230 likes | 469 Views
“A Day in the Life of SharePoint” Explaining SharePoint to End Users and Management. Scott Shearer SharePoint Evangelist/Developer FlexPoint Technology sshearer@flexpointtech.com. Thanks To Our Sponsors!. SharePoint User Group. SharePoint End Users Administrators Architects Developers
E N D
“A Day in the Life of SharePoint”Explaining SharePoint to End Users and Management Scott Shearer SharePoint Evangelist/Developer FlexPoint Technology sshearer@flexpointtech.com
SharePoint User Group • SharePoint • End Users • Administrators • Architects • Developers • IT Pros • Meetings: 2nd Tuesday of the month, Microsoft Malvern, 5:30-8 pm • WEB: www.TriStateSharePoint.org • EMAIL: info@TriStateSharePoint.org • TWITTER: @tristateSP
SharePoint Network • Are you an independent consultant or remote worker who deals with SharePoint, Office or Office365? • Do you sometimes feel cut off from the rest of the SharePoint world? • Do you need help with technical or business issues, or just want the chance to socialize with others? If so, then the SharePoint Network might be for you! www.SharePointNetwork.org
Who is Scott? • SharePoint consultant for FlexPoint Technology • Done everything from System Administration to C# development to helpdesk • CPA • Former Stock Broker • Past Certifications Held: MCSE, MCSD, MCDBA, MCT, CNE • sshearer@flexpointtech.com • http://spconcierge.wordpress.com • @ScottJShearer on Twitter
FlexPoint Technology(They paid for me to be here) • IT Consulting firm based in Reston, VA • Cloud Technologies • SharePoint consulting, development, training • US Government and commercial customers
Agenda • “A Day in the Life of SharePoint” briefing • How do you answer the question “What is SharePoint?” • SharePoint has very broad feature set, making it hard to explain
How the Demo was Developed • I became expert on how to explain and demo SharePoint the “wrong way” • Through trial and error, I finally figured out what worked
Scott’s Observation #1 • People don’t care about SharePoint – they care about solutions
Scott’s Observation #2 • When attending an IT briefing, a non-technical user wants to know: • “What’s in it for me?”
Scott’s Observation #3 • PEOPLE HATE CHANGE AND YOU REPRESENT CHANGE
Scott’s Observation #4 • ENTHUSIASTISM IS COMMUNICABLE!
“So, what do I do?” • Give your End Users a reason to be interested • Simple, concrete examples of how SharePoint can: • Save time • Reduce hassles • Automate manual processes • Do not use technical terms unless absolutely necessary • Use terminology that they understand • “Action Item Tracker” vs task list
Demo what you want them to understand • Don’t try to explain versioning with PowerPoint alone • SLOW DOWN in your demo • SharePoint is new to you audience • Quickly clicking all around the screen serves to confuse rather than inform • Don’t talk about SharePoint Features • Talk about solutions
SharePoint Overview Scott Shearer SharePoint Evangelist/Developer/Trainer FlexPoint Technology
What is SharePoint? Lets take a look…. (SharePoint Team Site Demo)
Team Sites • Used in demo • Used for general office collaboration • Audience for the site is usually an office, team, etc. • Much of the functionality is quick and easy to configure • Common Team Site uses • Document repositories • Discussion Boards • Surveys • Meeting minutes and agendas • Tracking just about anything • Leave scheduling • Conference room scheduling • Process automation
Public Facing Sites • “Traditional” web sites • Push information out • Intended to allow people to consume information • Audience for you public facing site is everyone except the people on your team • May require the skills of a graphic designer • Content can be updated by non-technical staff
Sample SharePoint “Public Facing” sites • Ferrari • Bank of England • Boy Scouts • Micro Strategies • BA Insight
What do you say when someone asks you “What is SharePoint?”