Project-based Consulting

SharePoint Technologies can be used as an intranet or an extranet, a project management tool or a document repository, a team collaboration forum or a knowledge management tool. It's a platform that can be easily customized to meet your business requirements. Determining the type of solution, what version of SharePoint, and the required resources are important aspects of your project. To keep projects simple and manageable we use a phased approach.

Project phases

• Planning & Requirements: This phase includes visioning, identifying project participants, and gathering and documenting business requirements. Recommendations and project scope are delivered at the completion of this phase.
• Design & Build: The solution is broken out into manageable deliverables and more detailed requirements are gathered as necessary. Sites are built with an iterative approach to ensure user involvement and validate prior to launch. This phase also includes the development and implementation of a Launch Plan.
• Training & Documentation: The Launch Plan will include recommended user adoption strategies such as training and supporting documentation for the different types of users (e.g., site manager). The Training and Documentation phase will include the delivery of the agreed upon solution. Learn more about training solutions here.
• Design & Build: This phase will continue/repeat as your company is ready. That could be immediately to focus on the next set of deliverables or 6 months later when employees are asking for more.

How we can help

• Vision: Work with stakeholders to develop a vision for SharePoint that aligns with company goals and culture.
• Project Management: Develop and manage delivery schedule, establish working meetings with the cross-functional groups, and report on progress. Recommend additional resources (e.g., graphic designer, developer) as necessary.
• Business Analysis: Work with cross-functional teams to gather and document business requirements, and document site design.
• UI Design: Define the user experience, navigation, and usability for SharePoint sites, pages, and services. Iteratively design site prototypes that satisfy business requirements and present to cross-functional groups.
• Site Build: Create, configure, and customize SharePoint sites, pages, site columns, content types, libraries, lists, views and Web parts.
• Documentation: Create documentation of site customizations. Create SharePoint User's Toolbox.
• Training: Create and deliver training on site use to a cross-functional audience with varying SharePoint skill.

For a full SharePoint deployment additional skills may be required based on your IT resources and the SharePoint technology that you choose. We have a number of respected business associates and consulting firms that can help with SharePoint Administration, custom development and graphic design if necessary.

Project strategy

Our strategy is to include business users in identifying key pain points and go for 1-2 big wins in the initial deployment. This has a number of benefits:

1. Ideas and requirements come from the business community creating a sense of ownership in users from the start
2. Keeps the deployment manageable so employees aren't overwhelmed 
3. Projects can be run in parallel to not overtax any individual business group
4. Big wins create interest for the broader audience increasing the rate of user adoption

We believe that one of the great benefits of SharePoint is the ability to launch individual sites and solutions as they are available versus spending 18 months for a full blown completed solution. By using an iterative, agile strategy, solutions can be made available to business users and improved upon when adoption is strong and users are ready.