Effective SharePoint Usage: Best Practices, Dos & Donts Guide

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Using SharePoint Effectively: Best Practices and Tips

In the ever-evolving technological landscape, Microsoft SharePoint stands apart, offering countless possibilities for users. A common scenario is that users know about SharePoint as a part of Microsoft 365 Group or as sites created within Microsoft Teams, but do not fully understand how to utilize it.

This article sheds light on the best ways to use SharePoint by highlighting some important do's and don'ts. These pointers aren't listed in any particular order, but they sum up key insights gathered over years of SharePoint consulting.

The Do's:

Understand SharePoint Strengths: Having robust features built over more than two decades, SharePoint boasts an impressive document management system and security/permissions features. It also makes a lot of sense as a Communications Hub/Intranet due to its intuitive page editing capabilities. Thus, understanding these strengths is vital for any user.
Get Familiar with SharePoint Weaknesses: While SharePoint is undeniably powerful, it does have certain limitations. Understanding these limitations, both from a technical standpoint and in terms of intended use, is critical for any potential SharePoint user.
Understand Technical Limitations: It's important to be aware of SharePoint's technical limitations. For example, a document library has a limitation on the number of documents it can hold. Therefore, understanding these nuances and constraints is a must.
Maximize Investment Out of the Box: It is recommended to start with available out-of-the-box features and invest in leveraging them to the fullest before considering custom development or using third-party themes.
Train Your Staff: Given SharePoint's unique set of functionalities, it's paramount to train your staff to fully unravel its potential and avoid common pitfalls.
Consider Using Metadata and Content Types: Use Metadata and Content Types to standardize the naming convention and proper organization of content within your organization. This also improves search and can assist with retention and records management in the future.
Spend Time on Building a Proper Information Architecture: It’s important to plan your SharePoint Information Architecture properly to avoid time-consuming and costly reorganization in the future.

The Don'ts:

Don’t Ignore Proper Training: It’s crucial to invest in SharePoint training to familiarize users with its functionalities and avoid costly mistakes.
Don’t Use SharePoint as a File Share: Since SharePoint goes beyond just a Document Management System, using it merely as a file share is underutilizing its repertoire of features.
Don’t Use OneDrive Instead of SharePoint: Each has its distinct use case - OneDrive is a personal workspace while SharePoint is designed for team collaboration.
Don’t Ignore Other Applications in Microsoft 365: To maximize the potential of SharePoint, it's advisable to take advantage of the host of applications on Microsoft 365 which integrate seamlessly with SharePoint.
Don’t Use Without Proper Planning: Before you start creating or migrating content, proper planning and setting up an efficient architecture is a must.
Don’t Ignore Governance: It’s essential to define proper governance rules around SharePoint to ensure the secure and effective use of the platform.

For more information on features such as the Version History, Share/Copy Link, or Page Layout Settings available in SharePoint Online click here.

In Conclusion:

Microsoft SharePoint is a comprehensive tool, offering numerous features for enhancing workplace productivity and team collaboration. However, understanding its strengths, weaknesses, capabilities, and technical intricacies is fundamental to fully extracting its benefits. Adequate staff training, proper migration planning, and the appropriate use of metadata play a crucial role in optimizing SharePoint use. Therefore, attentively following these do's and don'ts can lead to a more streamlined and efficient SharePoint experience.

Read the full article How to use SharePoint – best practices, do’s and dont's

SharePoint Online - Effective SharePoint Usage: Best Practices, Dos & Donts Guide

Learn about How to use SharePoint – best practices, do’s and dont's

Microsoft SharePoint is an integrated services suite that clearly takes business operations to the next level. The versatile platform that's been around for over two decades has evolved with time, offering users robust functionality and excellent features. In order to get the most from this application, it's imperative to know the highly specific dos and don'ts of using it properly.

Using SharePoint Efficiently

SharePoint strengths rest in its superb document management system, its excellent security/permissions features, and intuitive page editing capabilities. Expanding usage beyond Teams and basic file collaboration requires you to familiarize yourself with these strengths and recognize the weaknesses too. It's crucial to understand SharePoint technical limitations to avoid issues such as errors in deep folder hierarchies in a document library, or not exceeding the OneDrive Sync limit. The desire to make SharePoint look different through customization should be curtailed, opting to maximize out-of-the-box (OOTB) functionality instead. This approach saves time and money in most circumstances, while still satisfying 80-90% of your requirements.

SharePoint Training

Training is vital for getting staff up to speed with SharePoint's unique architecture and tools/features. Users need to grasp the concepts of document libraries, sites, pages, and metadata to use the system effectively. It's also worth considering the use of metadata and content types for standardizing the naming convention and organization of content in your organization.

The Importance of Planning

Building effective SharePoint Information Architecture requires detailed planning to avoid having to migrate/reorganize data later, which can be costly and time-consuming. And it's not just about the SharePoint platform; you need to ensure integration with other applications like Planner, Teams, Lists, and Power Automate within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem for a seamless working experience.

What Not To Do

Don't ignore proper training for your staff to avoid problems like accidental deletions or improper security settings.
Don't use SharePoint as a mere file share; maximize its functionalities.
Don't slip up by using OneDrive instead of SharePoint or ignoring other applications within Microsoft 365.
Don't implement SharePoint or Teams without detailed planning or an outlined Information Architecture.
Don't forget about Governance. Ensure you provide a framework to guide operations, especially for medium-to-large scale organizations.

An in-depth understanding of SharePoint's capabilities and limitations will enable you to greatly benefit from this potent tool. With effective training and meticulous planning, this tool has the potential to contribute significantly to your organization's productivity.

Exploring each crucial element will make the difference between dismal and effective SharePoint use. Most importantly, applying these principles with consistency will invariably lead to improved results.

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