SharePoint Consulting: The Seven Deadly Sins of Productivity
Our Sharepoint consulting engagements give us a lot of insight into the obstacles that prevent employees from being as productive as they could be. This list contains the Seven Deadly Sins of Productivity that wecome across during our SharePoint consulting engagements.
SharePoint is a powerful tool for overcoming time-wasters. If some of these sins seem a little too familiar to you, perhaps your SharePoint implementation isn’t being used to its full potential.
The Seven Deadly Sins of Productivity
1. Poor access to information
Employees who spend a lot of time sifting through massive data piles looking for the data they need probably aren’t spending a lot of time doing actual productive work. The information your company has should be an asset, not a hindrance.
Unfortunately, manual reporting techniques and departmental data silos can cause data to pile up to the point where it provides more headaches than insights.
2. Constant interruptions
It doesn’t matter if they come in the form of an email, phone call, instant message, fax, or carrier pigeon. Interruptions are annoying, and they keep you from being productive. A study found that it takes the average office worker 25 minutes to return to a task after an interruption.
Of course, it’s important that employees communicate with one another for knowledge sharing and collaboration purposes. Empowering them to communicate in a centralized location like SharePoint on their own schedule is a great way to keep employees focused on their tasks.
3. Shared file servers
Shared file servers exist for a reason, but when employees start treating them as a place to dump files randomly, they start to lose some of their value as business tools. Using a sharing system that actually keeps content organized and easy to find can put hours back into your employees’ day.
4. Multitasking
Trying to do everything at once is a great way to not get very much done at all. Some multitasking is unavoidable, but everyone works better when they’re focusing on the core tasks of their job.
The best way to avoid biting off more than you can chew is to delegate tasks to people you can trust to do them right. A collaboration tool like SharePoint can help make sure one person isn’t taking on too many tasks at a time.
5. Paper forms
Here’s a dirty little secret: many businesses still use paper forms to capture data, especially in industries that require field work. These forms take a long time to fill out, and often lead to data inaccuracies that can exacerbate data management issues. If your business still relies heavily on paper forms, ditch them now and watch your employees’ productivity skyrocket.
6. Spreadsheets
Using spreadsheet software like Excel as a database can work fine when you only have a small amount of data. However, as your business grows, you may find that your database quickly outgrows the capabilities of Excel.
You’ll be left with huge Excel files that take an eternity to load, and a mess of tabs and equations that keeps you from processing data in a timely manner.
7. Meetings
Meetings have become frequent targets of Dilbert-esque office humor, and with good reason: they’re often a complete waste of time for everyone involved. With modern collaboration tools such as SharePoint, it’s no longer necessary to have a meeting just for the sake of having a meeting.
Collaborating online can help make sure that face-to-face meetings are saved for the situations when they’re actually necessary.
For more on increasing productivity and getting the most from SharePoint, read our post on calculating SharePoint ROI!
Three Office 365 Trends to Pay Attention To
If you are already using Office 365, or if you are considering switching from an on-premises environment, you should pay attention to how the platform is evolving. Microsoft regularly pushes out changes (take a look at their robust Microsoft 365 product roadmap if you don’t believe me) and unless you are scanning the horizon and letting your users know about upcoming tweaks, they may be taken by surprise.
Like the famed Ship of Theseus, which had its parts replaced one by one until it was a wholly new vessel, Office 365 has set sail, bound for three major ports.
Teams is Replacing SharePoint as the O365 Collaboration Hub
Microsoft has been investing heavily in getting Teams to feature parity with rival Slack and improving integration with sundry third-party tools. If you click on the add new tab within Teams, you will see the long list of integrated services you can use.
SharePoint alone is not as effective as Teams plus SharePoint, and when you create a Team you get a SharePoint collaboration site as well as better integration and the chat client. Teams is designed to directly compete with and answer to Slack. It integrates with a wide variety of apps, including Trello and SurveyMonkey.
