This comprehensive guide will explore a wide range of best practices encompassing planning, architecture, development, governance, and maintenance. Following these guidelines ensures that your SharePoint development initiatives are efficient, effective, and aligned with your organizational goals.
- ideal solution
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Introduction to SharePoint Development Best Practices
The Significance of Best Practices
Custom SharePoint development services offer organizations a powerful platform for collaboration, document management, workflow automation, and custom application development. However, the complexity of SharePoint, coupled with evolving business needs, requires a structured approach to development. This is where best practices come into play.
Best practices are established guidelines, principles, and methodologies that have proven effective in achieving successful outcomes. In the context of SharePoint development, adhering to best practices ensures that your projects are well-planned, well-executed, and capable of delivering value to your organization.
The benefits of following best practices in SharePoint development include:
- Reduced Risks: Best practices help identify potential pitfalls and challenges early in the development process, reducing the likelihood of costly errors.
- Improved Efficiency: By adopting proven methodologies, you can streamline your development processes, resulting in quicker project delivery and resource savings.
- Enhanced User Satisfaction: SharePoint solutions developed using best practices are more likely to meet user expectations, resulting in higher user adoption and satisfaction rates.
- Scalability and Maintainability: Well-structured solutions are easier to scale as your organization grows and are simpler to maintain and update over time.
- Compliance and Security: Best practices help ensure your SharePoint solutions comply with industry standards and regulations, enhancing data security and governance.
The Scope of SharePoint Development
SharePoint development encompasses a wide range of activities and solutions, including:
- Intranet and Extranet Portals: Creating internal and external portals to facilitate communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.
- Document Management Systems: Developing systems to efficiently organize, store, and manage documents.
- Custom Applications: Building bespoke applications to automate business processes, workflows, and data management.
- Integration Solutions: Connecting SharePoint with other enterprise systems, such as CRM, ERP, and third-party services.
- Business Intelligence: Implementing data analysis, reporting, and visualization solutions using SharePoint's BI capabilities.
- Content Publishing: Enabling content authors to publish and manage web content effectively.
- Collaboration Workspaces: Creating team sites, project sites, and communities to foster employee collaboration.
- Workflow Automation: Developing workflows to automate repetitive tasks and streamline business processes.
- Mobile Solutions: Ensuring that SharePoint solutions are accessible and functional on various mobile devices.
Given this wide-ranging scope, SharePoint development best practices encompass diverse areas, from planning and architecture to development and governance. In the following sections, we will detail each of these areas, providing actionable insights and recommendations for success.
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Planning and Preparation
Defining Project Objectives and Goals
Before diving into SharePoint development, it's crucial to clearly define your project's objectives and goals. This involves understanding what you aim to achieve with the SharePoint solution. Key considerations include:
- Identifying Business Needs: What business problems or challenges is the project addressing? How will the solution improve operations or workflows?
- Setting Clear Objectives: Establish measurable objectives that allow you to track the project's success. These objectives should align with your organization's broader goals.
- Defining Scope: Determine the project's scope by specifying which features and functionalities are in and out of scope. This helps manage expectations and prevent scope creep.
Assessing Business Needs and User Requirements
Successful SharePoint development hinges on deeply understanding your organization's business needs and user requirements. This involves:
- Stakeholder Interviews: Conduct interviews and workshops with key stakeholders to gather their input and insights.
- User Surveys: Collect end-user feedback to understand their pain points, preferences, and expectations.
- Business Process Analysis: Analyze existing workflows and processes to identify areas for improvement and automation.
- User Personas: Create user personas to represent different user groups, helping you tailor the solution to their needs.
Creating a Comprehensive Project Plan
A well-defined project plan is a roadmap for your SharePoint development journey. It should include:
- Project Timeline: Specify project milestones, deadlines, and a realistic timeline for completion.
- Resource Allocation: Identify the human and technical resources required for the project, including developers, designers, and administrators.
- Budget Estimation: Create a detailed budget that covers development costs, licensing, training, and ongoing maintenance.
- Risk Assessment: Identify potential risks and develop mitigation strategies to address them.
