We know it all...
Don't we know it all ? In a company there’s an idea about implementing a software to get more involved, to optimize work – all in all: To get better. We hear a lot of myths about the software and always the good things are brought to our attention - only when there is an issue that is very unbelievable or astounding we get to hear the negative points. However, generally we get in touch and only want to know the good things about a product. E.g. let's look at SAP. At first nobody says that an overall SAP implementation can be very expensive and time consuming. Everyone is merely talking about how fast you will be able to work in the future, how divisions grow together in a phase of real collaboration or how KPIs can be displayed easily and smoothly.The real world
Reality is different from this. Some people hear more or less about a software, and maybe they are not working in the IT department or where the decision-makers are located. In the past I heard so much about SharePoint, even from Microsoft itself. Everybody tried to get the so called "elevator pitch" - one word or one phrase for the system. Some people told me it is a CRM Software, it is better for working together or substitutes Wikipedia in the company. These are the myths we hear everyday, and in the IT department, which is responsible for integrating the software in the company, it is sometimes not better. On the one hand some people have heard about SharePoint, installed SharePoint Services or Foundation and played around with it a little bit, on the other hand some people put a lot of work into it and installed the server based version in their private environment.Decision-makers are confronted with these different point of views and need to make a decision or a final point. They have the budget in their hands and don't know if it is invested in the right way. Anyway, the decision will be done whether SharePoint will be bought or another system. Sometimes decisions are far away from that point or milestone, maybe if Microsoft SharePoint or Dynamics will be bought. And then they get calls from IT Consulting companies who want to sell the system, thus money is still a major focus. Furthermore, it could be that these decision-makers have a lot more problems than that, and not enough time for a thorough decision-making process.Core systems
What these decision-makers sometimes forget is that core systems in a company like SAP, CRM Systems or Software do exist, and not such high intensive used software or not so important software like Microsoft Word, Excel or the like. In my opinion, it is very important for those companies to take a cut. Free your mind and think about the main systems in your company. Core Software are the base systems, i.e. that when they’re not available no one in the company could work anymore. Yes, we all know that a load balancer or that a good storage system could save our life when you work in the IT department. But nowadays everybody has specialists for those kinds of systems, knows too much about the system, and everybody is working with virtualization software like VMWare. So the focus of the IT division is sometimes too close on the system itself. How can we get better in everyday work ? Is the number of IOPs so important as we think or what counts nowadays ? In the next passage I will come to another view of these things.Taylorism
Taylorism was the way in the last decade that showed us that process optimization can work and be clearly seen. The "Toyota" way is based on Taylorism. Toyota was responsible and the forerunner for words like lean management, process optimization and supply chain management. Taylor was right when he said that when we focus on the people they work better and more efficiently. He was the one who founded a new way of improved teamwork and pure collaboration. But the system of Taylor focused only on the production. When we take the vision of Taylor and implement it intot he daily work of commercial business, then we begin to understand the philosophy of SharePoint.Collaboration
What does collaboration really mean ? Two or more people work together and try to get things done. What can go wrong ? People do not know what the other one is specialized in or how others could help them in doing their work. So transparency is missing, but do these people really have all of the information or could there be a lack thereof? Missing information exists everyday in work,and people are always displeased to ask about something or to get informed by themselves. So there is a need for a platform that gets them all the necessary information, where they can collaborate and work together, be free and have unlimited access to information.In the end...
The last sentences and passages gave you a short introduction what SharePoint can or might be for you. Everything you need to know is that SharePoint can be everything for you, and that it is a great collaboration tool for a better cooperation and teamwork. Please take note that the people who work with the system should be responsible for the input data, and that they master the system. Before you decide anything ask the people who will or are supposed to work with the system what they need or want. A company can only get better in collaboration when the problems in working together are fully disclosed. It could be possible that the feedback by the employees shows you that you do not need SharePoint or another system, and that the communication has to be trained orimproved. By integrating SharePoint in a company you lay hand on the core of the company. Be careful and trust the people who work in the departments, sometimes they themselves know what changes have to be done. With SharePoint you reach the whole company, and for whom are we more responsible for than the people?Advices
In summary I can give you some advice for a better decision and SharePoint integration process. It is easy to say: Focus on the people. Now you’re able to see the possibilities what SharePoint can do and change. The following steps could give some advices:- Go step by step: Don't want too much in the beginning
- Analyze a few departments which think they can work better together
- Ask them what they need and have brain-storming meetings with them
- Make the surveys and feedback sheets anonymous, e.g. take first SharePoint surveys
- Analyze what exactly can be done better and make a list from high priority to low priority
- Take the high priority points and decide which ones can be easy implemented and are low cost
- Take easy steps like "more information sharing" or "discussion areas" which make people communicate
- Integrate the leaders of the department
- Determine key-users and let them take responsibility, integrate the SharePoint jobs in their contract of employment
- Don't neglect the design of SharePoint
- When things are too complicated to implement make a time table with milestones andcommunicate this to the people, e.g. by a SharePoint time table (project time table) (this waypeople get informed that their proposals are still on the list)
- Take a look at the workflows in the departments
- Did you ever think about an open contest? (This can be done through SharePoint) E.g. the best suggestion for a change process gets a prize...think about it
...and some other more
Main issue:
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