The title of this blog may lead you to believe that this post is going to be an Office 365 bashing. If that's what you're looking for, you can stop at this point; if however you are looking for some insight as to why this is the case and how to address or avoid it, read on.
On an almost daily basis, managers of Office 365 tenants get email updates (Digests) as to (among other things) what is new on the platform. Delivering on their promise to continually enhance the platform, Microsoft is indeed delivering. The changes are not just visible when you’ve enrolled to get the heads up, they are visible day to day as you use both the deployed and online tools. Even as someone who loves to play with the new features as they arrive, I find myself unable to keep up with all the new features and months down the track need a bit of catch-up to feel like I'm somewhat back in the know.
So, if someone committed as I am to "playing" and taking change in my stride is feeling swamped, what about your run of the mill user just looking to get their work done ? Unfortunately, this is not pretty and over the past 12 months I've been directly and indirectly involved in three projects that in essence have been put in place to work through the following emerging issues related to Office 365:
Groups/Sections/Individuals of users within an enterprise that whilst using the applications, are using them differently
Users "losing" or having issues "finding stuff"
Users completely lost in the change
User feedback around Office from a decade ago which consisted primarily of issues around services being "slow" or not having the latest versions has now transitioned into usability and a desire from users to get the best out of what they realise is a powerful set of tools.
Whilst enterprises have embraced the technology and quickly moved to rollout a set of tools requiring less time to deployment than older desktop solution, users (and therefore the organisation) are often left along to "realise the benefits". Whilst for some, Office 365 is just the same applications re-packaged in a different format, a wealth of tools is available as a part of licencing that should be considered.
Whilst 3 project in 12months may not seem a huge number, I have been approached about several similar projects and given that the symptoms are the same, I don't see this abating.
By design, Office 365 can really be "everything to everyone"; but this does not mean it should be a free for all. As with all open platforms where everything is provided, the onus is too often on the user to figure out the best way to use the platform. Just because SharePoint is available does not mean you have to use it. Sure you're paying for it, but what does it really do for your business and are you really ready to make that commitment, particularly without planning what it will actually deliver. It is absolutely possible to have the best intentions in using a tool for perceived efficiency but all too often, done incorrectly it actually ends stifling and costing.
Most take the approach of quickly testing each and every available too, picking they one's they like and rolling forward. Sure their experience is good as they build their little corner of the enterprise, but now we've returned to the working in silo's the opposite of the benefits we want from a unified collaboration platform.
In helping my clients out, I've taken an approach of focussed on pre-planning out the best approach with Office 365 by first returning to the base question of "what is it you need". In general my approach is as follows:
Define the business needs related to productivity tooling: This does not have to be exhaustive, however at least a general set of items to consider may be:
The ability to collaborate on documents from common well known locations
Instant Messaging
Audio/Video Conferencing
Managing Projects and related artefacts and tasks in a single location (related to 1)
Define current issues that may be able to be resolved
Work through a matrix of which Office 365 components may address the needs to issues. Note that you may find that certain problems can be addressed through multiple solutions eg. Planner vs ToDo. In this case go a bit deeper to try and settle on one solution only
Test the approach with a rollout to a small engaged group and document the feedback/experience of those involved so you can refine/reconsider what you thought would work
Document a basic set of "How to guides" around those areas where you want/need users to work in a similar way eg. Do you use Teams or SharePoint for team projects ? When do you use OneDrive vs SharePoint
Train the users. The level of training required will vary based on a number of factors including budget, workforce location etc. but come level of consistent rollout of training if for no other reason than setting the organisations expectations is critical
Deploy
Follow Up at regular intervals. Don't assume that either a) you got it right and or b) that you can't improve on what you've done. Given the fact that the platform is evolving reviewing at regular intervals will also allow you to see where emerging tools may create new opportunities for improvement
Perhaps proof that a process is needed as opposed to a template, each Office 365 implementation design I've been involved with has been different to the last, so try not to get trapped into doing what "they did". As always, I'm always here to chat.
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