Teams Integrates Well With Office 365
The advantage of Teams over Slack is the full integration with Office 365. For those already heavily using Office 365 and with a business subscription, it can be useful to have built-in Skype calling integrated with Cortana. There is also a free option which is suitable for most small businesses and offers more features than Slack does to free subscribers. If you use Google Drive, however, Slack integrates much better with them. Slack also has a much stronger developer community.
Teams is limited to Microsoft’s in-house developers, while Slack’s more open approach is attracting third-party developers. This may make it hard for Microsoft to keep up. Still, it makes little sense for Office 365 subscribers to pay extra for Slack.
Given the “arms race” of features between the two, it is unlikely Slack will stay ahead for long. Although, it may do so for periods. Microsoft Teams also has stronger admin tools that allow for better control over, for example, whether memes can be sent through the chat. Choosing between the two is, in many ways, down to whether you are using Office Online or Google Drive for collaboration and cloud storage.
Teams is Also Replacing Skype For Business
Microsoft is quietly deprecating Skype for Business and pushing customers over to Teams instead. This is not a big deal as Teams is fully integrated with Skype. Microsoft themselves is touting it as an “upgrade,” although some businesses might disagree. IT managers should be aware that it is very likely they will eventually be forced to switch over. Microsoft has provided a roadmap to help you decide when to make the change. It makes sense that Microsoft would not want to run two redundant systems. Given what was mentioned above, about competing with Slack, fully integrating Skype makes sense.
Integrated video calling is one of the ways in which Teams stands above Slack, which instead has an approach of trying to help users use their third-party video calling system of choice. While some might prefer this, the integration should come over as an improvement, especially to people already using SFB. However, it will also make it hard for those currently using SFB as a standalone app.
Teams is a Better Way to Communicate
Thus, you should switch to Teams. Start preparing by setting Teams up and communicating with your employees, some of whom may need training. You also need to make sure that your hardware properly supports the Teams Skype integration. Timelines may change, and Microsoft is currently, as of January 2019, recommending that you run both systems side-by-side until all of the features are added to Teams. Overall, existing Office 365 subscribers should definitely be setting up Teams. It seems that Microsoft intends to essentially integrate everything needed for collaboration into the Teams app. This follows a general trend of integrating everything as closely together as possible. Another recent integration, for example, is that Yammer group files are now stored in SharePoint rather than separately.
SharePoint is Being Modernized
Microsoft is also putting a lot of effort into improving and modernizing SharePoint. New pages for lists and libraries have already been rolled out, as has a new look and UI for collaboration sites and page editing. This is overlaid on an improved web-part creation framework. They are also promising reorganized menus and a hub-and-spoke model for navigation and theme inheritance. Changes as of January 2019 include a selection of new web parts including a countdown timer, YouTube and code snippet (for those not familiar with SharePoint Online, a “web part” is what most CMS systems call a “widget” or “plug-in”).
Microsoft’s December announcement gives some advanced warning about future developments. Page templates have been delayed, but they are in the process of rolling out customized title regions, section background support, pinning of news articles to sort them, and personalized web parts that detect specific users and give them the right information.
SharePoint Migration Tool
In other words, using SharePoint is changing. To help employees understand the changes, training may be necessary. Microsoft is also improving the SharePoint Migration Tool to help new users move stuff over to SharePoint Online and OneDrive. This includes UI changes to make it more consistent with other Office 365 apps, the ability to start new migrations without having to restart the tool and a more streamlined settings system.
If you have been using SharePoint for a while, then you may have some decisions to make. For most businesses, the best choice is probably to upgrade your site to use modern tools, but some may find a completely new site is easier. If your site is heavily customized, then you might be better off leaving them be. Finally, in December, an improved SharePoint admin center was rolled out. It gives much better-sharing controls and a more attractive user interface, amongst other things.
For collaboration and communication, Office 365 has a great set of tools. However, IT managers who use it need to stay on top of what Microsoft’s changes. This helps make an informed decision about migrating to Office 365. further, it denotes what kind of training and internal communication you need with employees to ensure they are using the system to its full potential.
