SPTechCon - Practical Tools and Techniques for the SharePoint Information Architect

Practical Tools and Techniques for the SharePoint InformationArchitect
Facilitated By: Richard Harbridge and RuvenGotz
#SPTechCon @rharbridge @ruveng

Who am I?
I

Richard Harbridge
@RHarbridge
Rharbridge.com
Rharbridge@Allin.com

Toronto
Ruven Gotz
@ruveng
spinsiders.com/ruveng
ruveng@navantis.com

Ruven Gotz
@ruveng
spinsiders.com/ruveng
ruveng@navantis.com

The Goal isSuccess

SharePoint is
huge

With many
Moving parts

The people stuff
is complex

How do we buildthe best solution?

How do we
define the
problem?

We are here to
share some ideas

… and give you
some tools

Still not easy

Proven success

Take Away: Confidence

Take Away: Improved Communication
SPTechCon
The SharePoint Technology Conference
17

Take Away: Knowledge YouCan Use
SPTechCon
The SharePoint Technology Conference
18

Our Goal Today…
From Here To Here

What We Will Cover Today:
What Is SharePoint?
Understanding SharePoint Governance
Requirements Definition and Mapping
Visualizing and Communicating SharePoint Concepts
Making Information Architecture Decisions
Case Study Approach (Implementing SharePoint IA)
Information Architecture Tips and Tricks

What We Won’t Cover (In Depth) Today:
Records Management (and Information Policies)
Search Architecture and Considerations
Planning For Multiple Languages
Column Decisions (Choice Column vs Managed Metadata Column vs Lookup Column etc…)
Audience Targeting

What Is SharePoint?

What is SharePoint?

What is SharePoint?
Why does your organization use SharePoint?
Step 1: Please Fill Out The Fields…
Step 2: Give This Sheet To Someone Close By
Step 3: We Will Collect Your Responses

Meet Joe
Hi!

At Joe’s Company…

Decision Makers don’t have Enough Information

The CFO needs to Reduce Costs

IT Services Struggles to Keep Up

And
People Are Having Trouble Finding What They Need

So Joe has an Idea!

Since…
Awesome!
Not as awesome.

And Everyone in Joe’s Company uses Microsoft Office…

SharePoint is the Perfect Fit!

What is SharePoint?

What is SharePoint
to IT Services?

SharePoint and IT
The Main Point of Implementing SharePoint:
SharePoint eventually allows Business Users to develop and implement business solutions that use technology without IT’s direct involvement.
Enable
Solutions

SharePoint and IT
Secondary (But Important) Points:
SharePoint’s integration with technologies you already use and it’s extendibility are invaluable.
When I Say “SharePoint Integration” You Probably Think Of This...

SharePoint and IT
The Reality:
IT struggles with supporting another technology.

IT Information Overload
Information
Information
Information
Information

IT Platform Benefits

What is SharePoint
to the Business?

SharePoint f-Laws
f-Law 1: The more comprehensive the definition of governance is, the less it will be understood by all
f-Law 2: There is no point in asking users who don’t know what they want, to say what they want
f-Law 3: The probability of project success is inversely proportional to the time taken to come up with a measurable KPI
f-Law 4: Most stated governance objectives are platitudes – they say nothing but hide behind words
f-Law 5: Confidence is the feeling that you have until you understand the problem
http://www.cleverworkarounds.com/vid/Paul%20keynote/Player.html (1 hour talk)

f-Law 4: Most stated governance objectives are platitudes – they say nothing but hide behind words - If you cannot reasonably disagree with an objective, or measure it, then it is a platitude
Platitudes:
“Collaboration will be encouraged”
“A best-practice collaboration platform”
“To provide the best collaborative experience for our users”
Non-platitudes:
“We are proving that we can grow the organisation while reducing email volumes and centralising document storage”
“By building communities of practice, we prove that we can reduce information overload and allow our users to find the right expertise”

Back On Track

What is SharePoint
to the Business?

Prioritize and Plan

Ensure Clear Priorities

Map Solutions to Objectives
 Direct Relationship Indirect Relationship
* Objectives/solutions should be more specific – Example purposes only.

