using sharepoint to re-engineer your business processes and trim costs a best buy case study
TRANSCRIPT
Using SharePoint to re-engineer your business processes and trim costs
A Best Buy Case Study
Defining the parameters…
• Today you’ll get:– Background on my function/role
– A detailed look at the SharePoint implementation for BestBuy.com
– Overview of benefits achieved and $$$ saved
– Details on how we built our solutions—including total development hours
– Overview of roadblocks we encountered along the way
– Overview of our SharePoint development process
– An information architecture perspective…
• You won’t get:– Answers from a system engineer or a MOSS system administrator
My personal bias
• Businesses shouldn’t be run via spreadsheets stored on shared drives
• Knowledge doesn’t exist unless you have an information retrieval strategy
• Left to their own devices, well-intentioned people will live in information chaos
• My job isn’t about giving users what they want. It’s about listening and figuring out what they really need
• SharePoint is great at what it can do…but if I find something better, I’m jumping ship
Background
• Current role = dotcom Operations– Built new role for Collaboration Management
– Role of SharePoint in BBY enterprise
• Personal history– Technical writing
– Content Management System implementation & support
– Knowledge management
– Information architecture
– Corporate librarian
– Code-free….
Collaboration management
• Design, implement & support collaborative toolset
• Act as liaison between dotcom and enterprise-level social networking teams
• Act as a SharePoint consultant for other BBY teams
• Advocate for new technologies & new integration paths
• Current team members:– Sarah Haase (manager)
What are our key goals?
• Enable quick/easy information sharing
• Leverage all our knowledge assets—regardless of job title or role
• Use technology to automate manual tasks, thereby freeing up resources to work on value-add tasks
• Optimize information retrieval
• Provide secure systems
What is Collaboration’s value?
• Process optimization:– Eliminate redundant work processes
– Store/use data efficiently
– Build automated workflow processes
– Reduce dependency on email
– Enable better information retrieval
– Provide just-in-time (JIT) information
– Tailor data views to appropriate audiences
– Create dashboards that display overall site/project/process health
What is Collaboration’s value?
• Information architecture– Focus on obtaining structured data
– Build taxonomies for effective information storage/retrieval
– Tie dotcom initiatives to enterprise-level social networking tools
• Information sharing– Build tools that people want to use
– Evangelize social networking tools(both internal & external)
Collaboration’s key toolset
• The Brain– Wiki knowledge base
– Confluence, powered by Atlassian
– 3,300+ articles
– 100+ authors
– Key features:• Subject-based taxonomy• Boolean searching• Standardized authoring templates• Ability to comment on all articles• Ability to lock/secure articles• Ability to add folksonomy labels• SOPs for article reviews/updates• Parking lot
Collaboration’s key toolset
• JIRA– Ops issue tracking/ticketing system
– Powered by Atlassian
– Throughput = 150 tickets/week
– Key features:• Automated filtering• Customizable metadata fields• Ability to assign issues• Ability to comment on issues and log time worked
Collaboration’s key toolset
• SharePoint– MOSS 2007
– Accenture provides farm administration
– Additional tools used:• Most employees/contractors still on Office 2003• InfoPath 2003• SharePoint Designer 2007
– Dotcom’s site collection “born” August, 2007
– Annual ROI = $350,000/year and counting…
– 36 sites up and running to date
– Controlled development/release strategy
SharePoint development process
• All requests go through Collaboration
• All requests = same process
• Business owner required
• All projects tracked in SharePoint
• Weekly code reviews held for development team– Promotes development best-practices
– Provides weekly training for all team members
– Provides cross-training for all team members who will be supporting sites later on
– Enables management to assess development capacity
• Case studies built for all “trackable” projects
SharePoint development process
• Development stages:– Stage 1 (Initial request received)
– Stage 2 (Storyboarding in process)
– Stage 3 (Development in process)
– Stage 4 (Iterative review)
– Stage 5 (Launched)
– On hold (Waiting on requestor)
• Priority level:
Estimated annual ROI (in $$$)
Estimated hours to implement
SharePoint development process
• Key steps in the storyboarding/design process1. Ask about their “vision” for the future