Entrance to present on Master Data Management (MDM) at PNEC 2014
Entrance is excited to be a sponsor and featured presenter at the 18th International Conference on Petroleum Data Integration, Information, and Data Management taking place in Houston, Texas, May 20-22, 2014 at the JW Marriott hotel.
The 2014 PNEC is a power-packed, two-and-a-half-day technical program featuring 48 in-depth technical presentations and panels led by data management professionals and experts from around the world. The sessions will focus on real-world issues, best practices, developments, and cross-discipline advances that address the ever-expanding and complex data demands in today’s oil and gas industry. Read More
Keys to Business Intelligence
Five key insights from business intelligence expert David Loshin
In a recent interview, David Loshin, president of business intelligence consultancy Knowledge Integrity, Inc.,
named five key things organizations can do to promote business intelligence success: Read More
Bad Oil and Gas Software: Key Concerns
Oil and gas software is an essential component for businesses in the energy industry. It allows them respond to problems more quickly, review historical data more easily and send reports to managers automatically.
Oil and gas software also allows enables the implementation of a formal process for tracking production as opposed to the collection of spreadsheets that has traditionally been used in this industry.
However, poor oil and gas software can also create problems, which may be classified into the areas of assets, production and revenue. Read More
Custom Software: Game Changers for Oil & Gas Service
Custom Software for Service Companies
In the oil and gas industry, every company has a different need for custom software. Every business faces unique issues that can only be addressed by custom software.
Custom software applications can provide oil and gas companies with a variety of benefits, including:
- More effective inventory tracking
- Automation of repetitive and error-prone tasks
- Easier access to information
More effective inventory tracking
It’s no secret that equipment used in the oil and gas industry is expensive. Knowing how much is spent on equipment and how effectively equipment is being utilized can be a key factor in determining profitability.
One major equipment rental company was able to use a custom inventory tracking application to make sure that they weren’t paying for more equipment than their customers could use.
In addition, the company used the application to provide inventory tracking services to their customers, so that the customers could plan ahead to make sure they were renting the right amount of equipment. The customer-facing portion of the application became a key differentiator for the company by providing value to its customers.
Automation of repetitive and error-prone tasks
Any software solution that requires just as much work to complete a task as it would to do the task manually is an example of bad software. Effective custom software solutions can automate repetitive tasks like copying and pasting or exporting data, decreasing the amount of work that employees must perform.
Automating repetitive tasks makes employees more productive, and decreases the likelihood of human error.
Easier access to information
In the oil and gas industry, having access to the right information at the right time is key. One company that specializes in pipeline logistics needed a solution that could provide needed information in the event of a pipeline accident.
If this were to occur, the company’s customers would need access to information on the history of individual pipes, and finding this information was very time consuming for the company. They used custom software to provide easy access to this information, helping them become more efficient and provide a better experience for their customers.
No matter what challenges a service company is facing, a custom software solution can probably be developed to overcome them.
For help assessing how to evaluate what software solution would fit your business’s needs, check out our series on software selection.
SharePoint Dashboards: Three Reasons to Build Your One-Stop Shop
Surfacing Vital Information with SharePoint Dashboards
Your Sharepoint dashboard is similar to the dashboard in your car; it contains all the information that is pertinent to your oil and gas operation so you can easily and quickly find what you need. If you haven’t set up your dashboard, it is important to contact a Sharepoint consulting firm to help you get started on this vital task.
The benefits of having your Sharepoint dashboard fully operational are numerous. Here are the basics of the Sharepoint dashboard to help you get an understanding of why it is so important for your oil and gas business.
One-Stop Shop
Like I said above, the dashboard is your first stop for information, and should contain relevant items that are used by employees for daily functions. You can include so many things on your dashboard, from forms to stock quotes, maps and plans, and even statistics and budget information.
The dashboard is completely customizable to the needs of your business and to support your daily operations. Your Sharepoint consulting professional can help you determine how you’d like your dashboard to be set up, and what information you need to include.