SharePoint Solutions (Evolution)
*Super Simplified

Map the needs of the organization to the right technology…

Perform in depth product comparisons and evaluations

Like this
one…
Excerpt of Product Comparison written by Richard Harbridge courtesy of Concept Interactive

SharePoint is not a Silver Bullet…
SharePoint is not a Silver Bullet at NothingButSharePoint.com

SharePoint will be…
Utilized by Business Users to develop and implement business solutions that use technology without IT’s direct involvement.
Our primary unified application delivery platform.
Our primary workflow/business process automation platform.
Our intranet and communication center for internal corporate communications.
…
SharePoint will not be…
Our (external) web content management platform.
Our primary document management platform.
Our contact management platform.
…

2007
Online
On Site
SharePoint has Multiple Options
2010

It’s Big Ecosystem

It’s not just a feature to feature comparison

So Joe does all that good research and…

SharePoint is a part of his overall Enterprise Technology Plan

The Outcome
Within an overall enterprise technology plan SharePoint and it’s solutions meet specific business needs.

What to watch out for…
“Technology provides no benefits of its own; it is the application of technology to business opportunities that produces ROI.” – Robert McDowell

What Is SharePoint?

Why Do I Need Effective Governance?

There are big risks that are almost always realized when you don’t have it!

SharePoint Sprawl
He was only intending to build a two-storyhouse - larger than those of his neighbors to reflect his position as the city's richest man.
“First I added three floors but then the house looked ungainly, like a mushroom," he said. "So I added another and it still didn't look right so I kept going…”
Risk: Un-Managed Sites and Content were not periodically reviewed for accuracy and relevance.

Quality Deterioration
Risk: Did not ensure that content quality is maintained for the life of the portal.

Frustration Failure
Risk: Did not consistently provide a high quality user experience.

Priority Paralysis
Risk: Did not establish clear decision making authority/ownership and escalation procedures so that conflicts and/or policy violations are resolved in a timely manner.

Ineffective Use of Time/Resources
Risk: Did not ensure that the portal strategy is aligned with business objectives so that it continuously delivers business value.

It’s not just about insuring against or mitigating those risks!

What does that mean?
Without effective governanceorganization, performance, andcapability are significantly reduced.

Without Governance

Executing Governance

With Governance

The Outcome
You can now communicate why Governance is important/required.

It’s not insurance. It makes your SharePoint investments more successful.

Building The Governance Teams

How do we start?

RecommendedGovernance Teams
There are typically 5 teams for SharePoint Governance:
Business Strategy Team
Solutions/Technical Strategy Team
Tactical Teams:
Tactical Operations Team
Tactical Development Team
Tactical Support Team

Alternative Teams
If the organization or implementation is small enough you might only need to start with two and break them apart as you mature/grow.
Tactical Team
Operations
Development
Support
Strategy Team
Business
Technical

The Strategy Teams

Governance Teams
Tactical Teams:

Role: Provide strategic insight, direction and prioritization for the portal.
Decentralized
Business
Centralized
IT

Define,Prioritize and Plan

Ensure Clear Priorities

Governance Teams
Tactical Teams:

Solution (Technical)Strategy Team
Role: Provide technical insight, direction and prioritization for the portal.
Tip: If a business direction requires new integration or effort with other technologies then a technical representative for that technology will be necessary.

Map Solutions to Objectives
* Objectives should be more specific – Example purposes only.

SharePoint will be…
Utilized by Business Users to develop and implement business solutions that use technology without IT’s direct involvement.
Our primary unified application delivery platform.
Our primary workflow/business process automation platform.
Our intranet and communication center for internal corporate communications.
…
SharePoint will not be…
Our (external) web content management platform.
Our primary document management platform.
Our contact management platform.