Involving Stakeholders and Establishing Effective Communication
Engaging stakeholders throughout the project is critical. Keep stakeholders informed and involved by:
- Regular Updates: Provide updates on project progress, changes, and challenges.
- Feedback Channels: Establish clear channels for stakeholders to provide feedback and ask questions.
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Involve stakeholders in UAT to ensure the solution meets their expectations.
- Change Management: Implement strategies to ease the transition to the new SharePoint solution.
Designing a Robust Information Architecture
Structuring Site Collections, Sites, and Lists
A well-structured information architecture is the foundation of a successful SharePoint solution. Key considerations include
- engaging experiences
- range of features
- expert teams
- cloud-based services
- reliable services
- intranet solution
And some other features are:
- Site Hierarchy: Organize sites into a logical hierarchy that reflects your organization's structure and workflows.
- List and Library Design: Create lists and libraries that align with specific use cases, such as document management or project tracking.
- Content Types: Utilize content types to standardize data and metadata across your SharePoint environment.
Maximizing the Use of Metadata and Content Types
Metadata and content types are pivotal in ensuring content discoverability and consistency. Best practices include:
- Metadata Taxonomy: Develop a well-defined metadata taxonomy that facilitates content classification and search.
- Managed Metadata Service: Leverage SharePoint's Managed Metadata Service to centrally manage metadata terms.
- Content Type Hub: Use the Content Type Hub to publish content types across site collections.
Implementing Taxonomy and Classification Strategies
A well-thought-out taxonomy and classification system enhances content organization and search. Consider:
- Hierarchical Taxonomy: Implement a hierarchical structure that reflects your organization's domains and subdomains.
- Term Sets and Terms: Create terms that align with your metadata requirements.
- Tagging and Tagging Policies: Encourage users to tag content with appropriate terms and implement tagging policies.
Ensuring Information Governance and Compliance
Information governance is crucial for data security and compliance. Best practices encompass:
- Retention Policies: Define retention policies to manage the content lifecycle, including archiving and disposal.
- Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Implement policies to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data.
- Compliance Center: Use the Compliance Center to monitor and enforce compliance policies.
- Audit Trails: Enable audit trails to track user actions and changes to content.
User Experience and Design
Embracing Responsive Design Principles
User experience is a critical factor in SharePoint development. Ensure your solution offers a seamless experience across various devices and screen sizes. Key considerations include
- user interface
- secure environment
- SharePoint Development Company
- Responsive Layouts: Design responsive page layouts that adapt to different screen sizes.
- Mobile Accessibility: Test the solution on mobile devices to ensure functionality and readability.
- Performance Optimization: Optimize page load times for mobile users.
Ensuring Accessibility Considerations
Accessibility is essential to accommodate users with disabilities. Follow these best practices:
- WCAG Compliance: Ensure compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
- Keyboard Navigation: Test and optimize keyboard navigation for all interactive elements.
- Alternative Text: Provide meaningful alternative text for images and non-text elements.
- Colour Contrast: Maintain appropriate colour contrast for text and background elements.
Implementing Intuitive Navigation
Effective navigation is crucial for user-friendliness. Consider these best practices:
- Clear Menus: Design clear and organized menus and navigation structures.
- Breadcrumb Trails: Include breadcrumb trails to help users track their location within the site.
- Search Functionality: Implement a robust search function with intuitive filters and suggestions.
Personalization and User Customization
Enhance user engagement by offering personalization options and customization features:
- My Sites: Enable users to personalize their My Site profiles.
- Web Parts and Widgets: Allow users to customize their dashboards and pages with web parts and widgets.
Following these best practices in planning, information architecture, and user experience design will set a strong foundation for outsourcing SharePoint web app development services. The next sections will explore security, development, customization, integration, and more.
Security and Permissions
Role-Based Security Planning
Effective security planning is crucial to protect sensitive data and ensure users have the appropriate level of access. Consider the following:
- Roles and Permissions: Define roles and their associated permissions based on job functions and responsibilities.
- Least Privilege: Follow the principle of least privilege to grant users only the permissions necessary to perform their tasks.
- Group Management: Use SharePoint groups to simplify permission management and ensure consistency.
- Regular Reviews: Conduct security reviews and audits to identify and address vulnerabilities.
