The Pathfinder Intranet

Information Services Unit • Pathfinder International • 2010

Please remember.. Questions till later.

This is meant to provide a high-level overview of a pretty far-reaching subject.

This audience spans a pretty large gamut in terms of familiarity with the topic.

This isn’t training. There’s a lot of ground to cover. For those without much background context, this might be overwhelming. You don’t need to catch it all right now.

Remember, we’re at the beginning of something. There’s much to learn yet, and it will take time to do so.

This slide deck's available online.

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{insert deep breath here}

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What is an Intranet?

A private internet just for Pathfinder

Same raw communication power but focused on Pathfinder• Communications, collaboration, applications, processes, workflow,

approvals, forms, calendars, contacts, lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

+ Organizational drivers – what do I need and what do others need from me?

Potential for standard internet problems• I can’t find it!• Time wasted to create or consume

Opportunity for standard internet benefits• I can find it! Myself!!• Time saved by leveraging others

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Why an Intranet?

We already have one…

- extranet, public folders, R drive, email, paper

…that’s not working…

- information is dated, duplicative & difficult to find

…causing…

- time spent doing rather than thinking

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Why SharePoint?

Familiar user interface, similar experience working with MS Office apps, decreases barriers to adoption . Also increasingly tight integration with Office.

Tight integration with existing infrastructure (e.g. centralized database of users which in turn facilitates governance)

Broad platform with much ability to configure to need without customization, as well as virtually limitless ability to develop custom applications on top of it.

Sharepoint is not a permanent decision. We’ll re-evaluate every year or two, and may switch or add other systems as appropriate.

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So What is SharePoint

SharePoint…

… is a platform into which we can build virtually everything…

…including the kitchen sink

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What kind of sink?

“Eternal vigilance is the price of kitchen maintenance.”

- Marty Foley

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Potential At Pathfinder

Change

Collaborate

Connect

Close Gaps

Information

Accuracy

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culture

What Will Success Look Like?

Generally.. Summer, 2010

Governance clear & engaged System built, skeleton sites in place, some site begun Training program in active use Everyone, everywhere using the intranet to obtain information Ratings / feedback / usage statistics

EOY 2010 All major areas at Pathfinder actively using, planning or implementing

intranets

Reduced system count

People don’t struggle to find, create, share, participate or collaborate

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Implementation Schedule

Phase 1: Through August• Foundations, Systems, Governance, Communication Structures• Training & Planning • Initial functionality and skeleton sites delivered

• Phone book • ISU Help Desk (online ticketing system)• Initial ISU help site

Phase 2: End of Phase 1 - September• Retire Extranet, Public Folders• Additional sites rolled out? …Who’s in, and when?

Phase 3: End of Phase 2 - Dec 31

• 3-5 units rolled out and self-sustaining• Initial discovery of functional areas

Phase 4: Calendar Year 2011

• The rest. What do you need?• Business Process Automation, Custom application development,

Business Intelligence

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What’s Next?

We’ve only just begun..• My Team? My Unit? My Program? My Knowledge Area?

Business Process Automation?• Workflows, approvals > Q4 2010 and beyond

Document Development?• In SharePoint,, or not? > Kickoff Q1 2011

Business Intelligence?

• Integration with other information systems

AVISS?• Audio video imagery story system

Customization?• We’re hiring a programmer!!

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How do we do this?

Departments

Your choice: Big Project vs. Bit-by-Bit (Hint: it’s probably the second one.)

People Jump in – start doing Ask, Suggest & Request

Management Manage & Lead – in the system Ask, Suggest & Request Create/Demand windows into business information. Create/Demand levers by which to run your business. Steer targeted investment into customization and integration.

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ParticipationLeaders leading by example, active participation, vocal support, integrated thinking, grassroots empowerment

Governance – plan to planAppropriate policies, guidelines, boundaries, ownership, feedback and communication structures

Balance: Structure, Critical Mass, Hydra

Long-term visionExpect mistakes – no tactical overreaction Lots of small decisions for a system we all own

Training for all users & participation levels

What will drive success?

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Types of Content

Lists (hint: everything’s a list in sharepoint)

Libraries

Forms

Workflows

Forums

Blogs

Web pages and sites

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Site Types, Take 1

Intranet – Pathfinder-only

Collaboration – workgroups-only

Extranet - Pathfinders, Partners, Vendors, Board, etc.