Strategic Responsibilities
Defining Clear Objectives and Priorities
High Level Solutions Definition and Ownership
High Level Platform Classification
Communication Planning and Management
Resource/Capability Management
Expectation Management

Define a Governance Pyramid

Information Architecture and Governance Areas
Permanent central portal
- Few authors/Many readers
Communication Portal
Central navigation
Central taxonomy
Divisional stakeholders
Enterprise search
CentralPortal
Departmental portlets
Departments
Resources
Business Processes
Increasing Strictness of Governance
Collaboration
Local taxonomies
Local search
Semi Structured
Team sites
- Multiple authors
Blogs, bios,
Social
Personal
Above The Line versus Below The Line

The Tactical Teams

Governance Teams
Tactical Teams:

The Tactical Operations Team
Role: Provide operational (IT- related) support and maintenance for the system infrastructure
They manage the more routine maintenance of the system by performing nightly backups, performance monitoring and analysis, and keeping the environment current with security releases and upgrades.

Operations Responsibilities
Objectives/Priorities
Disaster Recovery Plan
Storage and Quota Policies
Monitoring Plans
Maintenance Plans
Service Level Agreements
Security Policies
Deployment Process, Policies, and Schedule

Governance Teams
Tactical Teams:

The Tactical Development Team
Role: Customize/configure, personalize, and leverageSharePointto achieve business objectives.
This team is a loosely-knit community who's membership ranges from highly skilled programmers to technically savvy end users in charge of personalizing departmental team sites.

Development Responsibilities
Branding Guide
SharePoint Designer Policy
Workflow Policy
Development Standards (Including OOTB vs Custom)
Development Environment Policy
Testing Requirements
Deployment Process, Policies, and Schedule
SharePoint Standards Online

Deployment Process/Policies
Extremely Important! Ensure you have clear schedules and ownership.

Governance Teams
Tactical Teams:

The Tactical Support Team
Role: Provide support of the SharePoint applications and platform.
Creates and manages a support system with effective training and proper channels of question or issue escalation and resolution. This team should also include influential users and leaders.

Support Responsibilities
Site Classification and Platform Classification
Site Provisioning Process/Questionnaire
User Expectations Agreement
Roles and Responsibilities
Support Agreement(s)
Training and Communication Plans
MySite Policies (Pictures)…

Support Responsibilities
User Lifecycle Policy
Taxonomy Management
Social Policies
Content Standards
Legal and Compliance Policy
Search Management

Multiple Tiers for Escalation
(You can’t know everything)

Measure Support
Learn and use data to be proactive.

Diversify Support
resources/mediums
Books and Manuals
Online
MSDN
TechNet
Blogs
Cheat Sheets
One on One
Classroom Training
Forums
Help
Etc

Sample Support Flow
Consultants, MS and Vendors
Consultative Support

IS
Use them.

Productivity Hub

Governance Tip
If possible have one member in all of the Governance teams or some members across multiple teams!

The Outcome
Everyone Achieves a Shared Understanding of SharePoint Related Processes.

Not just documents, policies, and procedures. It is an active and ongoing process.

Governance Resources

IS
Use them.

Governance Checklist

TechNet, Community and More..

Frameworks
are
Use them.

No Single “Approach”
Projects
Communities
Tasks
Practices

ITIL Framework

COBIT Framework

SharePoint Deployment and Governance using COBIT 4.1
Chennault & Strain
http://www.amazon.com/SharePoint-Deployment-Governance-Using-COBIT/dp/1604201177

Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF)

SharePoint Maturity Model
Sadalit van Buren
http://sharepointmaturity.com

The Outcome
There is a ton of material out there to support you.

External best practices, policies, standards, and ideas may or may not be the right fit.

Steps to Effective Governance…
Understand The Need For Governance
Build Your Governance Teams
Understand How SharePoint Is/Should Be Used
Develop/Practice Guidance and Policies
Return to Step 2 and Repeat Steps 2 through 4
You Have Perfect Governance
You Can Never Truly Achieve Perfect Governance. So long as you are performing the steps you are achieving Effective Governance.

What Is SharePoint?

What makes something a requirement?