Applying the Principle of Least Privilege
Limiting access to the minimum required privileges helps minimize security risks. Implement these practices:
- User Access Review: Regularly review and adjust user permissions to align with changing roles or responsibilities.
- Security Trimming: Utilize security trimming to ensure users can only see content and perform authorized actions.
Managing SharePoint Groups and Permissions Effectively
SharePoint provides tools for managing permissions efficiently. Best practices include:
- Unique Permissions: Avoid granting unique permissions whenever possible to maintain manageability.
- Permission Inheritance: Leverage permission inheritance to reduce complexity.
- Use SharePoint Groups: Favor SharePoint groups over individual user permissions to simplify management.
- Centralized Permissions Management: Implement centralized permission management policies to enforce consistency.
Protecting Sensitive Data with Information Rights Management
For sensitive content, consider implementing Information Rights Management (IRM) to control document access and actions. Key considerations include:
- IRM Policies: Define policies restricting actions like printing, copying, or forwarding documents.
- Integration with Azure RMS: Integrate SharePoint with Azure Rights Management Services (RMS) for enhanced protection.
Development Best Practices
Choosing the Right Development Approach
Selecting the appropriate development approach is essential to meet project requirements efficiently. Consider the following:
- Out-of-the-Box Solutions: Leverage SharePoint's out-of-the-box capabilities whenever feasible to reduce development effort.
- SharePoint Designer: Use SharePoint Designer for no-code or low-code customizations and workflows.
- Visual Studio and SharePoint Framework (SPFx): Employ Visual Studio or SPFx for more complex customizations, web part development, and integration with external systems.
- Power Platform: Explore the Power Platform for rapid application development and automation.
Writing Efficient and Maintainable Code
Efficient and maintainable code is crucial for long-term sustainability. Adopt these development best practices:
- Code Reviews: Implement code review processes to catch and rectify issues early.
- Version Control: Use version control systems like Git to track changes and collaborate effectively.
- Documentation: Maintain comprehensive documentation for code, configurations, and customizations.
Utilizing SharePoint Framework (SPFx)
SharePoint Framework (SPFx) offers modern development capabilities for building web parts and extensions. Consider these best practices:
- Modern Web Parts: Develop modern web parts to enhance user experiences and responsiveness.
- ALM (Application Lifecycle Management): Implement ALM practices to manage SPFx solutions through their lifecycle.
- Client-Side Development: Embrace client-side development techniques for faster page rendering and improved user experiences.
Ensuring Cross-Browser and Cross-Platform Compatibility
Your SharePoint solutions should function consistently across different browsers and devices. Key considerations include:
- Browser Testing: Test your solutions in various browsers (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Edge) to ensure compatibility.
- Responsive Design: Employ responsive design principles to adapt to different screen sizes.
- Accessibility: Validate that your solutions are accessible to users with disabilities.
Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Quality Assurance
Implementing a robust testing strategy is critical to ensure the reliability of your SharePoint solutions. Key practices include:
- Unit Testing: Write unit tests to verify the functionality of individual components.
- Integration Testing: Conduct integration tests to validate interactions between components.
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Involve end-users in UAT to identify and address issues from a user perspective.
- Automated Testing: Automate testing processes where possible to streamline testing and ensure consistency.
- Load Testing: Perform load testing to assess system performance under heavy usage.
By adhering to these development best practices, you can build SharePoint solutions that are efficient, maintainable, and meet user expectations.
Customizing SharePointAvoiding Over-Customization
While customization is essential to meet specific requirements, it's crucial to strike a balance and avoid over-customization. Key considerations include:
- Out-of-the-Box Features: Leverage SharePoint's out-of-the-box features before resorting to custom development.
- User-Centric Approach: Prioritize user needs and feedback when deciding on customizations.
Leveraging Out-of-the-Box Features
SharePoint offers a rich set of built-in features that can address many common requirements. Best practices include:
- Content Types: Use content types to standardize data and metadata across lists and libraries.
- Workflows: Implement workflows using SharePoint's built-in workflow engine.
- Site Templates: Create custom site templates to simplify site provisioning.
Building Custom Web Parts and Apps
- User-Centered Design: Develop web parts and apps focusing on user experience and usability.
