How to avoid collaboration snares
Collaboration software designed to help project teams work together
more efficiently is widely used in the private sector and beginning to
make inroads with federal and state governments. One popular tool is
Microsoft’s SharePoint software. But while applications such as
SharePoint offer the potential for increased efficiencies, program
managers must watch out for some pitfalls when they prepare to get a
project off the ground, warned Scott Lock, principal consultant with Excella Consulting.
Lock said setting up a SharePoint or any other collaboration software project
is less about the technology and more about the underlying information
architecture and governance. By making the experience user-friendly and
seamless, he noted that customers would be more likely to adopt
SharePoint. He warned that the advantage and disadvantage of
SharePoint is that “you can do a lot out of the box.” But without
strong information assurance and governance practices, there will be
customer dissatisfaction.
A common failing in both the commercial and private sectors is a
lack of prioritization in projects, Lock said in an interview. He
explained that it is ultimately the organization’s responsibility to
prioritize activities such as whether it is more important to identify
all the people involved a project or to document all of the effort’s
goals.
Federal agencies often need the advice of an outside vendor when
attempting to set up a collaboration project or an information-sharing
web page, he said. Lock added that he had yet to see a situation where
the clients and end users were ready to set up a collaboration system
by themselves. “In any effort you need a coach — whether it’s strong
software development practices, accounting governance or golf — the
best in the world have coaches. … It all boils down to having a strong
lead to guide them through the process,” he said.
Prioritization is the key best practice for a successful SharePoint
implementation in state and federal government, he said. After
prioritization, attention must be paid to information architecture and
governance. Managers should also take time and care to understand how
they will roll out a program. “Know the problem you’re trying to solve.
You can throw all the hardware you want at it, you can have all the
bells and whistles and stand it up and say ‘OK here you go. Start using
this.’ But if throw it over the fence, the adoption will be horrific,”
he said.
Lock explained that “big bang” rollouts often fail. He said that
managers should focus on small, typically department sized rollouts.
They must demonstrate that they can successfully collaborate or build
something, such as an application. Helping to solve business problems
and demonstrating value will also help spur adoption, which will
attract departments and groups within agencies. “If you don’t have
users, then you don’t have people who are going to adopt and make it
breathe,” he said. Lock estimated that about 20 percent of the
government market is now using the Microsoft product. SharePoint 2010
recently received approval for use across the Defense Department.