Introduction

A welcome like no others…introducing you to the class, the concept and the guy who will help you along the way.

Just for the taxonomy of it
Taxonomy is a word that has different meanings to different people. In this lesson, we will focus on what this word means to us and our efforts to make the work in our organizations more seamless.

We’re going to talk about:

• What does taxonomy really mean?
• The way we think - Study of thinking patterns and differences in the way we do our jobs

• The way we move - Learn about the different ways we view and navigate our digital lives

• Avoiding the pitfalls - Learning what not to do!

A well planned plan is planning well

Architecture does not start with the hardware and software you use, though many IT professionals believe it does. Implementing collaboration at your organization takes getting your hands dirty and find out how your organization runs and works with information. So let’s get out the paper and start creating our informational architecture.

We’re going to do:

• The Sorting of the cards - Like the running of the bulls, we are going to dive right in and see how others perceive our organizational structures
• Go on a scavenger hunt - Identifying the locations of our information and how it all works together
• Get out your label maker - Making decisions on how information will be identified

Super-size it

So we got you excited about these last activities and you want more? In this lesson we will delve into taking your information architecture to the next level and making collaboration a more user-friendly process.

We will:

• Test the experience, not the user - Learn about usability testing and how it applies in making your collaborative solution powerful yet easy to use
• Discuss our jargon and junk - Learn to create a controlled vocabulary and thesaurus for your organizational jargon
• Learn how to stand by your work - Here you’ll get some tips and tricks to use when presenting your findings and plans to the powers that be

Working outside the box

Most collaboration software gives us the tools we need, but sometimes we don’t like the way it works. In this lesson we will talk about the pros and cons of using collaborative tools ‘out-of-the-box’ and discuss areas where custom development may be just the ticket you need.

We will look at:

• The in-the-box experience - Looking at when to use out-of-the-box functionality and why.
• Inviting someone else to the party -What 3 rd party applications are out there and how do we know they will help.
• Getting a custom paint job - Looking at who needs to be involved, and what needs to happen to customize your systems.

Is my content your type?

One of the biggest uses of collaboration is document management. In this lesson we will discuss how to make your document management strategy save you time and effort.

We will discuss:

• Matchmaking your type - What type is your type? What kind of information do you need to store? Here we will look at what we need to keep and how best to keep it.
• Where the ‘meta’ meets the ‘man’ - To you it’s an invoice, to her it’s a receivable, to the shop floor it’s an order. Here we look at how we plan for the same information, but different people.
• The 80 / 20 rule - Visiting the old adage, its take 80% of the time to work with 20% of the material, and see how we can avoid this pitfall.
• FOREVER and EVER - This part is for those that think acronyms are one of the cruelest forms of punishment (i.e. HIPPA, Sarbanes-Oxley, etc…). Need to keep your documents around? Here we’ll put together a plan to make your job a safe one.

Playing hide and seek

Security is one of the scariest parts of designing any system and creating collaboration is no different. In this lesson we discuss some of the most important considerations to make when developing a security plan of your own.

We will ask:

• Are you a tracker? - Doing security the out-of-the-box way may sound like a good idea in the beginning, but many will tell you it can get messy fast. Developing a good security structure can save tons of pain down the road as your implementation grows.
• What’s your policy? - Keeping track of who does what, to where or to why can be an important part of any organization. Here we will explore what type of information management policies you need to put in place to make sure that everyone plays with the stuff they’re suppose to.
• Can you perform in front of an audience (MOSS only) - Using the Audience feature of MOSS 2007 can save you both time and effort in grouping users and their permissions.

Looking high and low

Search is one of the most ubiquitous topics in today’s world. WSS 3.0 and MOSS 2007 come with a rebuilt search engine that allows for greater flexibility and more relevant search results. In this lesson we will learn about how to identify the most important criteria for search and how to keep it from developing a mind of its own.