- Responsive Design: Ensure that custom components adapt to different screen sizes.
- Security: Implement secure coding practices to protect against vulnerabilities.
- Reuse and Modularity: Design components that can be reused across sites and applications to reduce duplication of effort.
- Performance Optimization: Optimize the performance of custom web parts and apps to minimize page load times.
Branding and Theming
Branding is essential for creating a cohesive and visually appealing SharePoint environment. Follow these best practices:
- Consistent Branding: Maintain a consistent look and feel throughout SharePoint sites and applications.
- Custom Themes: Create custom themes and apply them to SharePoint sites for branding consistency.
- Master Pages and Page Layouts: Customize master pages and page layouts to control the overall site structure and design.
Workflow Development
Workflow automation can significantly improve business processes. Best practices for workflow development include:
- Understanding Business Processes: Gain a deep understanding of the processes you automate.
- Simplified Workflows: Keep workflows straightforward whenever possible.
- Testing and Validation: Thoroughly test workflows to ensure they function as expected.
- Error Handling: Implement robust error handling and notifications to address issues gracefully.
Integration with Other Systems
Integrating with Microsoft 365 Services
Seamless integration with other Microsoft 365 services enhances the functionality of your SharePoint solution. Consider:
- Microsoft Teams Integration: Connect SharePoint with Microsoft Teams to facilitate collaboration.
- Azure Active Directory: Integrate with Azure AD for identity management and authentication.
- Power Automate: Use Power Automate to create automated workflows that connect SharePoint with other Microsoft 365 services.
Third-Party Integrations
Many organizations rely on third-party applications and services. Follow these best practices for third-party integrations:
- API Integration: Use APIs to connect SharePoint with external systems and services.
- Data Mapping and Transformation: Ensure data is correctly mapped and transformed between systems.
- Error Handling: Implement error handling and monitoring for third-party integrations.
Data Synchronization and Connectors
Efficient data synchronization between SharePoint and other systems is critical. Best practices include:
- Real-Time vs. Batch: Determine whether real-time or batch synchronization suits your needs.
- Data Validation: Validate data integrity during synchronization to prevent data corruption.
- Connector Configuration: Configure connectors and data sources accurately.
Ensuring Data Consistency and Integrity
Maintaining data consistency and integrity is paramount. Implement practices such as:
- Data Validation Rules: Define data validation rules to ensure data accuracy.
- Data Quality Monitoring: Continuously monitor data quality and address issues promptly.
- Backup and Recovery: Implement robust data backup and recovery mechanisms.
Performance Optimization
Monitoring and Performance Tuning
Regularly monitor and tune the performance of your SharePoint environment. Key practices include:
- Performance Metrics: Define performance metrics and benchmarks to measure system health.
- Monitoring Tools: Utilize performance monitoring tools and dashboards to track system performance.
- Performance Testing: Conduct performance testing to identify and address bottlenecks.
Managing Large Lists and Libraries
Efficiently manage large lists and libraries to prevent performance degradation. Best practices include:
- List View Threshold: Configure the list view threshold to limit the number of items retrieved in a single query.
- Indexed Columns: Use indexed columns for sorting and filtering in large lists.
- Archiving and Retention: Implement archiving and retention policies for older content.
Optimizing Page Load Times
Optimizing page load times enhances user satisfaction. Consider these best practices:
- Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): Use CDNs to distribute content geographically and reduce latency.
- Caching: Implement caching mechanisms to store frequently accessed data.
- Image Optimization: Compress and optimize images to reduce page load times.
Implementing Efficient Search Configurations
SharePoint's search capabilities are critical for content discovery. Optimize search performance by:
- Search Indexing: Ensure that content is indexed correctly and regularly updated.
- Result Sources: Create result sources to customize search behaviour for different scenarios.
- Query Rules: Implement query rules to fine-tune search results.
- Relevancy Tuning: Continuously fine-tune search relevancy based on user feedback.
You can outsource SharePoint web development services that meet user expectations by optimizing performance.
Testing and Quality Assurance
Developing a Comprehensive Testing Strategy
A robust testing strategy is essential to validate the functionality and reliability of your SharePoint solution. Consider these best practices:
- Test Plan: Create a detailed test plan that outlines test cases, scenarios, and objectives.