We can do that for $10

We can do that for $1 Million

We require a jumbo solution to get to our destination

Sometimes, you do need this

It’s the destination that matters: The outcome

Kitchen sink projects

Your project will change over time

Unexpected things happen

More than half of “required” features never get used

Result of a kitchen sink project

Shift gears

SharePoint chicken & egg problem

DON’T demo SharePoint

Initial discovery workshop

SharePoint Workshop

Agenda
About the Project , Our Team & Goals
SharePoint Overview
Department and Role
Document Collaboration
Document Storage and Search
Compliance, Records Management & Off-line
Questions

About the Project, Our Team & Goals
About this Project
Determine the requirements and scope for a SharePoint implementation at ABC Corp.
Our Team
Alison Andrews – Project Manager
Bob Baker – Technical Architect
Carol Conrad – SharePoint Analyst
Don Drummond – Infrastructure Analyst
Workshop Goals
Set expectations
Gather your input
Keep it to an hour (+ optional half-hour for further questions)

SharePoint 2007 Overview
Documents/tasks/calendars, blogs, wikis, e-mail integration, project management “lite,” Outlook integration, offline documents/lists
Virtual Teams/Global Teams
Server-based Microsoft Office Excel® spreadsheets and data visualization, Report Center, business intelligence Web Parts, KPIs/Dashboards
BusinessIntelligence
Collaboration
Platform Services
Workspaces, Mgmt,Security, Storage,Topology, Site Model
BusinessProcess andForms
Enterprise Portal template, Site Directory, My Sites, social networking, privacy control
OOB workflows, WF integration, rich and Web forms–based front-ends, LOB actions, pluggable SSO
Portal
EnterpriseContentManagement
Search
Integrated document management, records management, and Web content management with policies and workflow
Enterprise scalability, contextual relevance, rich search for people and business data

SharePoint 2010 Overview
Ribbon UI
SharePoint Workspace
SharePoint Mobile
Office Client and Office Web App Integration
Standards Support
Intranet, Extranet, Team Collaboration
Business Connectivity Services
InfoPath Form Services
External Lists
Workflow
SharePoint Designer
Visual Studio
API Enhancements
REST/ATOM/RSS
Building complex solutions on top of SharePoint
Sites
Tagging, Tag Cloud, Ratings
Social Bookmarking
Blogs and Wikis
My Sites
Activity Feeds
Profiles and Expertise
Org Browser
Communities
Composites
PerformancePoint Services
Excel Services
Chart Web Part
Visio Services
Web Analytics
SQL Server Integration
PowerPivot
Business Intelligence
Content
Insights
Enterprise Content Types
Metadata and Navigation
Document Sets
Multi-stage Disposition
Audio and Video Content Types
Remote Blob Storage
List Enhancements
Organizing Information
Search
Social Relevance
Phonetic Search
Navigation
FAST Integration
Enhanced Pipeline
Search

Department and Role
Please introduce yourself:
Name
Department
What is your role within your department?
How do you interact with technology to do your job?
How does the current technology help you (or hinder you) from doing your job?

Document Collaboration
Do you work on documents with others?
How do you collaborate (e-mail, shared drive) ?
What document types do you create?
Which programs do you use?
Do your documents require multiple reviews and edits? Is approval required?
How do you implement the required workflow?
How do you get the final information out to the audience that needs it?
Do you publish PDF’s?
How are they distributed/posted?

Document Storage and Search
Can you find the documents that you need, when you need them?
Does your shared drive folder hierarchy work well?
How long does it take to find a document? At what point do you give up?
When you create a document, do you know where it should be saved?
Are documents saved in more than one location to ease retrieval?
Does search work well?
What features would you like to see in search that would make it better for you and your team.

Compliance, Records Management & Off-line
Do you have any regulatory requirements that you need to meet?
ISO 9000
Sarbanes-Oxley – Bill 198
How are records management policies implemented?
Are there specific policies for document retention and destruction.
Do you have a need for off-line access?
Do you travel off-site for your work
Do you need to work when you are disconnected from the network.

Questions

OK to demo SharePoint

The Outcome
Using workshops, facilitation and by engaging the business you will define, prioritize, and phase SharePoint requirements.

Without clear requirements, prioritization and the right expectations being set SharePoint projects won’t scale well.

What Is SharePoint?

Understanding Metadata
(and how to explain it to others)

What is Metadata?
The BIG Question

Data about data

What is Metadata?
The BIG Question
What is Metadata?
I think I get it
I think I get it
Oh! Now I see(Mostly)

What’s a Meta for?
What’s a
Meta for?

Let’s use a
Metaphor

What does a cow say?

What does a chicken say?

