Speaking SharePoint: How to get help from IT

I’ve heard the groan from communicators: “We want SharePoint, but we’ll have to deal with IT.”

Dwelling on previous experiences with your IT department can curse a successful SharePoint project before it even begins. Like so many other IT/communications projects, SharePoint seems to bring out the worst in everyone — primarily due to a mutual lack of understanding:

Our jobs are focused on building relationships. Why is working with IT any different? Get beyond issues from the past and focus on the task at hand.

Here are six tips to communicate your SharePoint needs to IT while nurturing a healthy working relationship.

1. Come up with a plan

Know what you want out of SharePoint before you meet with IT. Come up with a basic plan for the site and list the features you want to include. Don’t worry about how it will work, just brainstorm ideas of what you want on the site. Remember: there are no bad ideas in brainstorming! If something isn’t possible, it will come out later in your meetings with IT. A plan will help you organize your thoughts and explain your SharePoint vision to your IT co-workers.