Credit the quote in the title to Grady Booch, developer of the Unified Modeling Language in conjunction with Ivar Jacobson and James Rumbaugh, and Chief Scientist in software engineering at IBM Research. Like all memorable quotes, its value is the pithy, clever way it communicates a basic truth.
Human beings believe in the power of tools to make work easier and solve problems. For centuries, until recent work of biologists and zoologists proved us incorrect, we believed that the use of tools distinguished humankind from lower animals. In previous posts, I have talked about tools I believe are essential to effective project management (Collaboration Tools and How to create and use predictive project scheduling).
However, there is more to the story. Purchasing a tool for planning a project, tracking performance, or communicating with team members and stakeholders is the beginning not the end of your journey. I know that seems obvious, but you might be surprised how many times I have encountered managers who tell me, “I brought XYZ tool and required everyone to use it, but it did not help.” Only to find out on deeper questioning that they didn’t gather requirements and configure the tool, no one was trained to use the tool, no one was told how to apply the tool to get meaningful results, and no one asked for the output. Duh!
A Case in Point
A tool that we at Cognitive Technologies have found to be useful and highly effective in organizations is Microsoft’s SharePoint®. I applaud its flexibility, scalability and its support of collaboration among many teams and projects. However, we have learned when recommending SharePoint to others to remind them that it only works—it is only useful—when configured properly, designed to fit the needs of the users, and tailored to the types of content being stored. Let me explain what SharePoint is designed to do.
Microsoft SharePoint is a collaboration and content management system offered from Microsoft in either the 2007 server version or a beta 2010 version. SharePoint supports integrated search in a web-based collaborative environment. SharePoint’s software elements include collaboration functions, process management and document-management. SharePoint can be used to host shared workspaces such as wikis and blogs.
Navigating the SharePoint options can be challenging. Therefore, Microsoft offers a guide to help figure out which SharePoint products and services you need. The Microsoft SharePoint website provides resource to learn about SharePoint through books, whitepapers, and formal training courses. But how many organizations actually have or hire an expert to figure out how to implement this great tool for their needs?
Because SharePoint can be pricey for small organizations, WarePrise offers some thoughtful comments in their article, “A simple comparison between Alfresco (a freeware content management system) and SharePoint”. For what it is worth, they continue to use SharePoint to meet their needs. CMS Wire shares comments and insight in using SharePoint in “The Future of SharePoint Project Management”.
What do you need to do?
If you think that SharePoint (or any tool that you are considering) offers your organization a useful mix of tools for project management and collaboration, I recommend you do the following:
- Establish an internal expert. Designate someone to learn about SharePoint and/or hire an outside consultant to work with them. Give that person time and resources to attend training, work with the tool, work with the implementation consultant and purchase other educational resources.
- Gather requirements. This doesn’t have to be an extensive project – just make sure you figure out which problem(s) you want to solve and how to solve them best with the tool.
- Pick a project or organization and field test SharePoint (or the tool you are implementing). Set up the tool correctly even if that means hiring a consultant to help. Collect data, comments, and observations. Use the data to create a presentation that educates and informs.
- Find a champion. To move an organization, you need a champion with influence. Someone whose opinion is respected across the organization especially by those who control the purse strings. Utilize change management techniques and process to capitalize on your sponsor’s backing.
- Once a commitment is made to use SharePoint, prepare teams and project managers thoroughly. Your dollars will be wasted and you will lose “street credibility” if the implementation does not show results. So, hedge your bets by making sure that users know what they need to know to use the tool effectively.
- Value SharePoint expertise with both tangible and intangible rewards.
If your organization has worked with SharePoint or other tools that significantly improved productivity, please share your experience. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that all you have to do is buy a tool, install it, and all your problems will be solved!!
