Since
the launch of the product in 2001, SharePoint has been stereotypically
connected with web content administration and document management
systems. However, it’s actually a much powerful platform capable of
being designed to suit a wide range of solution areas. Every large scale
project like a SharePoint development isn’t something to tackle
lightly. Sure, there are many approaches to take, but remember these
three things to ensure a successful SharePoint development.
Preparation is Key
The
key to a successful SharePoint development is a meticulous preparation
work which includes business oriented, both organizational as well as
functional, requirement analysis to establish entire SharePoint
infrastructure. It is also highly recommended for developers to
establish at least three SharePoint farm environments: development,
test, and production. Solutions, principally custom-coded applications,
need to move from the development environment in which they were created
to testing, where they are being authenticated, and then to production
where they will ultimately reside.
Clear Governance
At
the beginning of the SharePoint development project, it is crucial to
establish all policies about configuration, development, and maintenance
of SharePoint solutions. Many organizations, especially those that are
newbies to SharePoint, at least initially often elect to institute a
no-code policy, meaning that no custom code solutions are allowed in any
environment. Those policies may even go as far as limiting not only on
what third-party tools can be installed, but what out of the box
SharePoint functionalities are available for configuration. Developers
must consider all of those limitations when determining how to create
and deliver the solutions to end users.
Developer’s Knowledge
Generally
speaking, none of the SharePoint developer skills are in-born. We all
need to continuously educating ourselves on new things about this
platform. Whether it’s training on general web development practices,
.NET, debugging, design, or specific hands-on SharePoint training,
developers should be intimately familiar with all of the ins and outs of
SharePoint’s out-of-the-box capabilities, as well as other major
components of the entire SharePoint platform. Every developer should
possess the knowledge to decide if out-of-the-box features are
insufficient and how to make progress before jumping to custom coding as
a solution. Also, bear in mind that there are no two identical
environments out there that a developer can identically configure using
out-of-the-box components and capabilities, and there are always going
to be some sort of restraints justified by the client’s business needs
and processes.
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The
success of a SharePoint development relies heavily on the effective use
of best practice methodologies, as well as the developer’s ability to
understand when to simply use out-of-the-box features, or take advantage
of third-party add-ons and services, or a custom code to lower the
effort required and simultaneously deliver the quality when developing
full customized solutions.
