We’ve talked before about how smoothly Office 365 apps integrate with each other. No matter how well programs integrate, it’s only useful if you can use it to become more organized and efficient. Employee portals like SharePoint, used correctly, get you out from under the hood of a project, because you won’t be the only person keeping things organized! Let’s take a look at how SharePoint works to keep everyone on the same page.
One Paradigm – Left to their own devices, different teams can have very different ideas about the process behind a project. Did you know that SharePoint’s Quick Launch feature can be configured to reflect your specific project management plan? Any team that launches a new SharePoint web page and begins a project will see the steps laid out for them, making it easy to get off on the right foot.
One Version of the Truth – Because SharePoint and OneDrive reflect changes in real time, there’s no reason to bother sending emailed or paper copies of project files. It also means teams won’t be confused by multiple, outdated versions of crucial files. Portal sharing eliminates the extra steps you needed in the past to get updated files to your team. You can also use the comment feature to collaborate on edits.
One Task List – SharePoint’s Task Lists can be synced with the Project app, so you know exactly what tasks have been done. You can even add on the free Timesheet app, so team members can give you a more detailed accounting of the time they’ve spent on specific tasks.
One Library – Using SharePoint’s Library feature, you can crowdsource a repository of important files. There’s also a wiki for each project. Instead of wasting time tracking down the person with the answer, you can all reference the library, and focus your conversations on the big picture.
One Caution – If you want employees to become enthusiastic adopters of the Office 365 suite, it’s vitally important to give them opportunities to engage with it and learn about it in low-risk situations. These could be formal trainings, or you could solicit employees who are already implementing Office 365 to offer peer-to-peer instruction.
That’s why a key part of our Simple SharePoint Set-Up is education. Our first phase is even a free workshop about how to use SharePoint, and high-level strategy for integrating it into your business. The other two phases of the three-phase process also include plenty of training, documentation, and support. To learn more about this click on www.yoursharepointexperts.com
“Good strategy, implementation, and training are absolutely vital to getting the most out of your project collaboration with SharePoint.”
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