Managing Change and User Adoption during a SharePoint Deployment
May 8, 2012
Symon Garfield discusses transition in the 16th installment of his Art of SharePoint Success series at the CMSWire.com Blog. In the article, “The Art of SharePoint Success: Transition – There’s No Such Thing as a SharePoint Project,” Garfield uses Transition as an umbrella term to include change management and user adoption. He also looks at Transition as the fourth element, behind Governance, Strategy, and Architecture, in a four point framework for ensuring long term return on a SharePoint investment.
SharePoint’s potential as a catalyst for a big change in an organization means you need a plan. Garfield explains:
A structured approach means that we have a plan. Transitioning from the current state means that you understand the current situation and know where you are starting from. A desired future state means you know what you are trying to achieve and will recognize when we have done it. A controlled manner means that you have some means of measuring your progress. If you don’t have all of these elements in place then you’re not ready to start.
Because SharePoint can facilitate change in business processes, organizational structures, power shifts, individual behavior, and business relationships, Garfield stresses understanding the different types of change and how to plan for them. For example, an incremental or gradual change, versus a radical or fundamental change, is often the secret to success with SharePoint, according to Garfield. Other types of changes, including organizational versus sub-system and remedial versus developmental, are also covered. Managing change and user adoption is no doubt a challenge for organizations. Garfield brings up some valid points that may be worth the read if you’re implementing a SharePoint system.
To help manage the change, consider a quality third party solution, like Fabasoft Mindbreeze, that gets your users the right information and the right time. Mindbreeze can really get you the most out of your enterprise search investments and extend the capabilities of your SharePoint system. For a deep solution that connects your business information with the Cloud and gives your users the search and navigation experience they need, check out Mindbreeze.
Philip West, May 8, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Comments
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
