SharePoint for Project Management

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This article was published for the first time in 2009. SharePoint has evolved a lot since then. The latest edition of SharePoint is now available in the book.
SharePoint doesn’t permit you to create a plan. This is the greatest flaw in this book. Microsoft SharePoint does not connect to Microsoft Project. They may integrate with it.
You have two options when creating a SharePoint schedule. Either copy all of your Microsoft Project (or other tool) tasks to SharePoint and lose all dependencies data; or you can store your Project plan as a SharePoint document library.
This is why SharePoint for Project Management seems so restrictive to me. @meetdux Raymond Sy writes well. The book is clear, easy to read, and a great guide to SharePoint. There are many examples and screenshots. The case study walks through the features of the software and includes ‘workshops’ to help you create document libraries and lists.
But, if SharePoint is unfamiliar to you, you won’t be able learn how to use it in project management.
This book is not for me. I am a SharePoint user and project manager. Some of my French projects included rolling out SharePoint sites for different groups.
I have used both good and bad SharePoint sites, some of them I made myself. Sy makes assumptions about the readers of the book. Sy assumes that new SharePoint users will read the book. They must be new to site creation and SharePoint admins.
SharePoint for Project Management is not as easy to use because I don’t know much about the topic. Sy says:
You must make a conscious effort to improve your project management, team collaboration, and project communication in order to get the most from this book.
This information is not included in the book. It does not include any information on how to assist others in making that leap. It is important to remember that thinking about how things could improve does not mean you can actually make those changes. People should be encouraged, but if they feel too difficult they won’t make the entire process.
Once you are convinced of the benefits, it would great to have a chapter on how to encourage your team members use SharePoint. Your hard work in creating a beautiful SharePoint website and following the checklists won’t be appreciated.
It’s not a bad read. It is a good book, especially for SharePoint beginners. I hope that I am not reading it with too many jaded eyes. No matter how much SharePoint experience you have, it is highly likely that you will find something here.
SharePoint is something I strongly believe in. In a future post, I will return to this topic. Do you have a story to tell about how you engaged a group using a new tool? Let me know!
SharePoint for Project Management by Dux Raymond S was published by O’Reilly (2009 paperback, 233 pages).