Public WWW – possible, but a much bigger question

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Site Types, Take 2

Sites / Subsites• Grouping of info and practices around a purpose.

Some site types:

• Group Work Site• Enterprise Wiki• Meeting Workspace• Decision Meeting Workspace• Document Workspace • Records Center

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• Blog• Document Center• Multipage Meeting Workspace • Projects Tracking Database• Social Meeting Workspace

Information Architecture

The 5 pillars.

People

Units

Locations

Programs

Knowledge

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Information Architecture

Collaboration

People

Units

Locations

Programs

Knowledge

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Actually, call itSix Pillars.

Information Architecture

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And think of them like this..

People

Collaboration

KnowledgePrograms

Units

Locations

Governance

Who gets to do what?• Owners• Members • Viewers• custom

How will we agree to behave?• What will a site focus on? Processing travel? Housing meeting minutes?• What will we use it for? Collaboration? Discussion? Dissemination? Decisions?• How will we behave? (civilly, of course)

How long will content be retained? • 6 months after last update?• 7 years because of audit requirements?• Forever?

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FAQ

When are we getting rid of..

• Extranet? - Soon. As soon as everything there is migrated (or discarded).

• Public Folders? – Q4 2010? – Potential for continued use/integration with SP.

• R Drive? – wouldn’t it be nice.. ..might happen, too, but not soon. We could decide, maybe as early as next year to turn off write-access to the network drives

• E-mail? – wouldn’t it be nice.. ..but it won’t happen.. What can happen, though, is a shift some types of communication from email to Sharepoint.

• requests? (benefit: increase efficiency, management)• group discussions? (knowledge retention)• workflows? (etc, etc)

• Quickbase? - Maybe soon. If we want to. Might use another tool besides SP, too.

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FAQ

When will we..

• Extranet? - Soon. We’ll likely pilot with APHIA II this calendar year.

• Public site? – Unknown. Maybe never - maybe in the next 18 months.

• Integrate with other systems? – limited in 2010. extensive in 2011?

• ????

•

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FAQ

What about the field?• It’s a web site – (need to be able to get online).• Many sites – many different types of governance.

Will we have to test out to use Sharepoint when we go live?

• Maybe. Sort of. Least wise, some base level competencies may need to be established, though perhaps not by actual testing.

Do we have to spell SharePoint with the capital “P” in the middle?

“Hell no. I refuse to go out of my way to market my current biggest source of frustration on a daily basis. They’re lucky if I give ‘em an S half the time..”

-Ben

How do I get a question answered?• Check the FAQ online?• Ask a question there if you don’t find your answer?

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“Privacy” Less than email..

• A benefit. (They did put the word Share in the name..)

There may be some..• Units, Offices, Partners, Workgroups

..but Presume None• Management, Board, Funders, Auditors, Legal

Especially at first..• As you come to learn how SharePoint works, it will be best to keep

communications that are extremely sensitive off the intranet.

The courts have spoken..• Since way back when (90s), the courts have pretty consistently ruled that there is

no “right” to privacy when it comes to electronic communications in a workplace. The fact that Pathfinder doesn’t happen to engage in monitoring doesn’t mean that it couldn’t, nor that anything you type can’t be subpoenaed later.

Presume your boss, HR, copied on every keystroke & click.

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Behaviour Change

A new communications mix.• There will be bumps on this ride.• What’s the destination? You decide.

A Shift to Open • Information and ideas want to be free. Let them be.• We’ll all need to learn to embrace more opinions being offered us.

An end to silos?

• It’s as easy as learning to share.. thoughts, ideas, information.

An end to email quagmire? An end to email?• A shifting of dialogue, at any rate.• Email’s not going away, but the intranet offers us a chance to maximize it’s use.

Let’s avoid recreating the wheel! • (Especially wheels that have flats.) • A chance to review our processes before replicating them.

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Principles

Lots of small things add up quick• Have a thought? Make a note.• Notice an error? Click Edit. Or Report.• A bunch of people adding a couple items to a list can flesh anything out quick.

Constructionism• Learning can happen most effectively when people are also active in making

tangible objects in the real world. Configure vs. Customize

• Can we make Sharepoint do or look like X/Y/Z? Ye$ we can!!• Especially at first, learn to work within the box (or break out the OIN..)

Don’t migrate a bad process

While we learn, all SP decisions are tactical, not permanent.

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