SharePoint User Adoption

You have deployed SharePoint and now what.  Here is a guide to gaining better user adoption within you're organization.

Share the vision

• Deployment driver - What got us here?
• Explain key business drivers and how it will impact them…for the better.
• Short/long term vision (phases of implementation and deployment)
• Start small and build momentum - don't build it in a day!

Identify relevant use cases

• What am I doing today?
  • Don't focus on moving 50,000 documents to SharePoint…focus on what activities am I doing today or in the last week.
  • This becomes you're immediate focus.
  • SharePoint SME's work with these groups initially to help them identify/train/explain how SharePoint will truly make it easier for them.
• Where are people storing documents now?
  • Start with the documents people use every day to collaborate.
  • If they are emailing documents for review…create a document library to collaborate.
  • Inventory the network drives to determine version history, folder security, nested folders (metadata).
• Employee self service
  • ID what resources people most often request or call/E-mail about and then develop content around that.
  • Site owners should constantly "mine" or review requests to keep the navigation current.
• What manual processes are done today?
  • What activities can be automated with workflow?
  • ID the inputs and desired state.
• How is Excel used?
  • Is a list more conducive to a spreadsheet?
  • Do users get locking messages all the time?
  • Are there a lot of complex formulas? If not then consider a list.
  • Contact lists or issue management stored in Excel and hard to manage?
• Project Management Maturity
  • All the activities of project management fit nicely into SharePoint.
  • Organize documents, tasks, issues, security etc in one site.
  • Use search to create dashboards.
• Key processes that can be automated?
  • Employee onboarding
  • Services requests
  • Any type of request and follow up process.
• What paper/electronic forms are being used that can become a list with a workflow?
  • Internal documents used as a template users fill out and return.
  • Paper forms that are printed and distributed.
  • Non-controlled forms (tax forms for example)…NOT a good SharePoint solution.
• How are people finding information?
  • Blanket E-mails…hey does anyone remember…or does any have the latest copy of XX.
  • Navigating a folder structure.
  • Using the search function in E-mail.
  • Desktop search appliances?
  • Give up and re-create?
• SharePoint becomes the system of record
  • As information has been identified and migrated to SharePoint…leadership needs to communicate that SharePoint is where you will go for this.
  • Remove permissions on file shares as content is migrated.
• Drive traffic to SharePoint
  • Encourage attaching links in E-mails versus documents.
  • Draft content on SharePoint and include links to the pages in E-mails or communications.
  • Adopt this into the organizations culture…"it's on SharePoint"…"submit your XXX on SharePoint" … "I put the document on SharePoint so we can collaborate on it".

Empower people

• Leadership sponsorship and support
  • Imperative to the success of any platform being adopted.
  • Must be driven from the top down.
  • Given the appropriate priority and resources to support.
• Get user buy in
  • What's in it for them?
  • Explain the use cases and practical ways it will impact their jobs/lives.
  • Must be empathetic to their situations - can't be "another IT initiative"
• Users have to participate
  • Identify those people that are technically more savvy and have usually been early adopters.
  • Embrace technology and the change it brings and displays a positive attitude towards it.
  • Provide them the necessary training to develop/enhance their skills.
  • Try to engage people who know their department/business process and can adapt to the functionality in SharePoint to make a real impact in their area.
• Form a SharePoint working group
  • Member include those business users identified above.
  • Combination of training and how are you using it sessions.
  • Promotes collaboration within the organization.
• Adoption will grow organically
  • Once people see how it will benefit them they will either jump on or ignore it. Focus on those that jump on and want to be your champions.
  • Have those champions work with the others in their department to foster/grow/train.
  • SharePoint SME's continually work with users to refine/enhance how they are using SharePoint.

Measure the success and expand

• Evaluate what is working and adjust
  • Keep content fresh and in front of people
  • Continually monitor the information architecture for a better search/navigation experience.
  • Identify what isn't working so well, analyze the outcome and make corrections.
• Expand to more groups
  • Continue to execute on the long term strategy.
  • Rinse and repeat on the approach.
• Showcase the successes
  • During organization meetings, reference how SharePoint has transformed a department does business and why.
  • Engage the communications people to help promote and use SharePoint. They generally send out the most customer facing information.
• Continually expand
  • Start to identify more complex use cases and solutions.
  • Review the information architecture for a relevant search experience.
• Measure and Govern
  • Police the governance plan to identify trends and user actions.
  • How many subsites are being created when a simple library can be used?
  • Review user traffic to sites and start to trend it so you know how to structure the navigation to accommodate these habits.
  • Review the 3 click rule (users shouldn't have to click more than 3 links to get where they need to) by analyzing usage patterns.
  • Expand/modify governance where necessary to accommodate newly released features/functionality.