Planning for Upgrades

Planning for UpgradesSummarySo what do I knowUnderstand the technologyPlanTeamCommunicateInventory, audit, clean-upTest, test & test again!Upgrade complete!It aint over til its over

So what do I know?

NedbankRand Merchant Bank3Understand the technologyUnderstand the possibilitiesDiscontinued features

Possibilities; benefitsDiscontinued features in SharePoint 2013: how will this affect what you have in your current environmentSlide libraryWeb analyticsMeeting workspaceDocument workspacehttp://office.microsoft.com/en-001/sharepoint-help/discontinued-features-and-modified-functionality-in-microsoft-sharepoint-2013-HA102892827.aspx

4Clearly defined ownershipClearly defined scopeClear project plan with timelines

PlanClearly defined ownership: Someone has to be responsible & make the final calls.Project Scope "The work that needs to be accomplished to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions."Scope creep managementis important for effective project management. Projects are expected to meet strict deadlines with resource restraints, and an unvetted and unapproved change in the scope can affect the success of the project. Scope creep sometimes causescost overrun.Scope creepis a term which refers to the incremental expansion of the scope of a project, which may include and introduce more requirements that may not have been a part of the initial planning of theproject, while nevertheless failing to adjust schedule and budget. There are two distinct ways to separatescope creep management. The first is business scope creep, and the second is calledfeatures (also technology) scope creep. The type of scope creep management is always dependent on the people who create the changes.Agile project management : It is the most consistent project management technique since it involves frequent testing of the project under development.It is the only technique in which the client will be actively involved in the project development.

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TeamDefine whos part of the upgrade teamServer admins perform most of upgrade tasksIT or application Helpdesk leadership & personnelProject ManagerSite collection adminsSite designers, developers, third-party solution providersSharePoint Champions & Super-usersSite users

MeetingsDecide how oftenMaybe more often closer to time of upgrade

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What roles will they playPoint of contactTestingTraining co-ordinatorActual upgrade

Who is the main point of contact?Who is going to be involved in the testing?How often will they be required to give feedbackWhos going to arrange the training? In-house? Vendor?Actual upgrade? Server infrastructure, DBAs?Communications?7Communicate

Clear communication is always a two-way process. Its not enough to speak clearly; you have to make sure youre being heard and understood.Prepare how youll communicate Clarify the goal of the communication. Plan carefully before sending it or meeting in person. Anticipate the receivers viewpoint and feelings.

Deliver the message Express your meaning with conviction. Relate the message to your larger goals. Identify the action to be taken. Confirm the other person understands.

Receive the message Keep an open mind. Identify key points in the message. Value constructive feedback and use it to grow. Confirm your understanding.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the communication afterwards

Take corrective action as necessary

http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/12675/communication-most-important-key-to-leadership-success8

Why do you need one?

What to communicate:Communication PlanWhy do you need a communication plan:Set proper expectationsConsistencyProductivityOutcomeWhat to communicate:Were upgrading!TimelinesRequirementsHelp if you need further assistance this is who you can contactGovernance plan share with all users have a governance siteInstructions: What you need to doHow the upgrade will affect you & your site2010 > 2013 comparison doc9Comm ExampleHello All! Just a reminder that SharePoint 2013 is approaching quickly and we need to know that your sites are all working correctly. Thank you VERY MUCH to the few of you who have responded and given us a check list that is just what we wanted!We are also arranging training and have put the following tentative dates aside please give me an indication of which you would like to attend and then we can confirm the number and dates of the training sessions. Each one will be one day long and will take place in No 3. We can take 10 people per course and need to do so in order to make them cost effective. Once we have an indication of interest the Learning Edge will formalise the arrangements. Upgrade to 2013 course - people attending must have at least 6 months experience of previous versions of SharePoint 18 July 1 Aug 5 Aug 11Aug

Comm Example continued1 day 2013 Introduction Course (for new SharePoint users) 22 July4 Aug8 Aug12 Aug And remember: What we need from you We need you to look at your pages in the new version http://thevault-uat-test/Pages/the-Vault.aspx# and check that everything is in the right place, forms work correctly etc. Do not worry about content that will all be updated when we change over, what we need to know is whether everything is there, looking good and working. If not let us know so that we can document it and see what we can do about it before, rather than after, the changeover.If you think there are other people within the bank that would be interested in this please forward to them as well. Thank you!

Comms

Make them fun, exciting & memorable!12Comms

Comms

Comms

Its no fault, its the new Vault!

One of the posters well be using in the days leading up to the upgrade. Will have colours etc, same as Intranet so people can recognise what were talking about.16When to communicateTraining

Communication Plan continued

When to communicate: Generally, site owners should be informed just before the upgrade takes place, but it is a good idea I think to let them know ahead of time.they can help with the testing!Have a communication schedule make it consistentGood idea to have comms come from one personContinue communication throughout the processEven if you think youre being a nag; someone out there appreciates being kept in the loop.Training: Educated users are prepared & know what to expect will minimise support calls & the user taking out their frustrations on you.17ContentDoes all of this need to be migrated acrossRelevanceOwnersWhat about external contentCustomisations

Inventory & AuditContent: Need to know what currently exists on SharePointWhat will be done with irrelevant contentContent owners will be able to assist you with what can be deleted & what should not they know theyre content better than you doWho are your site owners & content owners?External content: File sharesLegacy SharePointLegacy document management systems, e.g.: Confluence at RMBCustomisations: the more customisations you have on your SP farm, the more difficult it will be to migrate. Therefore your overall migration plan should include a lot of time for correcting sites that include heavy custom code.

18Look at information architecturechange structure of your sites now in 2010 so that it can be copied across as you want it in 2013Is there anything that can be deleted? Old sites that have not been utilised in 2 years Clean Up!

19Test, test, & test again

Testing groupUAT (User Acceptance Testing)Document!!!

Create a Testing group: Use your site owners or create your own testing group to test UAT: compare what has been created against initial requirementsDocument: Funnies, errors, concerns

20Do not ignore errors or warnings!

Report anything strange that you find to upgrade team server adminsThis is why you should be testing before-hand21Upgrade complete

22It aint over til its overCommunicate Training Governance plan

After your upgrade is completed, this is not the end of your work.

Continued communication keep top of mind

Your phone is probably going to ring off the hook for a few days if not a couple of weeks.

Prepare yourself.

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