Drill-Down Menus
The drill-down menu options on the Sharepoint dashboard are one of the most popular among users. You can have many types of drill-downs on your dashboards, with links to information on companies, rigs, wells and assets. Here are a few examples to get your creative juices flowing:
Company –> Field –> Well
Company –> Asset –> Field –> Well
Asset Type –> Field –> Well –> Completion
Area –> Block –> Lease –> Well –> Completion
Plat –> County –> Lease –> Well
As you can see, the options for drill-down menus are endless, and can link to numerous pieces of vital information on current and closed operations.
Filters
Filters are also important when you are setting up your Sharepoint dashboard. You can add filters for operational and non-operational wells. You can also filter by product type, such as oil or gas wells.
Geographical data can be another way to filter information. This allows the user to quickly and easily find the information they need, so they aren’t spending all of their time trying to find what they need to accomplish their mission.
Visualization
Your Sharepoint dashboard also helps users to visualize information so they can gain a better understanding of trends and performance indicators. This will also assist in making business decisions and help further your business reach. You can add charts and graphs to make the information easier to understand and retain.
The Sharepoint dashboard is one of the most important aspects of your Sharepoint site, so it’s important to do it right. Once you have your dashboard set up, it is fairly easy to maintain, and this duty can be handled by an employee in just a few minutes a day.
You will also find that operations run more smoothly when everyone has instant access to the information that they need!
To see how SharePoint dashboards helped one Entrance client accomplish this, check out this case study.
Business Intelligence Tools: Power BI First Impressions
Business Intelligence and Power BI
This is an exciting time for SharePoint consulting and business intelligence as Microsoft moves more of its offerings into the cloud. The Power BI preview comes with several features for data query, data visualizations, collaboration, and mobility. Additionally there are new add-in components for the Excel client.
Data Management: Leveraging Unconventional Assets for Oil and Gas
Unconventional Assets and Data Management
New risks create a need for improved data management in the oil and gas world. One of the greatest risks in unconventional shale development is the risk of not being able to manage an increasingly complex group of assets in an environment that is constantly changing.
Business Intelligence Implementations and the Importance of Collaboration
Business Intelligence and Collaboration
If your business intelligence implementation project has not been as successful as you hoped it would be, then you’re not alone: a 2012 survey from the research and consulting company BI Scorecard found that only 24 percent of respondents thought their business intelligence implementations were “very successful.”
The majority of the survey respondents said that their business intelligence projects had been helpful to business operations, but not as helpful as they had hoped.
According to Ed Burns, the site editor for SearchBusinessAnalytics, a lack of effective collaboration is one of the main reasons business intelligence projects end up under-performing. Burns argues that there is often a gap between IT and business personnel: in many companies, business intelligence implementations are considered IT projects, because the IT department is actually responsible for putting the systems together.
However, the overall success of business intelligence implementations is measured in business terms, not technical terms. If IT lacks an understanding of what business outcomes the implementation is expected to drive, then it should come as no surprise when the implementation doesn’t drive those outcomes.
So, if greater collaboration is the key to driving more successful business intelligence implementations, what can be done to encourage that collaboration? Trying to get business and IT to talk to one another may be incredibly difficult in some organizations, but Burns offers a couple of suggestions for initiating better collaboration.
Agile Enables Business Intelligence
First of all, using Agile development methodologies during the business intelligence implementation might help. By their very nature, Agile methodologies force business and IT teams into close contact with one another throughout the development process, so greater collaboration between the two will come about as a natural by-product of using Agile.
Also, the fact that the collaboration is ongoing is significant: business users will have ample opportunity to inform their IT counterparts should their needs around business intelligence ever change.
IT teams should also make an effort to communicate with business teams in their own language. This means no technobabble, and no gratuitous use of acronyms. It might help for business and IT users to meet and discuss the project goals in an informal setting, such as over lunch.
Meeting outside of the workplace may open up a more effective, easy-to-understand dialogue between the two teams.
