Wednesday 20 April 2011

The Soft Skills of SharePoint

Oh how we get tired here at Salem from the ever-present industry demand primarily for SharePoint developers and architects whilst not recognising the wide range of other skill requirements. It is as if when deciding to adopt SharePoint that it is all about the technology and little else matters until it is 'up and running'. It is so commonly forgotten that not only is SharePoint a business service provisioning platform but that there are a wide range of other 'softer' skills that are required for SharePoint to meet business objectives and embed effectively.

This article is to act as a reminder that there are a range of soft SharePoint skills that should be acknowledged from the start. It is not supposed to be all encompassing but as so often with our articles, it is to open up discussion and debate within our client and partner community.

Here are some to think about and, better still, to appoint.

SharePoint Strategist

If you don't have a roadmap how do you know where you are going. If the strategy and roadmap isn't business-aligned, how do you know where the business is going? Any successful SharePoint implementation will be accompanied by a business-aligned clear service-driven roadmap based in business prioritisation in harmony with a progressive IT approach.

SharePoint Programme/Project Manager

If you can't plan the detail of a SharePoint environment effectively from the start and manage a realistic budget, resources and timelines you may be heading for the rocks. This person will understand any potential pitfalls and logistical hurdles in advance and plan for them accordingly. Just because they may be Prince 2 certified (etc) won't necessarily help so use a SharePoint project expert.


SharePoint Business Analyst

Translating business ambitions, critical requirements and priorities isn't just a process, it can be an art form. An effective SharePoint business analyst will be capable of translating almost any abstract business requirement into a plausible basic technological approach. The most successful SharePoint business analysts we know and use are also SharePoint administrators and know what SharePoint is capable of.


Awareness Campaign Manager


Without an early business awareness campaign, how can business users possibly understand the merits of SharePoint and get excited about the services to come? An early awareness campaign is essential in most cases and therefore a business or technology owner who is a great presenter and who speaks the business language is critical. This role includes a lot of creative thinking and a dynamic, personable character.


Communication Owner

Once the initial awareness campaign ends there is certainly a requirement in many instances for a business-focused communication owner to progess positive SharePoint messages to the business communities regularly and consistently. This often comes from the internal corporate communications department. A range of multi-media techniques may be required.

Corporate Photographer

In the UK an individual owns their own image rights. This means that a company cannot force an employee to publish a specific photo of themselves, particularly in terms of a SharePoint user profile photo. The argument that an employee has signed a contract or that they have a security card with a photo doesn't wash when attempting to use that photo elsewhere without permission. Therefore it is worth considering a decent amateur photographer or a professional to take a range of images of each employee and then allowing the employee to choose one to place on their user profile.

Helpdesk

The typically undervalued helpdesk staff are so easily forgotten here but they are the first line to user support and will need to be trained and understand SharePoint themselves to the be able to send out the right messages and assistance.

Information Analyst/Architect/Governance

Without an effective information architecture you may well have chaos. Where does information get stored, when and why and for how long. How is information classified, how is it tagged, how will people find it and how should they look. How is information segmented and how is it easily navigated to ? These are all questions that require ongoing planning, design, strategy and governance. The Salem Process (tm) provides not only a clear roadmap but a core information architecture to get things established quickly in any organisation.

IT Governance Board/Owner

Governance is key to everythiong that follows. What are the IT rules of engagement that facilitate but allow clear IT policies regarding SharePoint to be owned, understood, communicated and progressed? Do not underestimate the amount of input and thinking that may be required.

IT Change Management Board/Owner

As per another Salem article, change management that is not aligned with SharePoint dynamic and devolved capabilities may quickly stall its adoption and growth. It is essential to bing change management on board from the begining and gain agreement as to how SharePoint and the change process work most effectively and then amend existing processes and policies.

Business Governance Board/Owner

What are the rules of engagement for the business and when should SharePoint be used and in what ways. If the business community is unclear then adoption may stall. Clarity is key so establish this board early and provide a relevant set of governance questions to get things moving.


Business Adoption Owner

Adoption is far more than training as we stated in an earlier Salem article. A business owner who can manage and own the adoption process may prove critical. What are the most effective methods of gaining business buy-in and understanding and then acceptance of the new business services.