2. Find out what business need(s) they’re trying to solve
3. Get details on their current work process– Highlights
– Pain points
– Bottlenecks
4. Get a wish list of things they dream about
5. Provide a demo of similar functionality already launched in SharePoint
6. Connect them with business owners that are up and running
7. Revisit the wish list
8. Present a new “vision” for their future (formal or informal)
9. Document requirements
10. Get management sign-off
11. Move on to development
Observational view:SharePoint at work
Site collection overview
• Initial design = flat
• Hierarchical taxonomy put in place 6 months later– BestBuy.com site– Teams (22 sites)– Projects (8 sites)– Functions/Roles (5 sites)
• User interface design – heavy on the SharePoint blue– Project/team dashboards– Working queues
• “Restrictive” security model– Most sites break inheritance– Standard permission groups used - Members, Visitors, Owners– Very few Designers– Restrictive overrides where necessary
Site collection taxonomy
Case Study 1: Manning the box
• Need – Online Tools was using ¾ of an FTE to manually transfer emailed
support requests to the JIRA online ticketing system
• Solution– Built a web-based form to capture structured data on issues
– Auto-generated issues in the JIRA ticketing system
• Benefits– Tickets created automatically within 1 minute
– Requestors get to set their own priority levels
– Requestors auto-notified that their request has been logged
– Re-allocated 30 hrs/week to providing support
– Total savings = $1,500/week and $78,000/year
Case Study 1: Manning the box
Case Study 1: Manning the box
Case Study 1: Manning the box
• Key design elements:– Multiple form entry points
– Full trust certificate applied to InfoPath form
– “Stalker” feature
– Hidden required fields
– SharePoint Designer workflow sends automatic email notification to issue reporter
– SharePoint serves as a backup for all form content
– SharePoint stores document attachments (raising our size restriction from 1 MB to 50 MB) per issue
– All coding done in C#
– Coding support outsourced after launch
– .NET Framework v2.0 required (and not standard)
Case Study 1: Manning the box
• Tools used:– Microsoft InfoPath 2003
– MOSS 2007• 1 form library• 2 custom lists• Business data connector• KPI list • Key Performance Indicators web part
– SharePoint Designer 2007• Custom email workflow – kicks off when a new item is created
– JIRA (enterprise edition, version 3.9.1)
Case Study 1: Manning the box
• Time to develop:– Project length = 5 months
– Outstanding factors:• Major delays with holiday• Major roadblock = JIRA web service• 2 week beta test
• Staff/expertise needed:– 1 Microsoft developer = 60 hours
– 1 Collaboration SME = 150 hours
– 2 part-time form testers = 40 hours
Case Study 2: Weekly lockdown
• Need – Content teams used multiple versions of a single Excel spreadsheet to
submit, track & assign key issues for Sunday turnovers
• Solution– Moved data online to SharePoint
– Built an automated work queue. When team members log in, they see a list of tasks assigned to them
• Benefits– No more work compiling & sharing multiple spreadsheets
– Everyone can add/view issues simultaneously
– No more duplicate reporting of identical issues
– Cuts a half a day off the weekly lockdown process
– Total savings across Dotcom = $13,867/month and $166,400/year
Case Study 2: Weekly lockdown
• Demo!– Content team SharePoint site
Case Study 2: Weekly lockdown
• Key design elements:– Data stored online
• No more copying and pasting• Everyone can work simultaneously• No more duplicate issues reported
– Automated work queue
– Ability to assign issues to multiple people
– Conditional formatting
– Ability to save list as template
– Involuntary participation model
– No coding needed
Case Study 2: Weekly lockdown
• Tools used:– MOSS 2007
• 1 custom list• Current User Filter web part• List view web part
– SharePoint Designer 2007• 2 data view web parts• Conditional formatting
• Time to develop:– Design/build-out for initial team = 30 hours
– Build-out for additional teams = 5 hours each
• Staff/expertise needed:– 1 Collaboration SME
Case Study 2: Weekly lockdown
• User testimonials:– “We *love* the Movies lockdown tracker—it’s working really well. It’s
easy, interactive, and very collaborative. From the PM side, it saves us a lot of time just with not having to manage, compile and share out spreadsheets. Everyone has visibility to all the issues, not just theirs, and not one person has really had issues with managing the SharePoint site. I’ve noticed that we’re locked probably half a day earlier just due to this.”
