One of the biggest issues, and ongoing concerns, I have with some of the farms I deploy is the lack of governance employed with security, change control, or even content development after the customer takes ownership of the environment. Understanding best practice in this regards is one thing, but actually going about it as the phrase implies, practicing what’s best, appears a greater challenge all together.
Of course there’s no absolution to this idea as most points fall along some range in the spectrum of reality, but I am curious about the community’s take on the topic, your perspective based on your exposure to this application and the businesses you work for.
How productive or how much of a detriment have you found governance to be when it is or is not properly established?
If you are in a venue where you deploy farms that are sometimes handed off to another IT dept. for a customer, what measures do to you take to promote the value of sound governance and the benefits sustained across all aspects of the farm and its long term health?
Thanks!
Governance to me is actually GAMIFICATION that would have the following components:
– Goals
– Rules
– Feedback
– Voluntary participation
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“The biggest problems in SharePoint production farms is when developers get access to it” – has already become my quote of the day. lol.
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Governance to me speaks about “the rules of the game”. Whether it be people, process or technology related, the players in the game need to understand the big picture or context.
Example: Driving Rules
License…everyone needs to have taken a drivers test and have a license in their possession
Registration…every vehicle needs to be registered to drive within the state where it is owned
Signs…drivers are alerted to danger and best practices via the signs posted along the roadways
Lines…solid lines mean something different than dashed lines; and yellow lines differ from white lines
Traffic direction…in the US, drive on the right side of the road, lane or median
All of those rules establish the Governance by which all the players in the game will participate. They dislodge certain assumptions and set a level of expectations by which all players can enjoy the experience.
Driving on the side street is one experience and driving on the interstate is another. Helping people understand the boundaries, the lane changes, the line colors, the road signs, the stop lights, the intersections, steep hills, water hazards, pot holes, weather conditions, passing lanes, blinker usage, speeding fines, etc is common sense when it comes to driving.
Thus, Governance establishes Policy which provides Adoption. People need to know the rules of the game or playground to be able to play safely. Providing a context of understanding through awareness, training, best practices, case studies and an environment for people to socialize on an ongoing basis and you have a self-sustaining eco-system.
A study was done years ago regarding playgrounds, kids and fences. The result of the study was that kids are much more likely to play right up to the boundary of the playground when a fence exists. Seems simple but there is a big lesson to be learned here and it relates to Governance. A company and its employees will work more effectively and efficiently when fences exist.
The rules of Governance are not to be ignored or minimized but elevated and made visible for all participants. The success of every business depends on rules in order to succeed.
Disclaimer, I am an IT-Pro ;).
Governance is a very abstract word, Â however if you don’t have some kind of governance, your farm might get out of control easily. Â What I always recommend to our clients is :
Dev Machine Farm
Integration Farm
——————————————
QA Farm
Production farm.Â
What is the line? The line is where only the SharePoint Admin has the access, and no developers can deploy solutions on. It means, after the developer successfully tests on Integration, they submit their solution and documentation to the admin who will deploy on QA.. and if everything is ok. on production using the same solution. Â The biggest problems in SharePoint production farms is when developers get access to it :).Â
As for the power users, what I recently learned while making the guide, I have a new governance required. You want to have full control on a site collection? Prove me you can pass the MOS SharePoint 2013 Certification!Â
