Governance, everyone is talking about it...but what I found out at the NJ SharePoint Users Designers and Developers User Group (NJ SPUDD) is that most aren't doing it.
NJ SPUDD invited Jason Gallicchio, Premier Field Engineer at Microsoft to talk about SharePoint Governance during their February meeting. Throughout Jason's talk, I thought one of the most telling moments was when he asked who was working for an organization that actively practiced SharePoint Governance. At that moment, we heard the birds living on the Seton Hall Campus begin to chirp.
No one could definitively say that they were practicing the tried and true definition of Governance. This was a great introduction to Jason' s talk.
He took the opportunity to define Governance before taking a deeper look at SharePoint Governance. Governance is the Policies, Procedures, Roles/Responsibilities and Processes of your Information Architecture (Site Structure & Permission), IT Services (Hardwares, Search Management), Applications Management: Customizations, Branding, and Training.
He then made a key point, stating that Governance is Organic, it should live within your organization and cultivate as your organization develops and grows. So not only should you practice Governance at the beginning of your SharePoint projects, but it must be an ongoing attempt. So how do you make this happen?
Every organization should have a Governance Committee consisting of Executive and Finance Stakeholders, IT Leaders, Business Leaders and Compliance Directors along with Users and Trainers.
Then Jason informed the group that Governance is measurable. I thought that was great news, from my own experience, I have learned it is much easier to create a buy-in and foster improvements when you can measure the results.
Jason asked a final question that triggered thought processes in the right direction. He asked, "Do you know what you're going to do with SharePoint in the next months, how about a year or two?" This question was once again received with an answer of silence. This thought alone was well worth Jason's talk, there should be constant development around your SharePoint environment. Jason defined it as Keep It Clean/Keep Your Governance Policy Going with set quotas. He also mentioned some quick suggestions like having 3-4 environments, code reviews and code documentations.
The audience wanted examples around Governance and how to make it a success within one's organization, and Jason was able to deliver. However, I thought Jason's thought-provoking questions were the most effective part of his presentation. It seems to me that Governanance is all about asking the right questions. As Jason shared, "SharePoint is just a tool, and you must ask how does it fit in with our business objectives?"
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| Someone in the crowd said, "That looks simple enough." :) |
No one could definitively say that they were practicing the tried and true definition of Governance. This was a great introduction to Jason' s talk.
He took the opportunity to define Governance before taking a deeper look at SharePoint Governance. Governance is the Policies, Procedures, Roles/Responsibilities and Processes of your Information Architecture (Site Structure & Permission), IT Services (Hardwares, Search Management), Applications Management: Customizations, Branding, and Training.
He then made a key point, stating that Governance is Organic, it should live within your organization and cultivate as your organization develops and grows. So not only should you practice Governance at the beginning of your SharePoint projects, but it must be an ongoing attempt. So how do you make this happen?
 |
| Mr. Cool Presented like an Old Pro |
Every organization should have a Governance Committee consisting of Executive and Finance Stakeholders, IT Leaders, Business Leaders and Compliance Directors along with Users and Trainers.
Then Jason informed the group that Governance is measurable. I thought that was great news, from my own experience, I have learned it is much easier to create a buy-in and foster improvements when you can measure the results.
Jason asked a final question that triggered thought processes in the right direction. He asked, "Do you know what you're going to do with SharePoint in the next months, how about a year or two?" This question was once again received with an answer of silence. This thought alone was well worth Jason's talk, there should be constant development around your SharePoint environment. Jason defined it as Keep It Clean/Keep Your Governance Policy Going with set quotas. He also mentioned some quick suggestions like having 3-4 environments, code reviews and code documentations.
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| The front podium didn't hold Jason back as he worked the room. |
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