SharePoint while initially appearing easy and straight forward is a sophisticated and complex technology requiring a depth of expertise. Without effective and specialized governance, SharePoint will only replicate your business’ existing problems at a faster rate and on a larger scale than you thought possible!

What is SharePoint governance? Broadly defined, SharePoint governance uses roles and responsibilities, policies, process, and technology to clarify ambiguity, manage company goals, and ensure overall long-term success of your SharePoint environment. In addition, the plan includes information about a solid deployment strategy that brings it all together.

The SharePoint Governance Plan is a guidebook outlining the administration, maintenance, and support of your Corporation’s SharePoint environments. It identifies lines of ownership for both business and technical teams, defining who is responsible for what areas of the system. Furthermore it establishes rules for appropriate usage of the SharePoint environments.

An effective governance plan ensures the program and its component systems, are managed and used in accordance with its designed intent to prevent it from becoming an unmanageable system. The management of an enterprise-wide system involves both a strategic, business-minded board to craft rules and procedures for the use of the system and also a tactical, technically-competent team to manage the routine operational tasks that keep the system running. Users of the system will be empowered by a support and developer community sponsored by the business leaders.

The primary objective of the plan is to establish the creation of a governing body for the usage and management of the document and records management environments. Other objectives are:

• Identify appropriate business owners willing to provide strategic insight and direction for the portal, and able to drive strategic initiatives into their respective organizations.
• Identify appropriate infrastructure (IT) resources to provide operational support for the system.
• Create an effective support system with proper channels of escalation for end users of the SharePoint environments.
• Communicate the need for business leaders to provide technical support to the system in the form of technically talented Employees both willing and able to customize, personalize, and use SharePoint in a manner that fulfils the business opportunities as identified by the Strategy Team and Steering Committee.
• Establish initial governing usage and maintenance policies and procedures for the SharePoint environments.

A number of Governance Plan templates are made available through Microsoft. The Atrium team will work closely with your organization to select and customize the template that best suits your environment. We will also work with your internal team on completing the Governance Plan and helping your organization put the Plan to work.