What does a duck say?

The sounds these animals make are attributes that distinguish them

Prince
Pop/Rock
1984
Example from Yoav Lurie

Image from Aaron Landry/Flickr

Adapted from the “pea soup” story by Serge Tremblay

What is our Base Metaphorfor files?

What if we saw this?

Better…

Solve with folders

Hire an intern

What is metadata?

This is metadata!

What is Taxonomy?
or this…
Not this!

Carl Linnaeus (1751)

Taxonomy

Taxonomy
Superclass

Taxonomy
Class

Taxonomy
Order

Taxonomy
Suborder

Taxonomy
Family

Taxonomy
Subfamily

Taxonomy
Genus

Taxonomy
Species

Shared Drive Zoo
Taxonomy

As we’ve already seen: This always works out great

Shared Drive Zoo

Moving this mess to SharePoint
makes it worse

SharePoint Sux

The #1 rule of SharePoint?
Except when it makes sense
Never use folders
ever

A Brief Detour

Folders for Security
Permissions assigned per folder

Folders in SP2010 – They’re back!
Combine metadata and folders
Best of both worlds

A SharePoint Taxonomy (Navigation)

A SharePoint Taxonomy (Metadata)

Adding Metadata (when uploading)

A SharePoint Simulation

What is metadata?

What is Taxonomy?

What are content types?

Vacation Request
Drug Reimbursement
Name _________
Emp. # _________
Date _________
Dates Requested:
From __________
To: __________
Manager ________
Approved Y/N
Name _________
Emp. # _________
Date _________
Drug Used:
Name __________
Cost: $ _________
Manager ________
Approved Y/N

Both Content Types in One Library

Security
Content Types for:
Workflow,
Policy,

The Outcome
Shared Understanding of Metadata’s Importance and Usage to Improve ‘Findability’ and Information Utility.

People Must Understand The Value Of Metadata, Or They Will Reject The Idea.

Practical Applications of Mind Mapping

Same Page

Abstract

Concrete

Mind Mapping Demonstration

IBIS mapping demonstration
http://www.cognexus.org/

Back on track

What is Card Sorting?

“Card sorting is a great, reliable, inexpensive method for finding patterns in how users would expect to find content or functionality.”
-Donna Spencer
http://www.amazon.com/Card-Sorting-ebook/dp/B004VFUOL0

What are the types of card sort?
Open
& Closed

Open card sorting process
Snake
Ferrari
Cat
Ford
Dog
Gerbil
Honda
Rolls Royce
Mouse

Results
Pets
Cars
Cat
Ferrari
Dog
Honda
Mouse
Rolls Royce
Gerbil
Ford
Snake

But not always what you expect
Cute
European
Scary
Domestic
Ford
Cat
Ferrari
Mouse
Rolls Royce
Dog
Snake
Gerbil
Japanese
Honda

But not always what you expect
Animals
Luxury
Regular
Ferrari
Cat
Ford
Rolls Royce
Honda
Dog
Gerbil
Mouse
Snake

Analysis
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/analyzing_card_sort_results_with_a_spreadsheet_template

Back On Track

Navigation
workshops

Navigational Map

Document inventory workshops

The Inventory Worksheet

Build the Taxonomy

Build Mind Map (based on inventory worksheet)

The Outcome
Using visual tools provides shared understanding, which is a crucial driver of shared commitment to a goal.

Workshops become much more interactive; hone your meeting facilitation skills to retain control and obtain value

Wireframing, andProcess Mapping

Wireframing Workshops

Balsamiq

CommonIntranet Components

Balsamiq DEMO

Wireframing Tip!

Don’t Forget Consistency
Consistency Across User Environments
Modify Provisioned Site (or Templates) Based on Need
Each Page Design Should Be Consistent

Business Process Workshops

Visio 2010 Demo

Common Intranet Processes
Absence Reporting and Vacation Scheduling
Expense Reimbursement
Equipment and Room Reservation and Management
Meeting Planning and Management
Policy Review and Approval
Booking Travel
Interview Management and Hiring Processes
Training Sign Up and Management
Event Planning
Change Request Management
Timecard/Time Tracking
Product Planning
Help Desk Ticket Management
Compliance Support
Contacts Management
Inventory Tracking
Lending Tracking
Sales Lead Pipeline

Roadmap

Time Challengesin SharePoint Projects

What is the best approach to use when working with SharePoint?

