This document summarizes a company's efforts to migrate its intranet to Microsoft SharePoint. It discusses how the company hopes to consolidate tools, improve findability of information, and create a collaborative environment. It describes how usability experts have been involved in designing sites, evaluating improvements, and helping departments migrate. It also outlines some challenges faced in the process, such as balancing governance needs with user freedom and limited training resources. Finally, it provides lessons learned, such as focusing on high priority issues, establishing standards upfront, and addressing organizational resistance through demonstrated value.

1. Migrating a Corporate Intranet to Microsoft SharePoint By Jen Hocko

2. Topics What is SharePoint? What is MathWorks doing with SharePoint? How is Usability involved? What challenges have we faced? What have we learned? Q&A

3. What is SharePoint? A platform that allows people to: Collaborate in a web-based environment Build portals Search and manage content (CMS) Manage business processes (workflows and forms) Assemble business intelligence data Develop custom modifications to extend functionality And more! Sigh….

4. What are we hoping to do with SharePoint? Consolidating and upgrading collaboration tools Making users more self-sufficient Improving findability (searching and browsing) Creating an infrastructure that will support us for years to come

5. How has Usability been involved? Beyond the initial pilot (a few years ago), we’ve been involved in many different ways. The model has been to migrate department by department rather than in one fell swoop.

6. We’ve designed important internal sites and evaluated / recommended improvements to those done without us!

7. We’ve helped departments develop their IAs And implement them as Site Hierarchies and different Web Parts in SP. We’ve also helped align people with a new corporate taxonomy at the global level.

8. We’ve advocated for a UCD-based process for moving departments into SP Acted as “SharePoint Liaisons” (consultants) and trainers Created templates and tools to ease the migration

9. Evaluated and advised on “findability” Benchmark / interim measures via survey and anecdotal feedback Contributing to the IA of the largest department: Development Supporting governance efforts: Designing and documenting templates for Dept, Team & Project Sites Collaborating to ensure content types / metadata will improve searching

10. What challenges have we faced? Here’s a sampling of some of the things that have driven us crazy.

11. What challenges have we faced? Using SharePoint’s OOTB conceptual model vs. customizing to match users’ mental models Balancing need for governance with user exploration / freedom Limited training and support resources Change management and other “people stuff” (re-learning, resistance, competing priorities, underlying organizational dynamics) Helping people create and manage IA for their departments Site ownership and maintenance Balancing good UCD processes with need to get departments into SP in a reasonable timeframe

12. What lessons have we learned? Here’s what you should know if you are about to embark on a project like this.

13. What lessons have we learned? Pick your battles – some things are learnable, others are not. Be involved in and fight for the big, ugly / hairy problems. Do something with standards up-front – don’t let it be a free for all to start, but don’t come across as too restrictive either. The best training is hands-on and just-in-time. Focus on making sure people understand the basics before getting fancy. Highlight the “what’s in it for me?” Overcome resistance through demonstrated value; pay attention to organizational undercurrents. People must have the vision, skills, resources, and an action plan to implement change successfully. Get and leverage executive sponsorship.

14. Q&A