Managing a Site Collection
A key question to consider when managing a site collection is how you are going to track the decisions made during the management process. My recommendation is to create a secure site within the site collection that is only available to the site collection administrators. Use the site for the communication, collaboration and historical archiving of the policies, procedures and decisions made during the management of the site collection.
The structure of the site collection management area is the top part of the Site Collection diagram included as one of the downloads of this week’s newsletter. To get the full benefit from this walk-through, please download the Mind Map Viewer and Site Collection Mind Map. For those who don’t want to or can’t use the view, I have include a .gif file of the completely expanded map.
Downloads for this article:
- Site Collection Architecture Mind Map (MindJet Map)
- Site Collection Architecture Mind Map (.gif)
- Free, Mind Map Viewer
Overview
Figure 1: High Level Site Collection View
The Site Collection Project Management is one of four areas within the initial setup of the site collection as shown in Figure 1. The Site Collection Project Management area is created as a Publishing Site.
The first level within the management area contains the basic infrastructure for the site: the entrance dashboard, process documentation, site admin journal, document libraries and management lists. We will go through this section of the map to define what should be contained within each area.
Bob Mixon has a different theory about the placement of this work area. Think about your implementation and see if this applies to you:
“The way the article reads, you are basically saying manage this information for each Site Collection instead of a single location for the entire implementation. I personally like the idea of having a project site for the entire implementation (i.e. all Site Collections) because it is easier for me to provide an overall view of status.” — Bob Mixon
Figure 2: Top level structure of the Site Collection Project Management area
Entrance Dashboard
Figure 3: Site Collection Project Management – Entrance Dashboard
The main purpose of the Entrance Dashboard is to display the most current information about the site collection to the entire management team so they don’t have to drill into the site collection to get information.
The Entrance Dashboard is the site collection administrator’s quick view of what is going on within the site collection. The Message of the Day can be an Announcement web part, updated by the lead site collection administrator. The Quote of the Day web part contains dynamically generated quotes, possible tips and tricks related to managing the site collection. The real information about the site collection status is contained with the next three areas.
The 5 Most Recent Process Documents is a Content Query Web Part (CQWP) that looks at the most recently generated pages in the Process Documentation pages library. KPIs are generated against the request forms in the public area that accept requests for new sites, new libraries and for site planning help. Scope Changes and Risks are displayed in a filtered view from the Site Admin Journal, exposing the most critical aspects of the project to the rest of the team.
By creating a comprehensive Entrance Dashboard, site administrators can easily view the most critical aspects of their project and drill down immediately to areas of interest.
Process Documentation Pages
Figure 4: Site Collection Project Management – Process Documentation Pages
The Site Collection Project Management site is a Publishing site. This will allow you to create basic web pages for documenting policies and procedures. As an example, a page should be created documenting the step-by-step process for creation of a new site within the site collection. This can include default security settings, basic configuration of libraries and any other detail needed to create a standard site within your site collection. Documenting the processes and procedures allows you to hand-off the day-to-day work and have a detailed record of your company’s policies and procedures for managing the site collection.
The pages are store in the default “pages” library within the site.
Site Admin Journal
Figure 5: Site Collection Project Management – Site Admin Journal
The Site Admin Journal is a blog that will allow you to have a historical archive of the decisions and process that have gone into creating and managing this site collection. It is a very visible way to communicate with the management team on a daily basis.
The categories are designed to act as filtering mechanisms that can be used by Content Query Web Parts to expose critical information in the Entrance Dashboard and anywhere else in the site where it is needed.
Libraries
Figure 6: Site Collection Project Management – Libraries
The libraries area is used to hold any resource documents such as meeting notes, research white papers on site collection management or slide presentations used for evangelizing your site collection. Use it as a storage area for any type of material that will help you communicate your ideas with your team members.
Lists
Figure 7: Site Collection Management – Lists
Lists within the Site Collection Project Management site serve multiple purposes. The lookup tables are used as a tracking mechanism for the sites created with the site collection. The table includes the sites created, site manager’s names and contact information.
The KPIs – Site Collection Score Card are a set of metrics that are directly linked to the publically available request forms within the site collection. These KPIs are then used within the Entrance Dashboard to get a reading on how the processing of those requests is proceding.
The Project Calendar is a central calendar for the site collection administration group. Members of the administration team can link directly into the calendar from their local Outlook.
Relationships
Figure 8: Site Collection Management – Relationships
Content from within the site collection itself is used to drive information management within the Site Collection Project Management area. The KPIs are driven directly from the request forms. A Content Query Web Part is used to show Scope and Risk changes. The five most recent process and procedures pages are also made available through the list/library web part.
Summary
Creating a secure Site Collection Project Management site within your site collection is one way to help manage the day-to-day workflow of your site collection. What has been presented here is a simple solution that can be implemented within a few hours. It can have an immediate affect on lightening your work load and making it possible to delegate responsibilities through the use of documented policies and procedures.
Please keep me informed on your progress and thoughts on creating a Site Collection Project Management area by posting comments, rants or raves in the feedback page for this article. I look forward to hearing from you.
Mark
