Сумна, phase one of my last project has come to a close and the client has opted to move ahead by themselves on phase two. We did our job too well, як звычайна 🙂 цяпер я паміж праектамі, адмысловае час для персаналу кансультантаў, як я, (у адрозненне ад незалежных, якія звычайна павінны жыць у пастаянным страху адзін ад аднаго ў часе 🙂 ). We staff consultants fill this time in various ways: Working with sales folk to write proposals; filling in for someone or backing up a person on this or that odd job; studying; Блог :). It’s hard to plan more than a few days in advance. At times like this, while I have a bit of time on my hands, I like to reflect.

I’m almost always sad to leave a client’s campus for the last time. We consultants form a peculiar kind of relationship with our clients, unlike your typical co-worker relationship. There’s the money angle — everyone knows the consultant’s rate is double/triple or even more than the client staff. You’re a known temporary person. As a consultant, you’re a permanent outsider with a more or less known departure date. Яшчэ, Вы ясьце абед з кліентам, узяць іх на вячэру і / або для напояў, купіць печыва для каманды, пайсці на каву трас, даць / атрымаць святочныя паштоўкі — all the kinds of things that co-workers do. On one hand, you’re the adult in the room. You’re an expert in the technology which puts you in a superior position. З іншага боку, you’re a baby. On day zero, кансультанты не ведаюць імёнаў, the places or the client’s lingo. Most times, Кансультанты ніколі не пазнаць усё гэта.

Калі ўсё ідзе добра, you become very well integrated with the client’s project team. They treat you like a co-worker in one sense, and confidant in another. Since we don’t have a manager-style reporting relationship with the client, the project team often feels a little free to air their dirty laundry. They let their barriers down and can put the consultant into an awkward position, ніколі не усведамляючы, што яны робяць гэта.

Consultants often don’t get to implement phase two and that never gets easy for me. I think this is especially hard with SharePoint. Phase one of of your typical SharePoint project covers setup/configuration, кіраванне, таксанамія, Асноўныя тыпы зместу, і г.д.. і шмат у чым, складае доўгім, extremely detailed discovery. That’s how I view my last project. We did all the basic stuff as well as execute some nice mini-POC’s by extending CQWP, BDC рэалізацыі падлучэння да PeopleSoft, прадставіла даволі складаны працэс з SharePoint Designer, touched on basic KPI’s and more. A proper phase two would extend all of that with extensive, Амаль распаўсюджанай BDC, сапраўды добрых працоўных працэсаў, сапраўды вывераных і лепшага пошуку, Цэнтр запісаў, Службы Excel і, верагодна, самы важны, reaching out to other business units. Але, гэта не для мяне, and that’s sad.

Грунтуючыся на гэтым нядаўні вопыт, I think it’s fair to say that a proper enterprise SharePoint implementation is a one year process. It could probably legitimately run two years before reaching a point of diminishing returns. Details matter, вядома.

That’s the consultant’s life and all of these little complaints are even worse in a SharePoint engagement. Як я ўжо пісаў раней, SharePoint’s horizontal nature brings you into contact with a wide array of people and business units. When you’re working with so many people, Вы можаце ўбачыць так шмат спосабаў, якімі SharePoint можа дапамагчы кампаніі стаць больш эфектыўнай, эканоміць час, зрабіць што-то лепш… but you don’t always get to do them.

Я часта ў думках вяртаюся да маёй першай працай з каледжа, before starting a consulting career 1995. We did get to do a phase two and even a phase three. Those were nice times. On the downside, аднак, that means that that would mean a lot of routine stuff too. Managing site security. Tweaking content types. Creating views and changing views. Dealing with IE security settings. Restoring lost documents. Blech! 🙂

Despite my melancholy mood, I can’t imagine a place I’d rather be (except at a warm beach with a goodly supply of spirits).

I can’t wait to get started implemented the next enterprise SharePoint project.

(Apropos of nothing, I wrote most of this blog entry on an NJ Transit bus. I don’t think I made any friends, але адзін CAN блог на аўтобусе 🙂 )

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