| So, you've got your management (or your client's management) wanting to get Sharepoint pushed out to pilot immediately, with a full systems architecture plan to go with it. They want sizing and cost based on your total number of users, and if you're lucky, you'll know how many will be viewers and/or contributors. Where do you start? The best answer to this question is - you don't. When acting in the Sharepoint Architect role, you need to be ready to compromise, but you also need to be able to stand your ground when necessary at critical stages. This is the most critical to not only proper sizing, but to the initial start of your governance (you ARE ready for governance as part of your deployment yes?) plan. Here are a series of basic starting questions I ask whenever I enter a new deployment (or migration) engagement. I will add to this list as I find gaps and I will follow up with a series of posts on what to do with this information once you have it. New environment (to be built):
1. What is your expected user-base?
a) How many contributors?
b) How many viewers?
2. What is your expected growth over the next 3 years?
3. Are you using an existing portal or CRM management application?
a) Do you have an expectation that will we port this application/data to Sharepoint?
1. If yes, treat the deployment and migration as separate engagements internally.
4. Do you intend on using Sharepoint as intranet, external portal, or both?
a) If external, ask if they utilize Microsoft ISA Server in their current infrastructure
b) If both, ask if they want to implement a "hybrid" environment, where internal and external sites operate on the same hardware, or internal/external users interact
5. Do they have an Active Directory environment in place?
a) What is their current AD structure looking like?
b) Has AD had a recent health check performed?
6. Do they have Exchange and/or LCS/OCS in place?
a) Are they looking for integration?
7. Do they have a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement?
8. Are they planning on utilizing Sharepoint Enterprise Search?
a) If not, do they have an existing search solution (ie - Google, etc)
b) Do they plan on integrating this other solution with Sharepoint?
9. Are they planning on deployment MySites (personal user portals)
10. Are you looking for assistance from support with custom development?
11. Are you planning to deploy Sharepoint 2010 within the next 3 years?
Existing environment (already built):
Be ready to ask some of the questions above, as most still apply.
1. What is your current environment structure?
a) Do you have WSS v2.0, WSS v3.0, MOSS 2007, SPS 2003 already implemented, and do you know the current patch levels of each?
b) If so, do you want the old environment migrated to the new platform?
2. What does the backend SQL configuration of your Sharepoint environment look like?
3. Have you done ANY customization or development on ANY of your Sharepoint sites?
a) This question is ABSOLUTELY critical, as almost ANY case of "yes" drastically increases your migration time.
b) What is your Change Management policy?
4. How many active tickets do you process per month for support?
5. What do you believe you've been successful with in your deployment, and where do you feel IT can help you improve?
a) This question, phrased in this manner, opens the door for the client to admit any deployment failures, which are present in over 85% of all Sharepoint deployments (seriously).
Governance Policy:
1. Do you have an existing information management policy?
a) If yes, how do you plan on leveraging this, if at all, with Sharepoint?
b) If no, is there a plan to implement one?
2. Are there any document retention policies that are required?
a) SOX, Hippa, etc
b) What type of documents need to be protected, how, and for how long?
3. Are there other archiving or storage applications/solutions currently in place?
a) Documentum, etc
b) Do you plan on integrating this solution with Sharepoint?
4. Do you intend to use Sharepoint or AD groups to manage your environment?
5. Do you have any ideas for how you want to implement your Sharepoint taxonomy? |