ITERATIVE APPROACH

Why Iterative?
SharePoint is a very large platform.
It takes time to understand SharePoint.
SharePoint is great for rapid prototyping, and for proof of concept work.
It ensures there is enough time to review, adjust, and communicate.

Opportunistic driven learning
Image from Paul Culmsee

Visualizing Timelines
An easy way to createsharedunderstanding of the impactestimates make on projects.

Visualizing Existing Timelines
A great way to take existing project timelines and set stakeholder expectations or communicate impact of changes.

The Outcome
Using an Iterative Approach keep learning impact in mind, use Visio Timelines to foster shared understanding and commitment.

Expectation is the timeline killer. If everyone has the same expectations then the timeline is never ‘off’.

What Is SharePoint?

Making
Information Architecture Decisions

The Importance of Making Good Information Architecture Decisions

SharePoint Containment Hierarchy
What we care about from an information architecture perspective.

SharePoint Containment Hierarchy

Site Collection or Site (Subsite)?
OR

Site Collection

When To Use A Site Collection

Site Collection 1
Site Collection 2
Webparts & Aggregation
Webparts & Aggregation
Masterpages & Page Layouts
Masterpages & Page Layouts
Navigation
Navigation
Search Across Site Collection Boundaries

Site Collection 1
Site Collection 2
Group Y
Group A
Group Z
Group B
Collection Admin Y
Group C
Collection Admin A
Collection Admin Z
Collection Admin B

Recommended Approach
Bob Mixon on SharePoint 2007 Site Collections

SharePoint Permissions

AD Groups or SharePoint Groups?
OR

SharePoint Groups vsAD Groups

Item Level Permissions
Best Practices For Using Fine-Grained Permissions Whitepaper

“Item Level” Permissions

Web Level Permissions

Targeted Code
New in SharePoint 2010 SPRoleAssignmentCollection.AddToCurrentScopeOnly

Purpose of a List?
To Replace Excel Spreadsheets
To Track Complex Input From Multiple People
To Centralize Storage and Retrieval of Content
To Provide Validation, Easy To Use Online Forms
To Reduce Duplication of Effort

One List or Multiple Lists?
OR

When To Use a Single List
You want to simplify viewing the same set of items. (When dispersed across many lists it requires additional effort to aggregate the lists).
You want to search for items in the same location.(When dispersed across many lists it requires additional effort to configure search scopes).
You want to easily apply consistent versioning, approval, metadata or form settings.
You want to receive consolidated updates on the collection of items (alerts or RSS).

When To Use Multiple Lists
You don’t expect people to need summaries of the items together.(When dispersed across many lists it requires additional effort to aggregate the lists).
You need to apply different versioning, approval, metadata, or form settings.
You want to distribute management of versioning, metadata, workflows or form settings.
You do not need to receive consolidated updates (alerts or RSS).

Advanced Uses Of Lists

One Library or Multiple Libraries?
OR

When To Use a Single Library
You want to simplify viewing the same set of documents. (When dispersed across many libraries it requires additional effort to aggregate the libraries).
You want to search for documents in the same location.(When dispersed across many libraries it requires additional effort to configure search scopes).
You want to easily apply consistent versioning, approval, metadata or form settings.
You want to receive consolidated updates on the collection of documents (alerts or RSS).

When To Use Multiple Libraries
You don’t expect people to need summaries of the documents together.(When dispersed across many libraries it requires additional effort to aggregate the libraries).
You need to apply different versioning, approval, metadata, or form settings.
You want to distribute management of versioning, metadata, workflows or form settings.
You do not need to receive consolidated updates (alerts or RSS).

List and Content Type Tip!

Default Content Types and Metadata Values

Navigating with MetadataTip!

Navigating with Metadata, not Folders

Set up with Library Settings

Configure Setttings

Filters the list

Document Routing Tip!