Training Strategist and Trainers

There are a huge variery of training methods for SharePoint and they can have different degrees of success dependent on the culture and environments within an organisation. Classroom training may work for 200 staff but not for 30,000 staff across 5 continents. Training also requires an effective budget. Salem Consulting has its own SharePoint Adoption and Training Methodology as well as elite Salem training partners providing adoption strategy and training deliverables for SharePoint.

Floorwalkers

Once a business service is rolled out, people are required to hand-hold and walk the floors offering direct and immediate business-user support for a short time to ensure a quick return to productive working. Questions, answers and explanations are the norm. This role encompasses some of the most important soft skills. Anyone stating that the software should be made as easy as possible to use so that training is not required is fooling themselves and performing a disservice to the business. Any worker has the legal right to be trained to perform their role effectively, and that includes software.

Help Content Writers/Authors

This is not a technical role but someone will need to write the content and quick start guides for the business user to reference to perform the business-focused tasks that SharePoint will facilitate. Do not underestimate the time this will take, Salem Consulting offers base and bespoke help content through its Salem Training partner to assist in speedy adoption.

Graphic Designer

Many SharePoint solution partners do not have big, if any, in-house graphic design capabilities. Many partners farm out this task to suitable design agencies at a cost. Therefore for user interface design and further graphic design tasks, who will be performing this role on an ongoing basis ?

Business Site Administrators

Where you have elected to devolve site collection or site administration to business divisions, who are they, how wuill you select them and what will their role entail? How effective will these people be in coping with the extra demands that have been placed upon them. Furthermore who will train and support them?

Business Power Users/Champions

Early adopters are a great method to gain business champiuons who will spread the good news and positive messages about SharePoint. These people need to be business-focused and represent their business units at a high enough level to be listened to. Effective selection will underpin an effective SharePoint strategy and ongoing service delivery as they will champion the SharePoint cause.

Business Executive Sponsor

If the business leaders have not bought into SharePoint early enough you may have a tough time later convincing them of its merits when their business divisions are busy with business as usual activities. It is absolutely essential to have an executive business sponsor from the start who can champion the merits of SharePoint all the way up to the boardroom and provide the required backing, budget and influence to ensure success and uniform adoption.

SharePoint Business Programme Board

Every SharePoint implementation should be treated as a programme of related activities and projects in our view. The programme and projects need business influence, direction, approval, buy-in and decisions. Without a business board you will be ruderless when key decisions need to be made. The board needs a senior stakeholder who is able to approve budgetary decisions as well as approve governance and policy.

Editorial Feature Writers

It is fine to create a new intranet using SharePoint, and create new dynamic publishing services but who is going to prepare, gather aand write the content in advance? This is certainly true of new internal communications activities with a SharePoint driven news centre but extends far futher. Typically all aspects of new SharePoint business services will require new content written and ready for the go live date and beyond. Remember that these people will need to be trained and supported.

Content Managers

SharePoint business services require people to provide fresh and up to date content. Whilst a central news or home page environment may be managed by a central editorial team, other areas such as business unit areas within an intranet will require new landing pages, new thinking and fresh material and therefore expect a range of content manager material to be required, now and in the future. Remember that these people will need to be trained and supported.

Quality Assurance - Editorial

Someone somewhere within the organisation will need to approve new content prior to publication and therefore there may be a requirement for an approval process or else an editorial web manager to justify content, approve it and ensure it is written well enough to be published. They may also define editorial standards, writing and style guides and templates.

Style and Brand Owner

For larger organisations, style and brand is very important and carefully designed and approved, particualry in retail environments but these days can apply to the majority of organisations. For intranets and information publication there may well be a requirement for a business stakeholder to be involved in ensuring that brand and style guidelines are not only applied correctly to the user interface and page look and feel but also to a wide range of materials to be published within the SharePoint environment. This is also certainly true of SharePoint internet sites.  

Search Best Bets Owner

There will be a requirement to translate business phrases and keywords into best bets for early and effective search results. Don't ignore this as it is managed through central administration but may require an owner to ensure that best bets are handled effectively for a wide range of business stakeholders.