Tuesday, May 26, 2009
How important is SharePoint End User Training?
I just received this in my InBox.
“I am a SharePoint end-user training designer, developer, and teacher working for the provincial government of Ontario in Canada, and I find both the demand for and supply of strictly end-user training for SharePoint is relatively small compared to how important I FEEL the need is. This feeling of mine is based on trying to roll out SharePoint in our large organization. I’d appreciate any comments you might have for me.”
I leave this as an open question. How do you respond to this? What arguments are you coming up against in your organization and how are you handling those objections?
on
I could use a simple class called “Why you should believe your SharePoint developer when they tell you not to use folders in your Document Library.”
As far as end user training goes here is my humble opinion – If information can’t be found it doesn’t exist (thank you Sarah Haase from Best Buy). I can design the perfect solution (hasn’t happened yet), but if the user doesn’t know how to use it my perfect solution might as well not exist.
I want to start creating videos for the actions in SharePoint that are considered too simple to explain. What I have found it that the simple simply needs to be explained.
There lies the real issue. How can you design a perfect solution that the user doesn’t know how to use? It is a paradox. I would suggest the real problem is that we try to design solutions without fully understanding the problem. So we shouldn’t be suprised when the users don’t think our solutions are so perfect after all!
Sharepoint is almost too large a topic for a single noun.
As far as training the end-user, perhaps the question should be: what role will the end-user play? Are they to be readers? Contributors? Designers?
If I can find a way to save my users time and/or money, I’m confident they’ll insist on using it, training or no.
I am the Web/SharePoint Administrator for a military hospital. We are currently using WSS 3.0 for our Intranet. We have been in the ‘testing’ phase for one year. We have over 3,500 employees and I have set up classes for the staff. I use both PowerPoint slides and hands-on training. The problem I have is not with the staff but with the ‘leaders’ in the hospital. When I took on this position I requested to give SharePoint classes to all the hospital staff. After the first week of classes, the ‘word’ was out and SharePoint is easy and fun. I set up a presentation/briefing on ‘What SharePoint can do for the hospital.’ I spent 22 years on active duty and there are a couple things I learned is that you have to ‘Take baby steps (crawl, walk, run), show them that they need SharePoint and make them think it was their idea.’ Now after a year of ‘testing’ we are moving to MOSS. I have set up a FAQ/training site for our IT department on SharePoint. It makes it ‘easy’ for the staff to review the PowerPoint slides and check/request for more SharePoint training. The training I get from EndUserSharePoint and other training I make sure to ‘pass’ it on the staff. Hope this helps.
Hi Frank, I’m with the Canadian Military, and I’m looking at whether sharepoint would be a good tool for us. I’m currently with Trails and Evaluation ” of equipment”. Could I also get a copy of your PPT to [email protected]
Thanks
Frank from the military hospital. Our S-3 MAJ was just tasked with giving a general information brief on the use of sharepoint. We used it in Iraq and loved it, but she can not find a class already created. Would love to get a copy of what you have done for your staff. Please, send them if you don’t mind, to: [email protected]
Thanks
Get with Microsoft and look into their Productivity Hub. Good training materials for end users abound!
We are in the process of implementing both Internet and intranet Shaperpoint. I am the Training manager and have found that lots of personnel do not like change. We have done baby steps but since SharePoint is so massive, it seems that the training initiative will never finish.
You are correct. The training initiative will never finish.
Does anyone know where I can go to find training or attend a conference that is focused on end users? I am not interested in Administration or IT responsabilities, just end user tools and how I can learn to build and use them in my day to day.
I can’t ask for something if I don’t know it exists.