Info-Tech‟s Governance Plan
Template to assist in the development of
this plan, specifically as it pertains to your:
• Vision Statement
• Roles & Responsibilities
• Policies & Procedures
• Communication & Training
Make sure the governance team stands behind
the plan. If they don‟t agree on the plan they
won‟t actually use it.
Info-Tech Consider the scale of your enterprise‟s governance plan before the writing process
Insight begins so that resourcing can be optimized.
Info-Tech Research Group 31
32. Case Study: Govern SharePoint like a boss
Research firm plans ahead and reaps the benefits.
Situation Action Outcome
• 500 MOSS 2007 users, team • IT created a Governance Plan • Grassroots user adoption
collaboration and extranet with some consulting help • The plan helps users
for partners outlining: understand what SharePoint
• Each division has a site (20 • How sites will be used is and how to use it
in total) and a primary portal • Security (permissions, • IT staff knew their boundaries
area for shared content: preventing restores)
and took their time with the
• Each has a site collection and • Architecture (mapping site
collections) deployment
content database • Attribute success to
• Shared content, calendar • Semi-formal central
governance by IT application preparation and planning
“People were dying to have it delivery group
• Trained business users so “Honestly, we haven’t really
but didn’t necessarily know it
they could govern sub-sites. had any major
until they saw it.”
[operational] challenges.”
- Manager of IT, Research
- Manager of IT, Research
Info-Tech SharePoint can be effectively governed by having a few basic processes, policies, and
Insight standards in place.
Info-Tech Research Group 32
33. Use Info-Tech’s Information Architecture Template
to help design your own structural model
An Information Architecture Template is a
critical piece of documentation and a helpful
architecture planning tool regardless of
whether formal documentation is actually
required.
Leverage Info-Tech‟s SharePoint Information
Architecture Template to design and
document your own enterprise‟s SharePoint
architecture using the following
considerations:
• Internal sites
• External sites
• Public access sites (all staff) The Template provided is a sample.
• Private/Departmental sites Use it as a guideline to develop an information
• Central IT Administration architecture that‟s right for you.
Info-Tech An Information Architecture diagram is a first step, not a comprehensive strategic plan.
Insight Once the design is outlined, setup requires careful alignment with user access controls.
Info-Tech Research Group 33
34. Use Info-Tech’s User Access Management List to
outline appropriate permissions for SharePoint users
Keeping track of user permissions is an
arduous process, especially for large-scale
SharePoint initiatives, and in situations
where SharePoint‟s default settings don‟t
match enterprise needs.
Leverage Info-Tech‟s SharePoint User
Access Management List to establish and
keep track of permissions for every user
who will have SharePoint access.
Sort user accesses by:
• User Type
• Access Type
• Department
Keep track of all SharePoint user permissions,
• Site
default and custom, in one place.
• Sub-site
Info-Tech Default SharePoint user permissions are useful but not set in stone. When your user
Insight permission needs vary from the norm, use this tool to easily customize them.
Info-Tech Research Group 34
35. Global-scale use still requires a
tight centralized governance team
Case Study:
• The governance required for a global SharePoint Global bio-tech company hires
initiative is an evolution of Info-Tech‟s advanced consultants, struggles with user access
model, though the importance of formal policies
management.
and standards is increased.
Situation
• SharePoint is being deployed globally, with
• Like the advanced model, executive
templates for country and department sub-sites.
involvement is essential.
• One static, centralized government team handles
design.
• While regional, decentralized contributors are
• Deployment is phased, architecture design alone
helpful for content considerations, a centralized
takes six months.
governance team is required to ensure design
consistency across all sites.
Challenges
• Expect to use consultants, as the cost of a • Granular security controls requires in-house
botched effort will far exceed consulting fees. development of a management tool.
• Controlled budget process creates delays.
• Phase deployment regionally and monitor “
“
closely; deployment in one fell swoop is a
guarantee of failure. SharePoint is sold as the next generation of
ECM, but it’s not there yet.
-Consultant, Professional Services
Info-Tech Like SharePoint deployments of any scale, success in global initiatives is correlated not
Insight just with governance effort, but with use cases.
Info-Tech Research Group 35
36. Governance is a process, not a project.
Manage SharePoint for operational success.
