Congratulations! You’re the SharePoint Admin! Now what?

As a SharePoint consultant, I’m tasked to go into companies and implement SharePoint – either the company is expanding its role with SharePoint and upgrading it, or kicking the SharePoint tires for the first time. More often than not, there is a person within the organization before or, unfortunately, during the project who is the lucky recipient of the inevitable finger pointing, followed by an announcement of, “congrats, this is now yours to own!” The blank stare, wide eyes, and sweat beading off the face quickly begins shortly thereafter.

This is where I would like to briefly digress and talk to you, IT Manager – yes, you! Here is just a snippet of the things I suggest you to do before delegating control of the environment:

• If you consider your company to be mid-to-large in size, then please designate more than one individual as the SharePoint Admin. The role is a lot more extensive than you may imagine.
• Have a training course or training session set up and scheduled prior to the upgrade or implementation. If your Admin doesn’t know SharePoint, how can your users?
• If there are any clear struggles between Admins and DBAs, ease that barrier now as much as you can. Your Admin needs them more than ever, and the DBAs may not admit it but they need your Admin(s) too.
• Involve the Communications and Marketing group early and often. You aren’t installing well-known Office, you are installing a cultural shift in thinking and doing – be prepared to educate the users.
• AND, most importantly, find a SharePoint cheerleader/evangelist who is a great communicator and is well-respected in your company. IT folks are not usually known for their communication skills, unfortunately. This person can help the transition more than you will ever know. He/she can also start your user adoption process and transition long before implementation ever begins.

Okay, I tried to help you out new SharePoint admin – now it’s time to help yourself. Here is your checklist to get you up to speed and hopefully calm the nerves:

• Install the Productivity Hub – a place where the users can turn to learn on their own.
  
• Follow the Leaders – There is a vast community of SharePoint experts at your disposal. Import this XML file into your favorite RSS Reader to start following over 60 blogs related to SharePoint, PowerShell, InfoPath and more!
• Read Up – I don’t expect you to learn everything in your training class, and quite honestly you won’t (you did take training, right!?). I recommend this book to all SharePoint 2010 Admins. The authors have a comic side that makes this technical book actually fun and entertaining. I also really like this simple book for end user how-tos and this book for PowerShell.
• Install the ULS Viewer for better SharePoint log troubleshooting
• Install SharePoint Designer 2010 and be a Workflow Ninja. Process automation is King – increase productivity and lower costs – you’ll be rewarded in your next review!
• Take a couple common tasks that the users are doing now, right or wrong, and find a more efficient or easier way to do it in SharePoint – buy-in is key and now is the time to strike!
• Bookmark these links:
  • MSDN SharePoint Forums
  • SharePoint StackExchange
  • MS SharePoint 2010 Learn Site
  • MS SharePoint Online Training Courses
• Find a local SharePoint Users Group – yes, there are others in your area having the same struggles as you and can help! If you don’t see your area listed, just Bing your local area and SharePoint User Group – I’m sure you’ll get a hit.
• Attend a SharePoint Saturday Conference – a free, highly-informative, training day on all things related to SharePoint
• Learn against real data – Not every site in a SharePoint environment is a Team Site or Blank Site with no content, so don’t learn on one. Copy down data from Production to your Test and Development environments (wait, you don’t have a Test or Development environment!? Stop reading and get this down now…I’ll wait) <<pausing>> Okay, now learn against these sites and content within.

Last but not least, sit back and enjoy the job security. You have just been handed the reins to one of Microsoft’s highest grossing products. Go ahead, do a search for SharePoint on Monster, Career Builder, or Dice and try to prove me wrong. You may not think you really won the SP Admin Sweepstakes today, but you certainly won’t be regretting it in the future.