Content Organizer and Routing

Configure the router

Configure settings

Create Rules

Create/Modify Rules

Use the Drop-off Library

Add a document

Enter Metadata

Detour: 2010 Metadata

Back to Drop-off library

Your document was moved

Rules don’t apply…

… it doesn’t get moved

Folder or Metadata?
OR

The #1 rule of SharePoint?
Except when it makes sense
Never use folders
ever

What’s wrong with folders?
Deep structures hard to navigate
Finding stuff is hard
Figuring out where to put stuff is even harder
Stuck with a rigid structure
Search is not the silver bullet

What’s the alternative?
metadata

What’s the alternative?

Metadata = No more folders
Filtering
Views

Really? No more folders? Ever?
What situations would you use folders?
Subdivide large libraries/lists
Security/Permissions This is a favourite of mine
Ease of use for users
Really? No more folders?
Really?

Downsides of Metadata
No free lunch (there is pain here)
Awful architectural choices to make
Multiple site collections
Good Practice
Bad for Metadata
Maintenance headache
Can be mitigated
Define at top level if possible

Folders for easy permissions
Create folder
Set permissions
Create view without folders
Easy for users (they only see what they are supposed to)

Folders and Default Values

The Sales document library

Drill down into Military folder

Drill down into Air-to-Ground

Add a new document here

Note: Some metadata prefilled

How did we do that?
Library tab
Library settings

Column default value settings

Select a folder and set defaults
Note folder inheritance

Set the default value

in SharePoint 2010
Managed Metadata Service
Share Metadata across site collections
Multilingual Metadata (big gotcha )
Hierarchical Metadata
Navigate via Metadata (already discussed)
Keywords/Folksonomy (Out of scope today)
Folders can assign default metadata (already discussed)
metadata

Working With Managed Metadata

Term Store Management

Adding Terms

Turn off “Available for Tagging”
Add sub elements: Proposal, Quote, Invoice
Leave “Available for Tagging checked”

Term Store Manager
Painful & Slow
Needs a better way
I created a ‘toy’ to try out some ideas
http://bit.ly/ruveng-mmts
Article links to other solutions (Excel)

CSV file for Import to Term Store

To Sum Up…
SharePoint 2007
Folders BAAAAD!
Never use them
Except when the situation warrants
SharePoint 2010
Folders GOOOOD!
Never use them
Except when the situation warrants

Folder or Document Set?
OR

Folders vs. Document Sets
Document Sets vs Folders

Document Sets

Folders and Default Values

Document
Document
Document
Folder
Document Library
Folder
Folder
Document
Folder
Document
Document Set
Folder
Document
Document Set
Document

The Outcome
You need to understand all of the SharePoint objects, their limitations, and their benefits to make effective decisions.

There is always a trade off and all information architecture decisions should be constantly re-evaluated.

What Is SharePoint?

Putting it all Together
(a case study approach)

Introducing multiMEGA Industries
The world’s leading supplier of Missiles, Produce and Soap

They Want A SharePoint Intranet!

Find and Involve Stakeholders

Educate Stakeholders
Enable
Solutions

Define and Prioritize Objectives

Initial Discovery Workshop

MapSolutions to Objectives
* Objectives/solutions should be more specific – Example purposes only.

Roadmap

Information Architecture and Governance Areas
Permanent central portal
Communication Portal
Central navigation
Central taxonomy
Divisional stakeholders
Enterprise search
CentralPortal
Departmental portlets
Departments
Resources
Business Processes
Increasing Strictness of Governance
Collaboration
Local taxonomies
Local search
Semi Structured
Team sites
- Multiple authors
Blogs, bios,
Social
Personal
Above The Line versus Below The Line

Navigation
Workshops

Document Inventory Workshops

Build Mind Map (based on inventory worksheet)

Common Intranet Processes
Absence Reporting and Vacation Scheduling
Expense Reimbursement
Equipment and Room Reservation and Management
Meeting Planning and Management
Policy Review and Approval
Booking Travel
Interview Management and Hiring Processes
Training Sign Up and Management
Event Planning
Change Request Management
Timecard/Time Tracking
Product Planning
Help Desk Ticket Management
Compliance Support
Contacts Management
Inventory Tracking
Lending Tracking
Sales Lead Pipeline