SharePoint Governance Strategy Roadmap
Understand Strategize Formalize Manage
IV
• Understand and overcome the top challenges of on-going governance.
• Training makes or breaks deployments.
• Audit SharePoint use annually for optimal results.
37. Case Study: A Senior Business Analyst gets a
second chance at SharePoint Governance. You won’t.
Hallmark Tubulars reaps the benefits of Fabian Asin‟s second SharePoint implementation.
The first try… The second chance… The success factors.
• Previously used as document • Hallmark wants SharePoint for • Records management and
management platform for five 100 users across 7 business extranet portal will be the
departments with 5-15 units. biggest challenges.
employees each. • Permissions and structure will • Planning ahead is necessary but
• Governance wasn‟t considered be planned first. tough to do before deployment.
at all and became an issue • Business users will be trained to • Need to create policies around
when sharing across business help define roles to handle document upload and
units was nearly impossible permissions retirement
• No responsibility for adding • Need to anticipate site traffic for
“We won’t deploy without
new users, making groups, capacity planning
understanding the structure and
granting user permissions • Currently managing
the requirements. What are we
confidentiality with external
going to do, who will have access
“Nobody was seeing to the partners so only the right
and how will we control and
overarching structure. It was external people can see the
monitor the platform?”
growing too fast with no czar.” content
“ How can you anticipate all the issues and costs that you may incur and have the
platform up and running in a timely and cost-effective manner? That is a big challenge.
- Fabian Asin, Senior Business Analyst ”
Info-Tech A total SharePoint failure is too high a price to pay before getting it right. The most
Insight important thing you can do is plan properly before SharePoint derails.
Info-Tech Research Group 37
38. End-user adoption is the most important – and most overlooked –
component of SharePoint project success
Contribution to Project Success
SharePoint teams frequently overlook end-user adoption; they also perceive information organization to be very
important, despite its weak contribution to project success. They typically over-emphasize the importance of
planning for post-implementation maintenance and support.
The key to driving end-user adoption is training.
39. Training will make or break your SharePoint deployment.
Take a formal approach to ensure end-user adoption
• A run book; include network configurations, reboot
Advanced Manual procedures, monthly/daily maintenance, and troubleshooting guidelines.
• Have one copy in IT.
• An employee in a department quick to adopt new technologies and processes.
Early Adopters • Usually someone who has recently joined the company and has not developed
habitual methods of doing things.
• A step-by-step description of the tasks to be performed by a department;
Minimum Manuals include screen shots, written descriptions, and an index.
• Have one per department, tailored to that department.
Info-Tech Research Group 39
40. Setup training activities over the entire SharePoint lifecycle
Issue Action Justification
• Acquire end-user, help desk, developer,
Training users on SharePoint‟s
and administrator training resources.
capabilities and enterprise policies is the
• Develop administrator policy guides
Initial Training most important step in ensuring
describing enterprise policies and
SharePoint consistency and
developer policy guides describing
manageability.
enterprise development policies.
• Create online forums where users can Having users discuss the kinds of
Community support each other and ask questions. solutions they've implemented helps
Development • Create opportunities for face-to-face them understand the most effective ways
informal training e.g. lunch and learns. to utilize SharePoint.
• Plan for renewal training which shares Formally defining your intention to
group best practices with the enterprise. review progress from a user adoption
Renewal Training • Perform periodic audits to discover standpoint encourages review of the
what features aren‟t being utilized and solution and what additional training is
which aren‟t being utilized correctly. required.
Info-Tech Coordinate training between the business unit and IT; workers want a solution to a
Insight business problem, not more technology. Sessions should be under 90 minutes each.
Info-Tech Research Group 40
41. Wrangle operational issues before they rustle your content
Issue Action Justification
Establish monitoring at the Unavailable systems cannot be used by
Monitoring server, site, and SharePoint level; define users. A layered approach to monitoring
responses for each failure. encourages platform issue awareness.
Define scheduled downtime periods and Downtime is needed for patching.
Uptime &
communicate unscheduled downtime Communicating this process will calm
Downtime
reporting and response procedures. users when it does occur.
