Previous to our article on SharePoint workflows and their potential to automate and standardize business operations, the fundamentals were covered. In this blog, we'll demonstrate how SharePoint development services can streamline processes, enhance teamwork and boost production. This blog provides helpful advice and insights for SharePoint newcomers as well as current users looking to improve existing processes. So, let's get going.
What Are SharePoint Workflows?
SharePoint Workflows are pre-programmed sequences of operations that can be initiated by conditions or events within lists and sites in SharePoint, such as task management, issue tracking, or document approval processes. Workflows allow businesses to standardize and automate these business activities for time savings while decreasing errors by eliminating human interaction in these processes that might otherwise require human cooperation - saving both time and reducing errors as you maximize efficiency through automation with SharePoint workflows.
Organizing Project Management Team Workflows
Pretend for the moment that you're involved with an ongoing project to design a software app for one of your customers. Your team consists of a project manager, business analyst, developer, tester, and customer representative. SharePoint workflows should be used to manage each element of this effort:
- Draft and Approve the Project Requirements Document
- Draft or revise the project document scope
- Making and amending the scope document for the project
- Task assignment and completion
- Monitoring and addressing problems
- Reporting and conveying the status of the project
Read more: Maximizing Business Activity with Sharepoint Development: What's the Cost and Impact?
Basic Project Structures: Requirements, Scope, Schedule
Before designing processes for any project, it's necessary to gain an understanding of its requirements, scope, and schedule three fundamental project structures which form its definition and roadmap.
Requirements
- A requirements document provides a snapshot of client desires and expectations related to software products.
- An IT strategy encompasses business objectives, user scenarios, acceptance criteria and both functional and non-functional requirements.
- Before any project can begin, a requirements document must be developed and approved by both client representatives and business analysts.
Scope
- An essential component of any project, a scope document outlines exactly what will and won't be achieved during its completion. Deliverables, boundaries, assumptions, and restrictions all must be included within its details.
- At every significant project milestone, the project manager must collaborate with client representatives in creating, reviewing and approving a scope document.
Schedule
- A project's resources and timeline are detailed in its schedule paper.
- Task assignees, task statuses, dependencies, durations and project phases are all covered here.
- A project manager's responsibility lies with creating and regularly communicating their project schedule document to all project team members as well as any client representative who might need access.
Identifying Document Types For Workflow Connection
Once your project has its basic structure in place, the next step should be choosing which document types you would like on the SharePoint site. This will establish how documents connect with workflows; with lists, libraries, pages and content types available therein, it should be easy for you to select one that best matches its purpose, structure and character of document creation.
For example, Choose a library document type for the project requirements document as this allows you to store and manage files such as Word or PDF documents. In contrast, for project scope documents, use either page document types (which allow web page editing like Wiki pages and Web Part pages) or list document types for project schedule documents (allowing data such as tasks, issues and calendars to be generated and managed easily).
Using A Document To Map The Workflow Process
After your project's document types have been determined, map their workflow procedures for instance, Word or Excel workbooks into documents to help create and visualize its processes, results and circumstances. Every document's workflow process should be carefully documented from beginning to end, taking into consideration components like these:
Workflow Name: Name your workflow according to its purpose and desired outcomes
Workflow Trigger: Starter conditions or events include adding a document, editing an existing One, Or Manually Initiating It.
Workflow Participants: Individuals involved in the workflow, including document owners, reviewers, approvers and creators, are each charged with fulfilling specific roles and obligations within its scope of control.
Workflow Actions: Workflow processes actions and tasks such as emailing someone, creating jobs, changing statuses or copying documents automatically.
Workflow Conditions: Guidelines and validations that the workflow includes include document metadata, content validations and status verification checks.
Workflow Outcomes: Outcomes and consequences of workflow include document approval, rejection, completion and termination.
