Implementing SharePoint provides unique opportunities to both simplify and greatly improve the way documents are stored in the enterprise. Often the layout and organisation of document libraries is not given the thought it requires, especially when initially migrating to SharePoint. A typical approach is to simply migrate a shared drive structure into a series of document libraries. This approach may allow you to get on with working, but it bypasses the opportunity to bring about improvements in the way you work - which ultimately results in lost opportunities for profit.
In an ideal world, the IT department is totally focussed on delivering improvements to the business through technology, and I believe that this is genuinely the motive for the majority of IT managers. The reality is however that SharePoint is a different animal, and it is not possible for an IT department to deliver the benefits that are possible without substantial help from business personnel - those who will ultimately be the users of the system.
So, why is SharePoint different from the rollout of any other technology? The answer is simple; Implementation of SharePoint brings at least as much cultural change in your organisation as it does technology change. This is a fundamental difference. It is not like rolling out previous versions of Windows or Office - as major as they may have been. Implementing Windows 2000 could be done completely without input from the business (except perhaps budget approval!). Implementing Office XP may have brought about some new neat functionality for users, but ultimately it didnt change the way that they worked. SharePoint, and in particular MOSS 2007, must be considered a business change at least as much as a technology change, otherwise the ultimate benefits required by an organisation will not be realised.
