Virtual Collaboration with SharePoint

Virtual Collaboration with SharePoint

Instructor: Michael Curry

Outline• The need for virtual collaboration• Overview of SharePoint

– What is SharePoint– User access– Class site– Team sites

• SharePoint Demo– Discussion/Announcements– Calendar– Shared documents & version history– Tasks and workflow

• SharePoint Lab• Remote Access• Examples of SharePoint usage

The Need for Virtual Collaboration• A face-to-face meeting will always be the best way to collaborate

–BUT– not the most efficient use of resources because of:– Travel to/from meeting– Geographical separation of teams– Schedule conflicts (time zones)– Not maximum utilization of all attendees time

• Increasingly, face-to-face meetings are a luxury all businesses are reducing

• Current virtual collaboration tools generate equal –OR– even better results

• In response to changes in how business is being conducted you will use virtual collaboration for group assignments

The Emerging Digital Firm*

• The digital firm is one where all significant activities are digitally enabled and mediated

• Business processes conducted via networks that link many locations

• Time shifting and space shifting are the norm– Time shifting: work continues 24x7 not just 9-5– Space shifting: work takes place wherever in the

world it is best accomplished

*K. Laudon & J. Laudon. Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm, 10th Ed, p9

Overview of SharePoint• SharePoint is a Microsoft web based application intended to

simplify virtual collaboration

• Previous versions of SharePoint were nothing special, but 2007 release has been widely adopted– Most companies use windows server, so easy install– Tight integration with Office, also widely used– Segregates content based on user permissions already defined in

Exchange email

• Brings many features you may be familiar with from social networking sites to business collaboration

Who Manages SharePoint?

• IT is typically responsible for installing and providing a service

• But SharePoint is an ongoing business collaboration tool, not typically an IT function

• New SharePoint roles:– Install & configure SharePoint (IT)– Creating and managing sites (NOT-IT)– Training on SharePoint (NOT-IT)– Help with Office SharePoint integration (NOT-IT)– Tracking SharePoint progress (NOT-IT)

SharePoint Demo• Login, access team site, set user alerts• Team site features:

– Discussion– Announcements– Calendar– Links– Shared Documents– Tasks

• Class site features– Discussion– Documents– Announcements

SharePoint Lab

• Login to SharePoint• Start a discussion & post announcements• Upload documents to your team Shared

Documents– Assign workflow task to collect feedback of team

members• Administration– Change and modify web parts

Remote Access to SharePoint

SharePoint is a web based, so theoretically it can be accessed anywhere

Problems occur if you do not have the most recent version of Office, you can’t check-out, check-in team documents. This has been a source of frustration for past teams

Using Umbrella Access

Remote Desktop Protocol lets you to login to campus servers.From there you can easily check out documents and edit them using Office which is installed on the servers. This works for Mac too!

SharePoint Examples

• The benefit of SharePoint is closely related to how well your team collaborates

• The next slides show examples of degrees of collaboration other teams have had on SharePoint

• Part of your grade is based on how well your team collaborates

Discussions

Better: Lots of discussions with very long and thoughtful contributions

Good: each team member participated, and comments were contributive

Shared Documents

Good: Documents clearly labeled. Team used workflow for feedback and approvalBad: Document left checked out

Better: Folders for better organization

Version HistoryGood: many team members contributed, comments about changes were made, and a major version postedBetter: Lots of contributions, more comments on check in, and 3 major versions

TasksGood: Tasks assigned to team members

Bad: Tasks not completed.Task marked completed, but progress is 0%Better: Feedback & Approval workflow tasks assigned and completed

Calendar

Good: use of calendar to coordinate activitiesBetter: Gantt Chart for project overview

Other Features

Links to simplify navigation and as resources for collaboration

Announcements to keep team informed of progress

SharePoint Designer

• Replaces FrontPage• Simplifies designing of SharePoint

web content• More control over creating custom workflow• Currently FREE at Microsoft.com

• To do: download SP Designer and give it a try

Students Take Away

• Explain the need by business for virtual collaboration tools and how students can benefit from experience to them

• Use SharePoint in effectively in teams to complete a project

• Proactively contribute to team assignments• Be able to access SharePoint remotely using

Umbrella