Business Intelligence Champions
Organizations might also elect to choose a “business intelligence champion” to serve as a link between the two teams. This person may originate from the business or IT side of the implementation, but the key point is that he or she should be able to understand the implementation project from both sides: the technical issues that the IT team is running into, as well as the needs that the business users are trying to meet with the final business intelligence solution.
Having a neutral party involved that can speak the language of both groups can help keep the lines of communication open as the implementation progresses.
In the end, each individual organization has to arrive at their own decision about exactly how to position their business intelligence implementation projects between the business team and the IT team. As Burns suggests, keeping open communication and collaboration between the two teams is the most effective way of creating a technically sound implementation that also meets the needs of the business users.
If your organization has been having trouble with creating a successful business intelligence implementation, Burns’ suggestions may hold the key to overcoming your setbacks.
For more on improving business intelligence, check out this post on changing up how we think about the IT service model…
Glitch-Ridden Healthcare.gov: It pays to have a custom web development plan
Custom web development gone wrong
NBC reported today that the custom web development project to create Healthcare.gov is many millions of dollars over budget. The website, which is intended by the government facilitate sign up for health care exchanges, has many bugs and appears to be unable to handle the necessary volume.
SharePoint for Upstream: Document Management
Making Document Management Easier with SharePoint
This past month, I started a series on how SharePoint can be leveraged by the Upstream industry for better collaboration, time savings, and improved information flow. So far, I’ve covered how Upstream companies waste time looking for information in the wrong places, in addition to SharePoint dashboards.
SharePoint for Upstream: Dashboards
SharePoint and Your Dashboard
Last week, I started a blog series based on my lunch and learn, “SharePoint for Upstream.” I plan to share a few strategies and best practices that people in Upstream can use to improve the visibility and control they have over their data.
SharePoint Consulting for Oil and Gas: Integrating GIS Maps
SharePoint Consulting Streamlines GIS Mapping
In our SharePoint consulting work, we see opportunities every day for oil and gas companies to streamline their operations and make information easier to find. For upstream companies, the insight that can be gained from geographic information systems (GIS) is well worth the effort of implementation.
Custom Software Consulting: Excel and Access as Databases
Simple Databases, and When It’s Time for Custom Software
In our custom software consulting work, we see a lot of companies using Excel or Access as their primary database. Both of these options have their pro’s and con’s.
Oil and Gas Software: Moving the Needle on Decision Making
Oil and Gas Software and Lack of Integration
The Harvard Business Review posted a blog this week called, “Four Areas Where Senior Leaders Should Focus Their Attention,” that applies to how leaders in the energy industry should look at oil and gas software.
Business Intelligence: Stop Wasting Time and Starting Making Money
Lack of business intelligence means wasted time
When employees make decisions without the benefit of business intelligence, your company is probably wasting time and losing money. According to one McKinsey report, employees spend 1.8 hours per day, or 9.3 hours per week, on the hunt for information. So while the investment in business intelligence may seem like a big one for your company, multiply those 9.3 hours per week by 100 employees at $40/hour for a minimum of $37,200 wasted per year!
Energy Software Reporting: Surfacing Production Data with SharePoint
Energy Software Reporting
Production reports, even with the help of sophisticated energy software, are nothing new for the oil and gas industry. Enabling access to these reports and keeping them up to date can be an issue, however.
Data Management for Oil and Gas: More is (Almost Never) Better
Management of proliferating data
90% of the world’s data has been generated over the last two years. As a result, data management has become increasingly complicated. Nowhere is this truer than in the upstream industry, where the pace of Shale drilling has more than doubled in recent years.
Custom Software: Tracking Pipeline Damage for Oil and Gas
Releases (or leaks) are very important to pipeline companies. Common causes for these leaks are equipment damage, both internal and external corrosion, manufacturing failures, and natural hazards like shifting land. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is responsible for releasing reports regarding pipeline releases or leaks. As a result, the ability to track damage that could cause pipe failure and report on it is important.