Business Process Workshops

Structured Approach for Navigation
Original Concept – 5 Steps to Structure SharePoint Sites

Wireframing Workshops

CommonIntranet Components

Identify Key Pages

Mockup Key Pages

Setup Your Governance Teams

Implement the steps
Find the stakeholders
Establish steering committee
Determine the goals of the project (no platitudes!)
“Requirements” Gathering Workshops
Roadmap and Timelines
Defining personas (who is our audience or audiences)
Card sorts
Navigation workshops
Wireframing workshops
Business process workshops
Document and Taxonomy workshops
Governance

The Outcome
A well planned information architecture approach will lead to better results.

Iterative improvements are necessary and should leverage a model like the one we just walked through.

Practical SharePoint IA Review…
Platform For Solutions That Achieve Business Objectives
Effective Teams, Patterns, And Practices Are Critical
Requirements Need To Be Carefully Considered
SharedUnderstanding And SharedCommitment Are Key
Every Decision Is More Effective With More Information
Practice And Experience Really Help
There Is So Much Out There You Can Use To Help
What Is SharePoint?

What Is SharePoint?

Make it easier to work with

Powerful Columns You Probably Didn’t Know About

Why Leveraging SharePoint Blog Features for News is a Great Idea

IBIS Dialog Mapping

Setting Up A Governance Site

Why a Governance Site?
It’s a lot of content.
It’s a collaborative process.
It’s an ongoing process.
Each piece of content should have a clear owner.
Content will need tobe shared.

Governance Announcements

SharePoint Solutions Listing
In addition you can also create a ‘Roadmap’ or basically a Gantt Chart or visual indicator of solutions to show what you have achieved and where you are going with SharePoint.

Team Rosters and Definitions

Policies, Standards and Guidelines
Use Search, Metadata, and Approval Workflows to help improve management and user experience.
For living documents/standards that require many authors try a Wiki!

FAQs and a Glossary
SharePoint Glossary Online

Patterns and Practices

TeamResources and Minutes

Feedback and Surveys
Embed feedback options throughout the sites!
Don’t forget to share stories!

Self Help and Support Resources

Complete Site Listing
Include things like:
The owner and secondaryowner of the site.
The purpose of the site.
The URL, Size, and Usage Level of the site.
The last time the site was engaged by the support team.

The Outcome
Using the SharePoint Platform we can effectively manage SharePoint Governance.

Just having the Governance site isn’t enough. Content must remain fresh.

Giving Estimates
At least 2 hours… 4 hours maybe?
Forgotten/Not Shared Now That We Have Our Magic Number
16? Way too much. 8 Tops.
I better pick something in between…
6 Hours!
How Long Will X Take You?
Never Give a Single Number
Two Simple Tricks For Making Better Estimates

Always Give Ranged Estimates
2-8 Hours!
Ranged Estimates Help Communicate Confidence and Set Expectations

Are You Confident In That Range?
2-8

Actual Result
OR
Within Range
OVERCONFIDENT

Actual Result
OR
Within Range
LESS CONFIDENT

Actual Result
OR
Within Range
90% Confident

Give 90% Confident Ranged Estimates
Within Range
=
2-8 Hours!

The Outcome
There are many ways that we can improve usability of SharePoint and as a result improve our Information Architecture.

Tips and Tricks are not enough to ensure successful Information Architecture.

Full Name
Email Address
Allow Us To Keep In Touch And Send You SharePoint Information Architecture Resources
Role(s)
IT Pro Developer End User Architect Biz Analyst
Helps us understand where yourexperience with SharePoint has been and what roles were contained in our workshop audience.
Would you recommend this workshop to a colleague or friend?

What did you likebest or what did you find useful?
What was missing or what would you have liked to see?

Thank You Organizers, Sponsors andYoufor Making this Possible.
Questions? Ideas? Feedback? Contact us:
Twitter: @ruveng & @rharbridge
Blogs: spinsiders.com/ruveng & rharbridge.com
Email us: ruveng@navantis.com & richard@rharbridge.com
Resources: http://www.PracticalIntranet.com

SPTechCon - Practical Tools and Techniques for the SharePoint Information Architect

by Richard Harbridge

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