Free Planning Resources

Whether you’re planning your first implementation of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS) or are on your thirty first, Microsoft have released a range of resources which should make the planning process easier.  Primarily aimed at MOSS virgins, the guides, worksheets and white papers are still a useful reminder to seasoned campaigners of the functionality available as standard with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.

Due to licencing issues, we cannot reproduce the information to download directly from our site, but we’ve provided handy links below to some of what we consider to be the key documents when planning your implementation.

The main thing to comprehend is that there is a great deal of groundwork to be done prior to implementation of SharePoint; simply installing the software and expecting people to use it shall not solve your document or records management issues.  As the first developers of web sites found out, the “build it and they shall come” model does not apply here … build it and they might come, but they need encouragement and a reason to use the system.

SharePoint implementations (as with all business change projects) should be business led and not technology or IT led.  Members of Three Bears IT are currently working with the Faculty of Medicine and Health at The University of Leeds to deliver a Microsoft Office SharePoint Server solution for seven schools to meet issues surrounding collaboration with local NHS Trusts/hospitals and securely sharing documents and data with external partners, organisations and funders.  Case study coming soon …

Getting Started

Getting started with Office SharePoint Server 2007
Covers basic information about the capabilities of and requirements for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007

Planning Stage

Information Worker Competence Center – Achieving Business Success with your Collaboration Infrastructure
Outlines the functions an Information Worker Competence Center should include and in return what contributions to business success you should expect.

Planning and architecture for Office SharePoint Server 2007, part 1
Covers topics such as planning sites, planning for certain features such as forms and search, and planning for managing documents and records.

Planning and architecture for Office SharePoint Server 2007 , part 2
Covers topics such as determining hardware and software requirements, capacity planning, and planning for security.

Planning an extranet environment for Office SharePoint Server 2007
Covers planning recommendations for deploying Office SharePoint Server 2007 in an extranet environment.

Internet presence scenario ( Office SharePoint Server 2007 )
Provides an end-to-end scenario that outlines how to plan, design, build, and maintain an enterprise’s Internet presence Web site based on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 . This scenario focuses on the design, creation, and deployment of an Internet presence site in a large enterprise.

Best practices for developing accessible Web sites
Provides information about designing and developing accessible Web sites in Office SharePoint Server 2007 . This document is intended for users who are familiar with Office SharePoint Server 2007 , ASP.NET, and .NET development.

Deliver accessible solutions
Provides information and guidelines about the issues that organizations face when delivering accessible Web solutions, including those built by using Office SharePoint Server 2007 .

Plan and configure availability within an Office SharePoint Server 2007 farm
Provides information about planning and configuring availability within an Office SharePoint Server 2007 farm.

Governance guide for Office SharePoint Server 2007
Governance is the set of policies, roles, responsibilities, and processes that you establish in your enterprise to guide, direct, and control how it uses technologies to accomplish business goals. The articles in this guide will help you determine the aspects of your Office SharePoint Server 2007 deployment to govern and include discussions of techniques for governing your enterprise’s SharePoint IT service and information architecture.

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