Microsoft SharePoint has become an extremely popular platform for developing web sites. It includes features that enable things like document versioning, access and security control, and collaboration among users. One of the factors in SharePoint’s success is that it puts power in the hands of users, power that previously belonged to the IT Department.
SharePoint users can create web sites, add web pages, create document libraries for storing files, create lists for storing information, and perform many other tasks that previously would have required the services of IT Department personnel. This reduces demand on IT support and gives users more control over their working environment, but like all good things there is the danger of too much.
The ease with which users can perform many of these tasks comes with the danger of uncontrolled sprawl. It is all too easy for a SharePoint deployment to become a disorganized unmanageable collection of sites, libraries, links, and so on. The SharePoint installation that looked like a shiny new car when it was put in place, without proper care can soon resemble an old clunker. This is the main reason that organizations planning to use SharePoint should put in place a SharePoint Governance Plan.
SharePoint Governance Plan – that sounds ominous, like a big complicated job for someone. Isn’t SharePoint supposed to make things simpler rather than complicating them? The reality is that a SharePoint Governance Plan is just a set of policies and procedures that can help prevent uncontrolled growth of a SharePoint installation. It’s sort of like regular maintenance on your car, and it helps keep your SharePoint site functioning properly.
What is necessary for effective SharePoint Governance? The key is a set of rules and guidelines that give users the flexibility that they need, but that provides enough control to maintain the functionality of the SharePoint deployment. Finding the right balance between flexibility and control is essential to a successful SharePoint Governance Plan.
Developing and instituting a SharePoint Governance Plan is not something to be undertaken lightly, but neither is it an overwhelming task. Several guiding articles and templates are available online to help with the process. As always with resources found on the Internet, be cautious, consider the source, and examine several alternatives. By proceeding in this way you can produce a SharePoint Governance Plan that will keep your SharePoint installation running well for years to come and your users happy.
