SharePoint MVP Jamie McAllister presents a case study that details the costs, benefits, and challenges when allowing end users to create their own no-code solutions using SharePoint and familiar Office tools.Case study that details the costs, benefits, and challenges when allowing end users to create their own no-code solutions using SharePoint and familiar Office tools.SharePoint MVP Jamie M

1. Empowering SharePoint Users in
a Blue Chip Organization
COM706
Jamie McAllister

2.  Jamie McAllister, MVP, MCT
 blue-infinity, Geneva, Switzerland
 www.b-i.com
 http://www.the-north.com/sharepoint
 @JMcAllisterCH

3. Introduction - Me
Senior SharePoint Consultant
 Business Analysis
 Design
 Development
 Training
 End User Solution Advocate

4. Agenda
 What Are End User Solutions?
 Client and Opportunity
 Proposed Approaches to EUS
 The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
 Lessons Learned
 Are End User Solutions For You?
 Thinking About The Future

5. What Are End User Solutions?
 End User Solutions Are
 No Code, No Script, No Custom CSS
 Produced Through Configuration
X

6. What Are End User Solutions?
 End User Solutions Are;
 Page and Web Part Manipulation
 InfoPath, Excel, Access, and
PerformancePoint Services
 Utilizing Familiar Tools
 Often Already Paid For! Licensing In
Place!
 SharePoint Designer Is Free

7. What Are End User Solutions?
 Corresponds To Composites/Developer Section
Of SharePoint Wheel
 Beware Of “The Wall” – These Solutions Have
Limits!
© 2012 Jamie McAllister

8.  End User Solutions Are Not For
Everyone!
–Not For Every Organization
–Not For Every Person!
–End User Solutions Are A Minority
Pastime
User Limitations

9.  Visualisation
 Business Intelligence
 Business Logic
 Paperless Business Processes
What Can EUS Do?

10.  Replace Talent Management
Spreadsheet
 Visualizing Data
 Business Intelligence
 Legacy Content Management
 Ad-hoc Solutions e.g. Room Bookings
Real EUS Examples?

11. InfoPath 2013
 Validation
 Formatting
 “Views”
 Repeating Sections
 (Form Library Only)
 Data Connections
© 2013 Jamie McAllister

12. Access Services
 Publish an Access Database to
SharePoint
 Data stored in SQL Server, and Forms
become Cloud Friendly HTML/CSS/JS
 Some limitations but utilises tables, queries,
forms, macros, and reports
 Performance much improved over 2010
 Very Powerful and potentially quick results
 Users do not need to have MS Access
 Generally available in O365 Subscriptions
© 2013 Jamie McAllister

13. Excel Services
 Publish an Excel Workbook to SharePoint
 Users do not need to have Excel to view data
 Data becomes Read Only – no online
editing
 Displays excel data without revealing formula
involved
 Performance needs to be assessed
 Suited to providing information for reports
and Graphs
© 2013 Jamie McAllister

14. Excel Services
© 2013 Jamie McAllister

15. Excel Services
© 2013 Jamie McAllister

16. Visio Services
 Display a Visio Diagram in SharePoint
 Users do not need to have Visio to view
diagram (but no online editing)
 Diagrams can be bound to SP or BCS data
and show near real time updates
 Suited to providing visual representations of
status, figures, navigation, buildings or
Geographic Maps, Org Charts, Server Farms
 Off-topic -> Can be used to sketch
Workflows (Visio Premium along with SPD)
© 2013 Jamie McAllister

17. Visio Services
© 2013 Jamie McAllister

18. Visio Services
© 2013 Jamie McAllister

19. PerformancePoint Services
 Enterprise-wide Business Intelligence
solutions for performance monitoring
 Scorecards
 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
 Filters
 Strategy Map
 PerformancePoint Dashboards
© 2013 Jamie McAllister

20. PerformancePoint Services
© 2013 Jamie McAllister
ScorecardFilters
DashboardStrategy Map

21. Governance
 Any Type Of Solution Needs Governance
 Stability Of Platform
 Future Upgrades
 Supportability
 End User Solutions Are Often Not Allowed
 Default Governance Stance = Not Allowed
 Considered “Easier And Safer” Not To Do It
© 2012 Jamie McAllister

22. SharePoint Governance Spectrum
Anarchy
and Chaos
Empowered
Users
Total
Lockdown

23. Governance
 Cost/Benefit Analysis Is Usually Not Done
 Benefit vs. Support Costs
 Justification For Extra Support Resources?
 These Technologies Are Designed To
Empower End Users
 These Features Are Already Paid For!
 Can We Afford Not To Allow End User
Solutions?
 Who Really Knows What The Business
Needs?© 2012 Jamie McAllister