Plan for single file, multiple site, server, Disasters will happen. Planning for them
Disaster Recovery and geo-disaster recovery. further reinforces commitment to the
platform and that it will remain available.
Codify corporate records management SharePoint helps with records
Data & Document
requirements into SharePoint and define management; defining how aligns it with
Recovery
site archiving rules e.g. approvals. the corporate governance.
Establish storage quotas by site type and Storage is everyone‟s responsibility and
Quotas a process for requesting a larger quota. establishing guidelines can help provide
reasonable disk space use controls.
Define required auditing reports, establish Reporting is essential for compliance.
Reporting storage usage reports, and develop activity Activity reporting helps the enterprise to
based reporting for admins and users. understand SharePoint‟s value.
Info-Tech Research Group 41
42. Review your governance strategy yearly with
Info-Tech’s SharePoint Annual Audit Template
Info-Tech‟s SharePoint Annual Audit Template
will help you conduct an annual assessment of the
existing SharePoint environment.
It will consider a variety of different factors to
construct a strategy for the ongoing operation of
the SharePoint system.
Use the audit to evaluate and establish:
• Strengths, Opportunities, and
Recommendations around each use case.
• Issues and anticipated challenges with
SharePoint front-end, support model, back-end
functionality, and governance policies.
• Project recommendations and next steps.
The Annual Audit should be undertaken by the
Governance Team and aligned with regular meetings.
Info-Tech Developing a SharePoint governance strategy does not end when it is documented.
Insight Modify your strategy annually to make sure you‟re getting this most from SharePoint.
Info-Tech Research Group 42
43. Summary
To succeed, every SharePoint initiative requires a strategy around architecture,
security, maintenance, storage planning, development, and policies.
• There is no scenario in which SharePoint should be deployed without planning or governance
considerations.
• SharePoint very quickly becomes a mission critical application, with or without you. If you‟re not
prepared, disaster is only a matter of time.
• Governing SharePoint is not just throwing a team together or rehashing old policies. It is a
procedure and a business analyst job function, not a one-time project.
• The sooner you can develop a strategy around each element, the better.
• Don‟t let additional governance needs deter you from using SharePoint 2010; with more
requirements comes more included governance functionality.
• Designing an appropriate information architecture is your most important task and cannot be
overlooked.
• Every SharePoint user‟s permissions must be considered and set up.
• Assign responsibility for SharePoint maintenance or it won‟t get done.
Info-Tech Research Group 43
45. SharePoint 2010 offers collaboration tools &
plenty of shiny features
Administration and Security Tools
• Sandbox development environment • Improved social networking tools
• Site-level workflows for complex business scenarios • ECM features (digital asset management, document IDs,
• Advanced PowerShell scripting capabilities metadata navigation, records management, and
• New logging Object Model for server use analytics eDiscovery)
• Enhanced search features (ranking model schema,
Integration expanded relevance factors for social data, improved
people search)
• Dedicated Silverlight Web Parts
• PerformancePoint Services
• New simplified “Business Connectivity Services”
• Create self-service no-code solutions with Composites.
Features
SharePoint Server Application Integration
• Microsoft Office-style Ribbon interface
• Restructured master pages for creating new site content • “Visio Services” enables real-time Visio access.
• Mobile device alerts over “Office Mobile Service Protocol” • SharePoint Workspace (Office 2010) extends offline
• New SharePoint Workspace Mobile client for Windows capabilities
Mobile devices so Office content can be taken from • Multiple people can simultaneously author content
SharePoint offline • Expanded calendar interoperability with Exchange
Recommendations
Factor in the server costs – Windows Server 2008 64-bit users Use SharePoint 2010 as a
hardware and software. should try SharePoint Foundation. collaboration and content
SharePoint 2010 requires 64-bit Enterprises running Windows Server solution. In the past, organizations
servers running 64-bit Windows Server 2008 64-bit should take advantage of had to look at add-ons, like Jive and
2008 and SQL Server. If upgrading, SharePoint Foundation 2010 when it is Telligent , for advanced collaboration
schedule the implementation to officially released, since the license will features that could be added onto their
coincide with planned server upgrades. be included with the server software. existing SharePoint content repository.
Info-Tech Research Group 45