SharePoint is phenomenally successful. The last two releases (2007, 2010) typically experience rapid adoption across organbizations that implement it – or perhaps better – release it. Several CIO’s have told me the same thing – once ‘released’, SharePoint grows like a weed. People understand it, learn how to create workspaces and mysites. Before long IT has issues on it’s hands – who has the right to delete websites, libraries, workspaces? What happens to the information there? Who judges what is worth keeping and what needs to be ditched? Who actually owns this thing?!
The answer is that the right time to work out the answers to this question is…before you start. It’s called governance – at least that’s the word that that Microsoft use, so it’s now the word the SharePoint community uses. A Governance Plan. There is a lots of experience and expertese that is needed to get a Governance Plan right – to cover the essentials for today – and leave flexibility in the right places for growth tomorrow.
If you are already into SharePoint and are feeling the need for that Governance Plan that you didn’t create…it can still be done. However, it’ll need some extra special attention to be given to the stakeholders who may or may not have helpful ideas about who ‘owns’ what about SharePoint.
Speak to your Microsoft Gold Partner of choice about working with you to develop a governance plan. It’s the only way to do SharePoint.