- Testing Environments: Set up dedicated testing environments that mirror production.
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Involve end-users in UAT to ensure the solution meets their requirements.
- Regression Testing: Conduct regression testing to identify and address issues introduced by changes or updates.
Conducting Unit, Integration, and User Acceptance Testing
Different types of testing are required to ensure the quality of your SharePoint solution:
- Unit Testing: Test individual components, such as custom code or web parts, to verify their functionality.
- Integration Testing: Verify that integrated components work together seamlessly.
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Validate the solution's functionality and usability with end-users.
Automating Testing Processes
Automation can significantly streamline testing processes
- business challenges
- Business goals
- Team Collaboration
- dedicated team
- collaboration tools
- collaboration solutions
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More features are as follows:
- Test Automation Tools: Use test automation tools to automate repetitive testing tasks.
- Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): Implement CI/CD pipelines, including automated testing.
- Load Testing: Perform load testing to assess how the solution performs under heavy usage.
Ensuring Data Security and Compliance
Data security and compliance are critical aspects of testing:
- Data Masking: Use data masking techniques to protect sensitive information during testing.
- Compliance Testing: Verify that the solution adheres to regulatory requirements.
- User Permissions: Test user permissions and access controls to ensure data security.
By following these testing and quality assurance best practices, you can identify and address issues early in the development process, resulting in a more reliable SharePoint solution.
Deployment and Release Management
Implementing a Structured Release Process
A structured release process is essential to deploy SharePoint solutions reliably:
- Release Plans: Create release plans that outline each release's scope, schedule, and deliverables.
- Change Management: Implement a change management process to assess and control changes.
- Release Notes: Prepare detailed release notes documenting changes, fixes, and new features.
- Rollback Plan: Develop a rollback plan to revert to a previous
Managing Deployment Environments
Effectively manage different deployment environments to ensure smooth transitions:
- Development Environment: Used for coding, testing, and initial development.
- Staging Environment: Mimics the production environment for final testing before deployment.
- Production Environment: The live environment accessed by end-users.
- Version Control: Use version control systems to manage and track changes across environments.
Version Control and Change Management
Version control and change management practices are critical for code and configuration management:
- Version Control System: Implement a version control system like Git to track changes, collaborate, and maintain code history.
- Branching Strategy: Define a strategy for managing different code versions and features.
- Code Reviews: Conduct code reviews to ensure quality and adherence to coding standards.
Rollback and Disaster Recovery Planning
Plan for contingencies with robust rollback and disaster recovery strategies:
- Backup and Restore: Regularly back up SharePoint data and configurations to facilitate quick recovery.
- Disaster Recovery Testing: Test disaster recovery procedures to ensure they are effective.
- Emergency Response Plan: Develop a plan with defined roles and responsibilities.
User Training and Adoption
Providing Training and Resources to End-Users
Effective user training is essential for successful adoption:
- Training Materials: Develop user-friendly training materials, guides, and tutorials.
- Hands-On Training: Provide hands-on training sessions to familiarize users with the SharePoint solution.
- Support Channels: Establish channels for users to seek help and support.
Promoting User Adoption Strategies
Encourage user adoption through these strategies:
- Change Champions: Identify and empower change champions within the organization to promote the solution.
- Feedback Mechanisms: Collect and act on user feedback to address concerns and make improvements.
- Communication: Regularly communicate the benefits and features of the SharePoint solution to users.
Gathering User Feedback for Continuous Improvement
User feedback is invaluable for enhancing the solution:
- Feedback Surveys: Conduct feedback surveys to gather input on usability and functionality.
- User Groups: Establish user groups or communities for ongoing discussions and feedback.
- Iterative Improvements: Continuously iterate on the solution based on user feedback and changing needs.
- User Support: Provide responsive user support to address issues promptly.
Monitoring and Maintenance
Implementing Proactive Monitoring Solutions
Proactive monitoring ensures that your SharePoint solution remains healthy:
- Monitoring Tools: Use monitoring tools to track performance, availability, and user activity.
- Alerting Mechanisms: Set up alerting mechanisms to notify administrators of issues or anomalies.
