Best Practices


  • Take time to prioritize the goals of the SharePoint 2003 project as far as the end users are concerned. This provides a focus for the testing phases.

  • Match the complexity of the SharePoint 2003 user environment with the skill sets and abilities of the users. Use the prototype and pilot testing phases to make sure that the design being provided is usable by the user community to ensure that it enhances their productivity as quickly as possible.

  • Make sure that key users are involved in the testing process. These should include departmental managers, IT support staff, network administrators, key power users, and key mobile/roaming users.

  • Use a phased testing process to ensure that the final solution meets the needs of the users. A proof of concept testing phase and a prototype testing phase help expose new users to the features of the product line while allowing time for fine-tuning the configuration. A pilot testing phase may make sense as well, depending on the complexity of the project.

  • Multiple portals are not just for the largest organizations. They can be used for organizational, security, and disaster-recovery purposes as well. Use the design process to carefully consider the options. A SharePoint Portal Server 2003 server farm can support up to 15 portals, or if Shared Services is used, up to 64 portals by default, or 100 portals with registry changes.

  • A well-thought-out area design is critical to the functionality of the portal site. Design discussions should cover which areas the company should provide, and a chart of the areas and their features should be created.

  • Areas on the portal affect the way that users access high-level information about the company and navigate through the different top-level and subsites, and so should be discussed in detail to make the portal as functional and simple to use as possible.

  • Personal sites are not for everyone. Some organizations may decide not to use them for less-advanced users and add them later. If used, each user will require training on their features because each user essentially becomes a site collection administrator.

  • The testing process is an excellent time to come up with one or more site templates for departmental or team use. These can then be used whenever a new site or site collection needs to be set up and can save a great deal of time in the setup process.

  • Make sure to document the final design, portal and site maps, testing plan, implementation plan, and training plan.




Microsoft SharePoint 2003 Unleashed
Microsoft SharePoint 2003 Unleashed (2nd Edition) (Unleashed)
ISBN: 0672328038
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 288

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