Share-Biblio-Point
I think it helps to start-off with a basic frame to understand the design of SharePoint. Think of SharePoint like a virtual library, where librarians decide what you get to search, read, checkout, and use.
SharePoint, at its heart, is a list-oriented database. Like books in a card catalog, SharePoint compartmentalizes functions and data in “lists.” The document library is a list, the picture library is list, the discussion board is a list, etc. The data hosted in each of these functions is then placed into this list superstructure; like books on a shelf. Each of those lists can then have features like access controls, audience customization, data visibility controls, and data feeds imposed over top of the hosting environment.
Screenshot of a typical SharePoint site
For SharePoint, files and documents are king. Any collaborative effort and knowledge creation occurs within the documents and presentations themselves. Some consultants parse this as the difference between document management and records management. This perspective illustrates that we are really talking about file-oriented objects and work products which revolve around the quality of the content resident in the file.
Using Its Powers for Good
SharePoint is well-suited for a few defined business processes. It is ideal for hosting Microsoft Office documents (doc, ppt, xls, etc. – don’t forget to add the “x” at the end of your files if you have Office ‘07). SharePoint tightly integrates with these file extensions and enables features like sequential edits, workflows, and refined document management (check-in/out function). These features make a traditional shared drive model look outmoded.
The platform also integrates with other Microsoft tools like Windows (Instant) Messenger and can supply presence awareness for those who are also logged-on to the network.
Simple web design and customization makes even the most junior SharePoint developer look like a wizard. For those who invest a fair amount of time to understand how the webpart system works, you can quickly deploy a blog, discussion board, or a survey. Your boss and coworkers will start referring to you as “Gandalf” when you can establish a team site within 15 minutes as opposed to 15 weeks.
Then There’s that Evil Thing . . .
An often overlooked issue with SharePoint is the hidden cost of an implementation. That hidden cost manifests itself in many ways. Let’s talk about the Microsoft marketing strategy . . .
Investing Small, Losing Big
If an organization/company purchases enterprise licenses for Microsoft Office, they will throw in the SharePoint software in for “free.” Along with that they may offer some light consulting services to assist with the implementation. As a CIO, you’re thinking, “Free collaboration software? Score! Maybe this will shut those ‘web-savvy’ customers up.” Unfortunately, by the time you complete the implementation and training, you learn too late that the platform doesn’t bend as easily as you may think. Some of the functions that you may want to suit your business needs will likely require the purchase of additional web parts. Its at this point where the Internet becomes your enemy. The number of vendors offering enhancements to SharePoint seems never ending. Users will come pounding on the CIO’s door to make SharePoint do things that it was never intended to do. If you do choose to install some of these apps, you have new licensing and upkeep costs for a wide variety of vendors.
Content Management and Critical Mass
Most collaborative environments thrive on the achievement of critical mass. In SharePoint, the opposite is true. The platform performs best when the collaborative ethos is well established, tight, and contained to a group of about 10 – 30. Why is that? The search features of SharePoint are not as robust as you may think. As evidenced by the rise of third party vendors around search, SharePoint’s search and discovery capabilities are seriously lacking. Files, upon which the environment is predicated, are not easily found. So the more people you have contributing content to the environment, the more difficult it is to find said content.
Making It Too Easy
While one of the greatest strengths of the environment is its ability to quickly deploy web parts to users, it is also its greatest hindrance. With just some light self-driven training, a user who is granted “Design” or “Owner” privileges can deploy any capability they desire. This is often a path to disaster because said “owners” deploy everything out-of-the-box regardless of the business need. This blog said it best:
First let me say that I think SharePoint is a fantastic idea . . . Have you ever heard the “KISS” theory? Keep it simple stupid. Well unfortunately nobody on the Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server team seems to have heard about it. First off, let me say that SharePoint Portal Server is an awesome tool, in theory! However, it seems to have been designed by people that thought they were rocket scientists, and expected some massive adoption . . . Another basic rule in Microsoft has again royally broken, is the “Less is more” rule. Especially when you are dealing with non power users.
The end result is that users who you would like to attract to your site are immediately confused by all the functionality and walk away. It’s always easier to default to your existing business processes than try something new.
One of the things that is rather elegant about a WordPress or MediaWiki installation is that it requires users and developers to think about why and how each environment functions. That thought process surfaces important discussions between developers and users about the business rules that govern the placement, disposition, and processing of data.
It’s Still About Collaboration
Above all else, in my humble opinion (and other’s), SharePoint is not a collaborative environment. The value and Achilles’ heel of the platform is its security model. It is far too easy to restrict data from the prying eyes of others. If you are operating in an organization where data sharing (let alone collaboration) is not the norm, SharePoint does not improve this condition. If there is one thing I have learned in collaboration consulting, if you offer the average user two options of restricting or sharing their information, they will choose the most restrictive option.
The document-centric/list orientation of the environment also makes it difficult to process, analyze, or manipulate data. This document-centered view of information grounds an organization in a print and publication model that is quickly becoming irrelevant.
In summary, SharePoint installations result is pouring digital concrete down organizational silos. I understand Ian Morrish’s perspective that SharePoint does not create silos because there are ways to add authenticated users. With the greatest respect to Ian’s work, this is precisely the problem. Security, once again, is the determining factor for the sharing of information in SharePoint. As long as the information management model prefers access controls, then your chances for bumping into unknown sources of data and knowledge are greatly reduced. This is a highly important feature of truly collaborative environments.