We will learn:

• Why MOSS search? (MOSS only) - vs. other search tools.
• So what are you looking for? - How to create your search plan and segment information for greater relevance.
• You need to crawl before you walk - Planning what your search engine needs to index and how often it needs to know what’s new
• Sorting out the noise - Using Thesaurus and noise word files for better results
• Reaching out to the masses - Accessing data across the Enterprise

Going with the Flow

One of the most powerful features of collaboration is the ability to automate the processes performed on a regular basis. In this lesson we will explore the world of workflow and learn how to get it moving for us.

We will look at:

• You vs. the Computer - How can we use workflows to assist us in our jobs and do some work for us.
• Planning the tree - So we have a process and need to lay it out. Here we will work on putting together the map to success.
• No more work, let’s take a vacation - What processes can we automate and why should we.
• Tell the world - How to develop a great flow and not drive your management crazy with constant reminders.

What’s it worth?

Everyone thinks that the term disaster recovery should only be understood by those in IT. In the lesson we will look at why you need to play a part in the important process. Learn what needs to be decided and how to put it into action.

We will see:

• Where’s my job? - How much is the data you store worth if it’s lost? If you say a lot, then shouldn’t you be responsible for it? Learn about creating a solid, realistic backup strategy that protects the things most important while not straining your relationship with the IT group.
• It said guaranteed on the box - So now you have a backup plan and think everything is safe, but have you tested it? Working with your IT department to make sure your strategy is sound is critical to a stable life.

Bringing it all together

In this lesson, we will recap what we have done and bring it all together. Since tomorrow will be an all MOSS day, this gives us a chance to complete any unfinished business before some go.

Keeping in-Formed

InfoPath Form Server is a powerful set of tools to assist in moving forms processing to the electronic age. In this lesson we will explore what Forms Server has to offer and how we could use it to streamline processes and create more useful applications.

We will see how:

• I like your ‘face’ - InfoPath offers a rich set of server controls that allow for rapid development of complex input and editing forms. What are its advantages and disadvantages to your organization?
• Can I make a request - What type of forms should be moved online? How complicated are they to launch? Can it integrate with other processes?

Putting the intelligence back in business

Business intelligence is one of the buzz phrases of the moment and MOSS 2007 offers a rich set of tools to monitor your company’s health and progress in one location. This lesson will look at many of the features that are available to help you show management all the cool graphs and reports they will ever need.

We will understand why:

• The grass is greener over there - MOSS 2007 comes with the new powerful feature of Business Data Catalog. This feature allows a universal way to access data from other Line of Business applications. This section will explore what BDC is and practical applications in your environment.
• What’s my score? - Does your management want those cool graphs and stoplights? If so, MOSS 2007 comes with many built-in features to assist in developing Key Performance indicators and showing them off.
• Your report is due - Enterprise reporting is a critical part of today’s business intelligence strategy. Here we learn about what MOSS has to offer and how to create reports that will give you an ‘A+’ every time.
• Pivot to the right - Does your organization save most of your critical business analysis data in spreadsheets? In this section you will learn about MOSS 2007 Excel Services and how it can help you share this information and calculate your way to success.

Making MOSS sing

Using MOSS 2007 out-of-the-box can be nice for a start, but inevitably someone will want to make it look their own. In this lesson we will explore the many facets of customizing the
look-n-feel of MOSS 2007 so that all the oohs and aahs will come in your direction.

• Am I pleasing to the eye? - After learning about usability, how can we make our world of collaboration a place where everyone wants to visit.
• Letting out your inner artist - Though you may not be able to draw, here are some quick tips on how to give your pages a little punch.
• Being your own Master - MOSS 2007 comes with a new concept called Master Pages, where all general site layout information can be stored and standardized. In this section, you will learn about its structure and how to make it your own.
• Don’t be redundant - If you are one of those people that like to make something once and use it again, then this is the place for you. From page styles to templates to lists and libraries, learn about how to build it only once and use it forever.