It shouldn’t be a big surprise that Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS) is incredibly popular and powerful as a basic content repository. Microsoft claimed $1 billion in revenue from sales of the software in 2007. A recent survey by AIIM (State of the Market: Microsoft SharePoint indicates that SharePoint is indeed rapidly becoming pervasive within the enterprise. Of those responding to the survey, 83% said they either currently use or likely will be using Microsoft SharePoint.

There are also many reports of SharePoint deployment projects being derailed or having less than desired results. Some of these are related to a lack of features necessary for an organization such as more robust records management or a more controlled repository, but many are because of the lack of SharePoint governance.

A SharePoint Governance model has the following components put in place to guide the development and use of a solution based on SharePoint:

• People – roles and responsibilities
• Policies – a collection of principles and guidelines on what is and isn’t allowed
• Processes – a how to guide for common processes, such as site creation, changing site themes, etc.

Here are ten things you need to know about SharePoint governance:

1. There is no easy button. Unlike the popular office supply company’s commercial where you push the button and get the comforting message, “That was easy,” you can’t push the easy button and SharePoint governance suddenly appears. While there are tools and templates available (from both Microsoft and others) to help guide the process, it will take resources – people and time – to create a governance model for SharePoint in your organization.

2. One size does not fit all. A SharePoint governance model for a Fortune 25 organization is different than one for a small business. A governance model must be adapted for the size of the organization. There are no “cookie cutter approaches” for developing the governance model. You can certainly repurpose a governance model intended for a different size organization into your own, but it again takes people and time.

3. It’s not rocket science. On the other hand, creating a governance model for SharePoint is not an impossible task or one that will take months of effort and armies of consultants. You simply need to treat it like any other project - dedicate adequate resources to it and then decide what needs to be governed in your organization and how you want to govern it.

4. You can do it now, or you can do it later – but you will do it. SharePoint governance is like the old TV commercial where the greasy mechanic says you can pay me now or you can pay me later, inferring that you will pay me eventually. The SharePoint governance model can be created while you have a new, pristine SharePoint farm or site collection or you can do it after you have hundreds of sites and document libraries with no clear indication of what content exists in the various sites or why. It will take require more resources to do it later.

5. Some options don’t have an “undo” button. Creating a SharePoint governance model will ensure the organization has thought through the various options and capabilities available in SharePoint and made intelligent choices based on their goals for the software. An organization has only one shot at several installation and configuration options unless a total reinstall is performed. At the same time, the governance model will ensure the organization has a plan for future releases and doesn’t make any decisions today that will impact the environment in the future.

6. Less information silos instead of more. Many organizations implement SharePoint for basic content services and to gain better control of the content on their shared drives. The same AIIM survey referenced earlier indicated that 60% of the respondents use SharePoint for file sharing. Without SharePoint governance, there are no clear standards on the creation and use of sites and document libraries. Organizations can find themselves with more information silos after SharePoint instead of less that they planned for.

7. It’s not just about the technology. Implementing new technology is certainly hard work, but the harder work is in changing the way people work. A governance model can help from the change management and usability standpoint of implementing SharePoint.

8. You can have governance or you can have chaos. Chaos in SharePoint looks like what many have called content sprawl – sites, sub-sites and document libraries with junk and no clear ownership. It may also resemble the same content types with slightly different names or with different metadata. A governance model with some basic information architecture can help ensure consistency across the entire SharePoint site and guide how sites are commissioned, used and decommissioned when no longer required.

9. It can help with litigation readiness. The amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) implemented a few years ago had a major impact on the way organizations manage electronic data. Courts have become more IT-savvy and they expect organizations and their attorneys to be the same. A governance model with clear descriptions of the type of content stored in document libraries, sites and sub-sites can help an organization in satisfying the “Meet and Confer” requirements of FRCP Rule 26(f).

10. You can have a more positive user experience. Overall, a governance model will help in answering questions and handling issues quickly and effectively. The model will provide the answers to the what, when, how and who questions that typically come with a new technology implementation. If the organization has thought about those questions beforehand and has developed the processes for handling them, the overall user experience will be more positive. It will ensure the users understand there is a plan for supporting the new technology which should help them feel comfortable that it is here for the long-term. This will lead them to be more willing to use the new technology and put some “skin in the game.”

Resist the urge of the IT department to just install it like any other Microsoft application – insert the CD and install with the default settings. You need a governance model to:

• Ensure the system is used as intended and aligns with business objectives
• Reduce or eliminate replication and duplication of content and SharePoint sites.
• Leverage existing content and promote reuse
• Ensure the system is sustainable and scalable over time
• Define responsibility for system management, administration and use from individual users to roles and groups

Originally published as 8 Things You Need to Know About SharePoint Governance on John Mancini’s “Digital Landfill” blog.