– “It helps to clarify what's going on, because everyone can comment on anyone's comment or questions. It's a way to sort of have a discussion with the other reviewers, rather than just having everyone blindly dump their comments onto the project manager, who then had to sort them out. I think that issues are cleared up more quickly now with everyone being able to see and respond.”
Decision time…
• Go on to Case Study 3
• Skip ahead to what we've learned
Case Study 3: Application testing
• Need – Ops teams needed a good long-term strategy for testing in-house
applications
• Solution– Created template SharePoint site
– Built in a test case repository, test execution space, and project tracker
• Benefits– No more time spent hunting for old test cases
– Complete list of test cases now available (they double as requirements)
– Enables BBY to hire outside testers & perform full regression tests
– Automated test queues & custom dashboards for testers and PMs
– Incorporates Google Charting API for quick reporting
– Estimated savings per application = $30,000/year
Case Study 3: Application testing
Bulk test case selector
Case Study 3: Application testing
• Demo!– Testing SharePoint site
Case Study 3: Application testing
• Key design elements:– Multiple list design that incorporates a secure test case repository, test
project tracker, and test execution area
– Bulk edit ASPX page that allows easy test case selection• Create a multiple item form to expose editable field for all rows• JavaScript function that powers the “Select all” checkbox
– Custom SharePoint Designer workflows that automate the test case migration process
– Current vs. archived test views in the test execution area
– Unique dashboard display for project managers
Case Study 3: Application testing
• Tools used:– MOSS 2007
• 3 custom lists• 1 document library• 3 list view web parts
– SharePoint Designer 2007• Custom ASPX page set up as a Multiple Item Form• Custom JavaScript code that enables the “Select all” checkbox• Custom workflow that copies test cases over for execution
– jQuery & Google Charting API• “Almost” no-code solution provided by End-User SharePoint
Case Study 3: Application testing
• Time to develop:– Project length = 3 months+
– Outstanding factors:• Lower priority project• Wait time for test case development and data standardization• Research & development time for me
• Staff/expertise needed:– 1 Microsoft support analyst = 1 hour
– 1 Collaboration SME = 120 hours
– 1 Application project manager = 75 hours
Summary:What we’ve learned
Key lessons learned (so far…)
• Site design– Users will always take the path of least resistance
– We can’t afford to hand out open access
– Yes, SharePoint can be used as “just” an online file repository
– You have to force people through the information architecture process
– Savings add up quickly (so don’t forget the little things)
• Marketing– SharePoint evangelizes itself…once you land a few key projects
– It’s great to start at the grassroots level…but don’t forget the higher-ups
– Think outside your department. What kind of boat are you building?
Key lessons learned (so far…)
• Site collection administration– You need a taxonomy
– You need a defined development process (or you risk getting buffeted by strong winds)
– You need a support COE
• Community– Things are moving too fast to not plug in
– Blogs; Twitter; LinkedIn
Resources
• YouTube overviews of Web 2.0http://clifmims.com/blog/archives/28
• End-User SharePointhttp://www.endusersharepoint.com/
• Top 101+ SharePoint people to follow on Twitterhttp://www.sharepointjoel.com/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=152
• Fortune article – “Web 2.0 is over. Welcome to Web 3.0”http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/07/technology/hempel_threepointo.fortune/index.htm
• Jakob Nielsen’s report – “10 Best Intranets of 2009”http://www.useit.com/alertbox/intranet_design.html \
• Twitter and the real-time webhttp://blogs.alianzo.com/socialnetworks/2009/01/14/twitter-and-the-real-time-web/
• Nick Grattan’s SharePoint Blog entry on creating bulk edit screenshttp://nickgrattan.wordpress.com/2008/05/13/bulk-editing-of-sharepoint-list-items/