8 Factors for a Winning SharePoint Implementation

A SharePoint Implementation can be a daunting process that has major effects on your day-to-day business processes. The intention is always to make improvements to processes through the implementation, but that can be a long journey with unforeseen bumps along the way. Let’s explore some helpful things to that should be considered to help you minimize as many of those bumps along the way as possible.

Before embarking on a SharePoint implementation, it’s crucial to address several key factors for a successful project. SharePoint is a powerful platform, but its implementation can be complex without proper preparation.

To set your project up for success, there are 8 important things you need to consider before you begin. This article highlights key questions to ask before starting a SharePoint project.

Do We Have a Clear Business Case for SharePoint?

Before implementing SharePoint, understand why you want it. SharePoint offers many capabilities, so clearly define your goals. Clarity on business goals helps focus your implementation plan.

• What problems are you solving? Whether it's improving document management, collaboration, or security, knowing your objectives will keep your project on track.

• What benefits are expected? Outline measurable benefits, like increased productivity or reduced costs, to assess the project’s success. Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to guide your project goals.

  
  

Do We Have the Necessary Resources?

Implementing SharePoint requires sufficient resources. Assessing your resources makes sure you're prepared for a smooth implementation.

• Budget: Have there been discussions to determine a project budget? This can impact project scope and timelines.

• Personnel: Do you have project managers, developers, administrators, and subject matter experts available with the capacity to help? If not, will you hire external help?

• Time: SharePoint projects can take months. Can your team commit the time required for designing, building, testing, and training? Do you have a hard deadline you are working toward for project completion?

  
  

Microsoft 365 Licensing

Understanding your Microsoft licenses is crucial for SharePoint implementation. Microsoft offers various licenses for SharePoint Online that provide different levels of functionality.

• What is your subscription? Do you currently have a Microsoft license? If so, what is it? Is your whole organization licensed this way?

• Are other Microsoft tools covered? If you plan to use other tools like Power Automate or Purview, confirm your current licenses are adequate or calculate costs to supplement. For example, an E3 license does not support automatic retention labeling of content where E5 does.

• Third Party Licensing? Will you need to purchase a supporting application such as a migration tool or functionality enhancement module such as Opus for records management.

  
  

Do We Have Clear Stakeholder Buy-in?

A successful SharePoint implementation requires support from various stakeholders across your organization. Engaging stakeholders early and setting expectations is key to smooth adoption.

• Involve stakeholders early. Engage department heads and executives to align SharePoint implementation goals with company priorities.

• Set expectations. Be clear about achievable outcomes within a given timeline.

• Prepare for change. A SharePoint implementation may lead to changes in business processes. Define a change management plan detailing proper training and communication.

Are We Ready for Governance and Compliance?

A SharePoint implementation provides an opportunity to address governance and compliance from the start, reducing future risks.

• Security and permissions: How will you manage access and protect data? Define business roles carefully.

• Data compliance: Are there regulatory requirements you need to follow? Make sure your governance strategy meets these needs. What are your retention and archiving policies? Think about if Purview is the correct option for your organization. Are you interested in DLP or eDiscovery functionality?  

Have We Defined Our Information Architecture?

A well-organized information architecture (IA) is crucial for SharePoint’s success. A clear IA makes content easy to access and promotes collaboration.

• Site and document structure: Think about your current file structure. Are there issues you'd like to resolve? It's helpful to decide if you want to continue utilization of your current structure or design from scratch.

• Search optimization: Is metadata something your organization is interested in using? Consider what would be helpful to search on.

• Customization: Do you need custom workflows, web parts, or system integrations? Define your customization needs early to avoid scope creep.

What Is the Long-Term Plan for Support and Maintenance?

SharePoint requires ongoing support and maintenance to stay effective.

• Who will manage support? Have a team in place for troubleshooting user issues and ongoing maintenance. Think about who will own the system.

• How will users get support? A sustainable model requires a way users can ask question, air grievances, and request actions.

• What roles are required for general support? Who will complete technical tasks? Who will support business groups? Who defines security and compliance changes?

  
  

Do We Need to Account for a Migration?

Content migration is often a critical component of a SharePoint implementation. If you have existing content in other systems or platforms, you need to assess whether and how to migrate it to SharePoint.

• What systems are we migrating from? Identify all the systems where your content currently resides (e.g., File Share, OpenText, Google Docs etc.) and determine what content needs to be moved.

• How much content needs to be migrated? Estimate the volume of data to migrate. This will help you plan resources and time accordingly.

• What’s the quality of the content? Assess the content's organization, relevance, and quality. Consider whether some content can be archived or deleted before migrating to avoid carrying over unnecessary data.

• What tools will we use for migration? Depending on your current system, you may need a specialized tool for migration.  At Cadence we have developed a solution called Peregrine that was built for fast, reliable and secure data migration from old legacy ECM systems into SharePoint Online.

How Cadence Solutions Approaches SharePoint Implementation Projects

At Cadence, we view SharePoint not just as a tool, but as a strategic enabler for enhancing collaboration and streamlining document management. Our approach is centered on aligning SharePoint with your unique business needs, fostering seamless adoption, and providing ongoing support to help your organization thrive as it evolves. This is a core pillar of what we do as an organization, and our experience speaks volumes about our approach and diligence.

If you are considering a SharePoint transformation, get in touch and let us walk you through our approach and history of success!