So what does SharePoint do?
SharePoint is such a flexible portal that it can do most anything for most any company. That, however, doesn’t mean that it should. Stretching its functionality to the point of overdevelopment is inadvisable but surprisingly common.
So what can the platform do that justifies the time and treasure? The following are three ideas for projects in SharePoint that make sense.
SharePoint- document sharing and collaboration
SharePoint is best used to display content and documents for users in a familiar way. It is in essence an Intranet application for making common HR, training, and marketing documents accessible to the entire company.
Did that new client get the latest version of the marketing brochure? Did he use the correct order form? SharePoint keeps versions straight, and makes distributing and using these documents much easier.
Collaboration with SharePoint is also improved. Wikis, polls, workspaces, discussion boards and workflows help to organize the conversation and encourage creativity.
Company calendars and meetings with SharePoint
SharePoint fully integrates into Microsoft Outlook, making it the perfect place for company, department, and team calendars. Post agendas, schedules and other documents in web-pages called “workspaces” that help organize events before they happen. Sometimes the content of the meeting can be settled without even booking a conference room.
For example, one client uses a workspace to clear the first 3 items from the board meetings’ agenda a couple of days before the meeting. Polling approved the notes from the previous meeting. Bulletined boards covered old business, and budget changes are addressed with document approval workflows.
Workflow and process automation
InfoPath integrates with SharePoint to help many companies virtualize paper forms. For example, an expense report that needs approval from an out-of-town boss could be handled electronically to avoid the delay.
The form itself would be accessible through the SharePoint site. Each step in the approval process would be guided through emails and dashboards. After the transaction is complete, the system would store all of the details for future reference.
The extreme flexibility of the program makes SharePoint one of the most useful applications for a business to have. Focusing on dollar smart projects will make the most of the portal and the most of your budget. MCS offers 1 free hour of SharePoint consulting to any Colorado business considering implementation. Please contact us for details.