- Capacity Planning: Monitor resource usage and plan for capacity upgrades as needed.
Performing Regular System Health Checks
Regular health checks prevent issues from escalating:
- Health Analyzer: Use SharePoint's Health Analyzer to identify and resolve configuration and performance problems.
- Security Audits: Conduct security audits to detect vulnerabilities and unauthorized access.
- Patch Management and Updates: Keep SharePoint and related components updated with the latest patches and updates.
Capacity Planning for Future Growth
Plan for scalability and future growth:
- Performance Benchmarking: Continuously benchmark performance to identify areas for improvement.
- Resource Allocation: Assess resource needs and allocate resources accordingly to accommodate growth.
- Scalability Testing: Test the solution's scalability to handle increased loads.
Governance and Compliance
Establishing Governance Policies and Guidelines
Effective governance is essential for maintaining order and compliance:
- Governance Committee: Form a governance committee to oversee policies and guidelines.
- Governance Plan: Create a governance plan that outlines roles, responsibilities, and processes.
- Content Ownership: Define content ownership and stewardship roles.
Enforcing Compliance with Regulatory Requirements
Ensure that your SharePoint solution complies with regulatory requirements:
- Data Privacy Regulations: Comply with data privacy regulations like GDPR or HIPAA.
- Auditing and Reporting: Implement auditing and reporting mechanisms to track compliance.
- Data Retention and Archiving: Define data retention and archiving policies to meet legal requirements.
Documentation and Knowledge Sharing
Creating Comprehensive Documentation
Documentation is vital for knowledge sharing and issue resolution:
- Configuration Documentation: Document configurations, customizations, and architecture.
- User Guides: Create user guides and manuals for end-users and administrators.
- Troubleshooting Guides: Develop troubleshooting guides to help address common issues.
Sharing Knowledge Within the Development Team
Promote knowledge sharing among team members:
- Knowledge Repository: Maintain a knowledge repository for storing documentation, best practices, and solutions to common problems.
- Regular Knowledge-Sharing Sessions: Hold regular knowledge-sharing sessions within the development team.
- Training and Onboarding: Ensure new team members receive proper training and onboarding.
Community Engagement and Resources
Leveraging SharePoint User Communities
Engage with SharePoint user communities for insights and support:
- Forums and Discussion Boards: Participate in SharePoint-related forums and discussion boards.
- User Groups: Join local or virtual SharePoint user groups to network and learn from others.
- Conferences and Events: Attend SharePoint conferences and events to stay updated on trends and innovations.
Exploring Microsoft's Official SharePoint Resources
Microsoft offers a wealth of official resources:
- Official Documentation: Refer to Microsoft's official SharePoint documentation and resources.
- Online Courses: Explore online courses and training materials provided by Microsoft.
- Consulting and Support: Consider Microsoft consulting and support services for expert assistance.
Engaging with Experts and Consultants
When needed, seek expert guidance and consulting services:
- SharePoint Consultants: Hire SharePoint consultants with expertise in specific areas.
- Third-Party Solutions: Explore third-party solutions and tools that enhance SharePoint capabilities.
- Custom Development Services: Consider custom development services for complex projects.
Case Studies: Real-World SharePoint Development Success
Explore real-world examples of successful SharePoint development projects:
- Examining Success Stories: Analyze case studies to understand how best practices were applied.
- Learning from Challenges and Solutions: Identify challenges faced and the solutions implemented to overcome them.
- Best Practices in Action: See how best practices translate into successful outcomes.
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Conclusion
Adhering to best practices throughout the entire SharePoint intranet development services for achieving success. SharePoint is a versatile platform that can empower your organization to collaborate more effectively, automate processes, and manage content efficiently. By following best practices in planning,
You can maximize the value of SharePoint for your organization in architecture, security, development, customization, integration, performance, testing, deployment, user training, governance, documentation, and community engagement.
Remember that SharePoint development is an ongoing journey, and continuous improvement is key. As your organization's needs evolve and technology advances, staying updated with the latest SharePoint trends and updates is essential. By embracing best practices and remaining agile, you can drive business transformation with SharePoint and ensure that your solutions continue to deliver value.