24. What About The Case Study?

25. Case Study Disclaimer
 Personal Perspective – Treat as Opinions
of a SharePoint professional
 Large Blue Chips in mind
 Worked for ≈ 20 Organizations for
SharePoint related projects
 Some lessons / anecdotes likely to come
from a variety of sources! (But it‟d be a
shame to leave them out)

26. Client
 HQ In Western Europe
 Blue Chip
 10k‟s Employees Worldwide
 Competitive Business Landscape
 Risk Averse Information Systems Culture
 Global Workforce but Centralized IS Dept

27. Opportunity (Technology)
 SharePoint 2010 Intranet – On Premises
 Enterprise Features Available
 Centralized Information Systems Dept.
 Limited Projects Initiated Per Year

28. Opportunity (Business)
 Willingness To Roll Up Sleeves!
 Leverage User Skills
 Use SharePoint Potential
 Business Advantage Potential – Rapid
Response, Tactical, Disposable?

29. The Problem
 Lock Down in Place
 [But] No Policy Defined
 Limited Governance Overall
 Support Costs Perceived to be Escalating

30. Proposed Approaches to EUS
 Banning Of All EUS
 Rapid Reaction Team
 Billing After Initial Ticket Time Expires
 Training And End User Certification
 Statement Of Support Limitations

31. Proposed Approaches to EUS
 Banning Of All End User Solutions

32. Proposed Approaches to EUS
 Rapid Reaction Team
 Billing After Initial Ticket Time Expires

33. Proposed Approaches to EUS
 Training And End User Certification
 Statement Of Support Limitations

34. Politics Surrounding EUS
 Barriers Primarily Information Systems
Inspired
 Budget
 Dogma
 Vested Interests

35. Adopted Approach to EUS
 Banning Of All EUS
 Rapid Reaction Team
 Billing After Initial Ticket Time Expires
 Training And End User Certification
 Statement Of Support Limitations

36. Adopted Approach to EUS
 Specific Tools and Services
– InfoPath Designer and Web Forms
– Office Integration
– MS Access (Discouraged)
– JavaScript (Unsupported)
 Centrally Controlled (∴Non-EUS)
– SharePoint Designer
– Coded Solutions
– Services (Visio, Access, Excel)

37. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

38. The Good
 Prompt Solutions
 Specific Solutions
 Opportunities Seized?
 Farm Safety
 Utilizes Familiar Tools

39. The Bad
 Support
 Repeatability
 Unmeasured Cost
 Branding
 IS Support Efforts Ignored

40. The Ugly
 User Intransigence – Colored Links!!
 Brittle
 Upgrade

41. Lessons Learned
 Demonstrate Solutions To Real
Problems, Not Technological Features
– Identify And Address Business Pain Points
 Often Cost Can Be Calculated More
Easily Than Benefit
– Difficult Doesn‟t Mean Impossible
– See „defining measurable outcomes‟ on
http://bit.ly/nGN0w2 (Andrew Woodward-21Apps)
 Prepare Arguments To Address
Common IS Dogma / Vested Interests

42. Lessons Learned
 Demonstrate Something Visual!
 Swim Carefully In Politically Charged
Waters
 Training Is A Tough Sell (Some Orgs)
 Have An Elevator Pitch Prepared
 Small Scale Tactical Solutions Are Best
 If The Business Wants It, It‟ll Happen

43. Are EUS Suitable For You?
 Are Users Up To It?
 Is The Company Culture Strongly
Against?
 Is Training And Support Available?
 Are Licenses In Place?
 Security Concerns?
 Regulatory And Compliance Issues?

44. Are EUS Suitable For You?
 Solution To Be Replicated And Users
In Many Places = Not EUS
 Can Existing IS Meet Most Or All
Business Needs?
 Are Costs Tracked Within The Org?
 Will Your Business Benefit?

45. Thinking About The Future
 Upgrade
–How To Smooth The Path To Upgrade
 Support
–How Does Knowledge Get Handed Over?
–Can IS Help (Especially Remotely)?

46. Thinking About The Future
 SharePoint Designer A Worrying
Example
 InfoPath “is our integrated forms
solution for the foreseeable future” –
SharePoint Team Blog
 Some common elements e.g. Charts
need these features in SP2013

47. Summary
 What Are End User Solutions?
 Client and Opportunity
 Proposed Approaches to EUS
 The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
 Lessons Learned
 Are End User Solutions For You?
 Thinking About The Future

48. Thank you for attending!
Visit the Blog @
www.the-north.com/sharepoint
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