Solutions provider Professional Advantage outlines 9 business considerations for a SharePoint 2013 migration

1 Develop a Roadmap

Have you documented a strategy? What is the long term plan for your SharePoint deployment and how does this fit with the objectives of the business in improving People, Process and Technology? Revisit the business stakeholders you surveyed prior to your previous deployment and determine if their needs have been met, or if they have changed. Ensure your Roadmap is communicated to the business in such a way that it can be executed as well as monitored for ongoing relevance.

2 Focus on Quick Wins

For many organisations there is a view that their existing SharePoint deployment could be enhanced through upgrading versions giving them the chance to “get it right this time”. It’s true that lessons are always learned from previous projects, but don’t rely on a version upgrade alone to fix existing problems. Identify issues, execute your “quick wins” and integrate these into the organisation then return to your Roadmap to execute the next wins. This process provides an environment where users can ‘evolve’ rather than ‘revolt’ and gives management the opportunity to see the results quickly; driving further buy-in to the roadmap.

3 Confirm Why You Are Upgrading

Make a list of the problems you are solving and the return on investment you will achieve. An upgrade is often not simply about technology. There will be other costs (some highlighted below) that relate to People and Process.

4 Confirm What You Are Migrating

Don’t assume that an upgrade requires a migration of all content that resides on the existing platform. For many organisations this may make sense. However for some, migrating legacy data is an expensive unnecessary exercise. Why spend hours manipulating legacy content and adding metadata to content that is likely to be inactive.

Simply migrate relevant data and direct SharePoint’s search functionality at the existing platform.

5 Manage Change with Enthusiasm

Utilise resources from your SharePoint consultants to communicate the upcoming change, and what it means to the end user. Create the excitement, disperse the fear. Encourage them with tools like short demonstration videos so they can become familiar with the new platform. Remember that in the voyage of seeking improvement you will only be able advance to your least mature pillar of change (these being: People, Process, Technology and Culture).

6 Provide a Training Plan

Communicate your formal training plan and options for people, both classroom and self-paced. Your investment in technology is only as good as the uptake. Your uptake is only as good as the training provided. Consider using a SharePoint dashboard to reflect the training achieved

7 Capture Usage Metrics

It is important to know that people walk the talk. Surveys on desired features give people a voice, but usage metrics are the proof that shows they mean it. Establish usage metrics on how people use the current deployment. Also establish usage metrics on how they are using the new platform. This will provide an indication of areas to focus on for future development as well as possible areas to focus further training on.

8 Evaluate Skills Requirements

While the skills required to manage a SharePoint 2013 deployment may be less than that with a previous SharePoint version, make a check list of the technical skills requirement for administrators and site owners with the new platform. This may give you the opportunity to champion new site owners, reduce training budgets or redeploy existing resources to new projects.

9 Determine if the Office Upgrade Happens Now or Later

Will SharePoint 2013 work with previous versions of Office? The answer is yes. Does it become increasingly user friendly and efficient as you move up the chain to the latest version of office? The answer is most definitely. Consider the fact that sooner or later you will upgrade your version of office, particularly if you are still on Office 2003 or 2007. The pain of change will happen sooner or later but the benefits of seamless user integration, in particular metadata management, in Office documents is something your users will look back and thank you for. It is a significant cost, but review the benefits with someone who has worked closely with the products and consider the option. Remember that you will do it one day, so don’t let that be your roadblock as (if you have followed the above) you have already put in an effective plan to manage change.

For more information Email: enquiries@pa.com.au