Offline SharePoint – Enterprise Adoption of SharePoint – Part 1

I was asked by Colligo to be a guest blogger and write a series on the topic of Enterprise Adoption of SharePoint.  The first article in this series, Enterprise Adoption of SharePoint – Part 1, is now available on their site. I would like to thank Colligo for giving me the opportunity to do this …

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Using sub-sites to manage files instead of library folders – a contract management solution

Recently I wrote an article about why I don’t like the use of folders in SharePoint Document Libraries.  Some comments left on that article prompted me to describe one approach to using sub-sites instead of folders for managing documents.  The specific comment I am referring to indicated they were managing thousands of clients documents, categorized …

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Using Folders in SharePoint Document Libraries

06-13-2011 – Updated based on post comments. I am asked on a regular basis how I feel about the use of Document Library folders.  To be honest, I always tell people “avoid them”.  This response always stirs up controversy so I though I would write this article to help you better understand my thinking. Before …

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SharePoint Intranet Implementation – CSF – Simplify the Contribution and Management of Content

CSF – Simplify the Contribution and Management of Content Many Intranets I have seen over the years have been implemented with the focus being on a single consumer audience.  This model may work well for an Internet (public facing) site; however, I contest it is a model that doesn’t work well for Intranet implementations.  First …

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SharePoint Intranet Implementation – CSF – Focus on Solving Business Problems/Needs

CSF – Focus on Solving Business Problems/Needs It is critical that you focus on solving business problems, not rolling-out technology widgets.  As I have indicated in other articles, you must detach the non-technical user from the technical details.  Simply rolling-out a site, blog or wiki doesn’t necessarily solve a specific business problem.  And, if we …

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SharePoint Intranet Implementation – CSF – Thoroughly Understand and Document What it is You Are Building

CSF – Thoroughly Understand and Document What it is You Are Building I know, this sounds somewhat ridiculous right?  Of course you know what you are building; an Intranet! One thing I have learned over the years is to not assume everyone has the same understanding of what an Intranet is.  Ask 25 different individuals in …

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Colligo Contributor v5.0 – Sneak Peek

Late last week I received an e-mail from Colligo with information about v5.0 of their contributor product.  I received the okay to share this information; so this is for those who aren’t on their mailing list! Excerpts directly from their e-mail: We’re very excited to announce a major upgrade to Colligo Contributor, with new features …

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SharePoint 2007/2010 Add-in Product for MindManager

If you have ever followed any of my blog posts, seen me at any conferences speaking or worked with me, you know I am a huge fan of Mindjet’s MindManager product as a planning, design, architecture, project management and communications tool.  Its simply an amazing product.  If you haven’t ever used MindManager from Mindjet, I highly recommend …

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SharePoint Design: CSF – Trust: Giving users a sense of trust with in the information they are using

Many do not realize the bridge business users must traverse when moving their documents from local drives and file shares to a new document management solution; this can be overwhelming to many.  Thus it is imperative to implement a solution that promotes consistent trust in the technology.  If users find the solution difficult to use, …

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SharePoint Design: Findability: Promote the dissemination of information (content) through navigation, aggregate views, dashboards and search

The term “findability” refers to a solution that provides meaningful and accurate information to consumers (personas) that proactively supports business decisions. Once CSF #1, simplify the storage and management of content, has been addressed and solved, it will then be important to aggregate, disseminate and deliver that information to consumers in a meaningful and accurate …

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