Ensuring Alignment Among Group Members
Make sure that all members of your group understand and concur upon the overall flow of the process before setting SharePoint workflows into motion. To test, validate, and modify workflow procedures as well as address potential conflicts or difficulties that might arise in this regard, communication and cooperation among group members are imperative in addressing possible disputes or problems that might arise during the use of your SharePoint workflows. Specifically, it must ensure all parties involved can comprehend and agree upon the following:
- The objectives and advantages of using processes in project management
- The sources and results of every workflow phase
- The obligations and roles of every workflow member
- The guidelines and verifications for every workflow state
- Every workflow action's notifications and escalations
- The effectiveness and dependability of every workflow result
Moving From Documentation To Implementation
Once everyone in your group is aligned, it is time to transition from documentation to implementation. When developing and managing SharePoint workflows, use Power Automate, Visual Studio, SharePoint Designer, or Power Apps tools as appropriate.
Building and managing workflows in the SharePointdevelopment environment requires following recommended practices and rules, including naming, testing, debugging and monitoring processes. You also should provide training and support to group members on how to access and interact with SharePoint workflows.
Overcoming Implementation Roadblocks
As part of your SharePoint workflow implementation plan and preparations, you could still encounter obstacles and problems during implementation. Here, we will go over some typical obstacles you might face. How you can overcome them using the tools and best practices we've already covered.
Common Challenges In Workflow Implementation
There may be many obstacles when implementing workflows into practice; among them could include:
Workflow Errors: Your processes could contain mistakes or flaws that compromise efficiency and usefulness, such as incorrect logic, missing data, broken connections or unexpected results. Such issues could impede workflow efficiency as well as cause user disorientation and frustration.
Workflow Changes: Your workflows could require updating or tweaking in response to evolving business needs, user input or an enhanced workflow process. While these adjustments might be necessary in response to growing user demands or improved efficiency of existing processes, making adjustments could make procedures less consistent or compatible while potentially leading to new failures or complications.
Workflow Adoption: Users may resist adopting and using your workflows due to a lack of awareness, training or trust. Each factor could significantly reduce its value and effect on users while keeping them from fully taking advantage of or benefitting from them.
Utilizing Foundational Documents For Troubleshooting
Use your foundational paper from earlier to overcome these hurdles. In particular, details regarding workflow name, trigger, participants, actions, conditions and outcomes must all be recorded here for your reference and analysis.
With its detailed accounts of expected and actual process behavior as well as possible causes and fixes for workflow difficulties, this paper can aid you in troubleshooting them effectively. As it contains both original and modified workflow versions with justifications for any modifications made as well as results, this document also helps manage and track any changes you make over time.
As it outlines your workflows' objectives and benefits to users as well as provides instruction for the adoption of those workflows, this document can also play an integral role in encouraging and supporting their adoption.
Balancing Technical Expertise And Microsoft Suite Knowledge
Implementation challenges may arise when trying to establish an equilibrium between your technical proficiency and familiarity with Microsoft suite products. When developing workflows, different degrees of specialized experience might be needed depending on their nature and complexity. To overcome them, strike a balance between your technical proficiencies and knowledge.
Microsoft's portfolio of products and services, which includes SharePoint, Power Automate, Power Apps, and Power BI, can require different degrees of expertise and familiarity from its users. Your technical proficiency should match up with your understanding as this could affect both the effectiveness and caliber of workflows.
Integrating Power Platform And Power Apps For Enhanced Workflows
Integrating Microsoft products and services, known as the Power Platform, into processes to address implementation barriers is the final strategy to surmount them. You'll have everything needed for solid yet flexible workflows across numerous apps and data sources with this strategy.
Power Apps, Power BI, Power Automate and Virtual Agents comprise the Power Platform. You can leverage Low Code Platform Power Apps to quickly develop apps that integrate seamlessly with SharePoint workflows and data potentially improving functionality as well as workflow experience with user-friendly forms, dashboards and interfaces built using this user-friendly solution.
Conclusion
Are you ready to increase productivity and teamwork by streamlining SharePoint workflows? In that case, we can assist. Over one hundred businesses have taken advantage of our advice for SharePoint implementation and workflow automation; moreover, we are highly qualified and experienced enough to walk them through tools and best practices shared on this blog. Contact us as we are the best SharePoint Development Company.
