Planning the List and Library Ecosystem

The process of planning the appropriate combination of lists and libraries to meet the needs of different business units and groups can be very simple or very complex, depending on the general philosophies surrounding the SharePoint project and the needs of the organization. Some organizations spend a minimal amount of time planning, build one or more SharePoint site collections with sites defined for business units, departments, or groups, and then allow end users to customize these environments with the lists and libraries that they deem best suited to their needs. Other organizations create sites and site collections using carefully crafted templates that have specific combinations of preconfigured lists and libraries, and carefully weigh the pros and cons of the different types of lists and libraries and related features that can be provided. And then there are other permutations. For the sake of discussion, it is posited here that four primary strategies can be employed:

1. Minimal planning and testing; minimal restrictions on list and library use and configuration
2. Minimal planning and testing; more restrictions on list and library use and configuration
3. More extensive planning and testing; minimal restrictions on list and library use and configuration
4. More extensive planning and testing; more restrictions on list and library use and configuration

By using the minimal planning and testing approach, the organization shortens the time frame of the implementation, which generally controls the costs of the project. In general, the risks of “missing the mark” are higher in the minimal planning and testing approach. This can manifest, from the author’s experience, in sluggish adoption of the lists and libraries, unless end users are already experienced with, and even clamoring for, SharePoint technologies, or have training made readily available. Alternatively, assuming end users adopt the technology, this “blank slate” approach encourages end users to modify the tools to meet their specific needs. Combine this minimal planning approach with minimal restriction on the types of lists and libraries that can be used, and empower certain users to configure these lists to meet their needs, and the results can be positive. Tightly control the range of lists and libraries that can be used and restrict end users’ ability to change the configuration of lists and libraries, and IT stays integrated in the adoption cycle, learns what the end users are requesting in terms of functionality, and can develop best practices along the way.

On the other hand, more extensive planning and testing requires more time and resource involvement and can add to the overall costs of the project. Pilots, prototypes, and proof of concepts can be executed and managed, with specific decisions made along the way of which lists and libraries will be made available and which tools enabled in the lists and libraries. Following the implementation, end users can be more or less empowered to create new libraries and lists and customize the configurations.

Every organization has its own processes and methodologies for planning and testing, so those topics won’t be addressed in detail, but the topics revolving around list and library use and configuration will be looked at in detail to help readers better understand the capabilities of the lists, libraries, and related tools provided by SharePoint 2010, and then decide which are appropriate for the implementations.