Book review: SharePoint Roadmap for Collaboration

Written by James Robertson, published August 2nd, 2009

Categorised under: Book & product reviews, Collaboration

Michael Sampson’s first book, Seamless Teamwork, was a masterpiece of step-by-step instructions for teams using SharePoint. Working from a very practical starting point, it gave teams clear instructions on which elements of SharePoint to use, and how.

By design, this book was very much “in the trenches”, focusing on getting teams started and working. What it didn’t cover was the bigger organisational picture. Thankfully Michael’s latest book does exactly that.

SharePoint Roadmap for Collaboration is a slim volume, designed to give succinct advice on making SharePoint it a success across the whole organisation.

Michael has done a huge amount of thinking about SharePoint, and it shows. This is one of the most insightful resources of SharePoint published to date, and it’s unique in it’s business focus. This volume doesn’t get caught up in the technology, although it is informed by it. Instead, it looks at issues of governance, planning, purpose and engagement.

The core of the book focus on three main elements. The first is an incisive evaluation of SharePoint against Michael’s “7 pillars of collaboration”, showing clearly the platform’s strengths and weaknesses. The second is a clear overview of governance in the world of SharePoint. The third is a strategy for understanding the business, and gaining adoption.

Any organisation planning to deploy SharePoint should get this book. Anyone that has already rolled out SharePoint: it’s not too late! Better yet, get in touch with Michael himself, and get some help over the phone or in person.

Tags: Collaboration, roadmap