SharePoint as a Business PlatformWhy, What and How ? – No Code

Jean-François Saint-Pierre – Evolusys SA

Evolusys SA

DataMining

Business Workflows &

Forms

Mobility

SAP / Microsoft Interop

Social & Geo

Intelligence

Business Intelligence

SharePoint as a Business Platform

The Rationale – Why ?

– It’s not your father’s SharePoint

– Component of a Business Platform

– SharePoint & Friends

Application Types – What ?

– Candidate Apps

– Traditional vs SharePoint

– Task Orientation

Approach – How ?

– Capabilities then Processes

– Real SharePoint Consultants

Demo

SharePointLiveTiles

dox42 Nintex

Excel REST

THE WHY ?SharePoint as a Business Platform

Knowledge Workers

It is an era of Knowledge and Services

Ten IT-enabled business trends for the decade ahead – McKinsey (May 2013)

#5 : Automating Knowledge Work

Physical labor and transactional tasks have been widely automated over the last three decades. Now advances in data analytics, low-cost computer power, machine learning, and interfaces that “understand” humans are moving the automation frontier rapidly toward the world’s more than 200 million knowledge workers.

Source : http://www.mckinsey.com/

Not your father’s…

• Ubiquitous

• Secure

• Enterprise Level Tools

• Workflow Engine (x2)

• Forms (hum… well..)

• Office Web Apps

• Search

• Mobility

• Business IntelligenceSource : http://abalon.fr/blog/

Once installed, well… nothing…

Still needs …

• Configuration

• Design / Branding

• Support

• Training

• Monitoring

… and Governance

• Change / Evolution

• Policies

• Help / Feedback loops

Or suffer…

The Glorified File Share (collaboration)

The Random File Generator (search)

The Ugly Outdated Intranet (contents)

The Big Bucks Cafeteria Menu (purpose)

The Swiss Cheese File Manager (security)

The Electronic Quasimodo (design)

But more specifically…

• Send and Receive Mails• Mails can trigger

transactions• Mails should be tagged

and shared

• Information Assets• Consumed and created• As part of processes• And tagged and shared

• Integrate with other systems• No code, read-write

• Engaging UX• Minimise required training• Max Productivity• Least Resistance Principle• Perform Calculations

• Simple / Complex • Rules based

• Provide reports• Performance stats• Monitoring

Gartner Survey (2008) - BPM‘How often do your process change ?’• 67% of processes change every 6 months• 18% every month

How does SharePoint Rank…

The Case for No CodeCode

• Need Developers

• Tunnel Effect

• Complex Software Lifecycle

• Opaque

• Efforts / Costs

MAINTENANCE !!!

No Code

• Need Analysts

• Iterative Prototype

• Simplified Software Lifecycle

• Declarative

• Need additional tools (ROI)

MAINTENANCE !!!

With a little help…

SharePoint (with a little help)…

Capability Comments Solution

Connect SAP & SharePoint 4 ways to integrate – no code Theobald Software

Draw your Processes SharePoint Executes Nintex Workflow

Build Intelligent Forms Also target Mobile Nintex Forms

Integrate your mails From Outlook, Office… OnePlaceSolutions

Create a compelling UX And v2 is Responsive LiveTiles

Generate personalized documents Using Familiar Office Tools dox42

Bridge On-Prem & SaaS Solutions All major SaaS including SalesForce Nintex Live

Evolusys’ modern App - Ingredients

THE WHAT?SharePoint as a Business Platform

Candidate AppsPoor Candidate Apps

• High Volume / Short Time

• Highly Relational Structures

• Industrial

• Mostly outside SP

• Few Manual Steps

Good Candidate Apps

• Human Centric (slow)

• Unstructured KM Based

• Admin / Business

• Various Systems but SP Centric

• Manual Steps (Copy / Paste)

New Development ParadigmFrom the ‘Window that does it all’ To ‘Task Orientation’ and User Profiling

That Leverages SharePointBring Information Closer To the Owners• Capitalizing on familiar tools : Excel, Word• Whether as inputs our outputs

Versioning, Search, Lists, Approvals• Change audit trails• Search based perspectives

From the horses mouth…• Calculation models born in Excel / Remain in Excel• Documents born in Word / Remain in Word

Example – Replacing a .Net App

•LiveTiles / NintexForms

•Task Oriented

Complete EOI Form

•Excel REST

•Always up to date

•Excel from doclib

Obtain Vaccine Cost Calculations

•dox42

•Merge with various Sources

•Word from doclib

Create Contract Document

•Nintex Workflow

•Review and Approval WF

Route to Country Owners

Collecting Metrics – throughout the process

Secu

rity

& A

cce

ss

Example – Replacing a .Net AppBeforeCalculations• Created in Excel• But reprogrammed twice

Outputs (Contracts)• Created and maintained in Word• But recreated in Reporting Services• Huge performance problems

Business Rules / Workflow• All over the place (Interface, App, BD)• Hard to maintain / Coded• Execution per code

AfterCalculations• Created and maintained in Excel• Remain in Excel (Excel REST)

Outputs (Contracts)• Created and maintained in Word• Remain in Word (dox42)• Incredible performance

Business Rules / Workflow• Nintex Forms / Workflow• Visible, Maintainable / Versioned• Execution engine (data points at every step)

What is LiveTiles ?

LiveTiles is User Experience• Modern user experience demands faster, more intuitive, convenient and personalized

interactions. • Delivers user-centric information within 1-2 touches or clicks, including tasks and

schedules, meetings and popular documents

LiveTiles is Design• Supports modern UI design, mobile site creation and out-of-the-box integration with

external platforms.• Wizard-based interface is simple for non-technical users to navigate, and tiles, apps or

additional functionality can be added or removed at the touch or click of a button

LiveTiles is Mobile• Mobile site views can be quickly created using a simple ‘drag and drop’ method. Tiles

and apps can be dragged to an interface and saved as a mobile device channel• Phase 2 roll out in 2014 is an in-built Device Bar; build interfaces using device

specifications from all the major brands on the market

- 19 -

What is dox42 ?Create • Templates in Word, right from SharePoint• Dox42 Ribbon

Merge• Automate Document Generation using Nintex• Drive Server from any Workflow

Output• Outputs results directly into SharePoint• In one or more of many output formats

THE HOW ?SharePoint as a Business Platform

Approach towards a great app

• Get the Big Picture (Why)

• Then the What, then the How

• It will change, design with evolution in mind

• Adoption & Least Resistance : UX

• Respects each other’s backgrounds (Business vs IT)

Capabilities, then Processes

1. Business Capabilities are stable

2. While Processes Change

3. Start with What (Business) and then How (Implementation)

Disaggregation of the value chain

Corporate Credit

Building Credit

Consumer Credit

PaymentEntry inLand

Register

PaymentCollateralsRegistration

CheckContract

GetSignature

Final Vote& Decision

CollateralsEvaluation

ProductConfig-uration

FirstVote

RatingDataEntry

CollateralsAcquisition

ProductSelection

CheckContract

GetSignature

Final Vote& Decision

CollateralsEvaluation

ProductConfig-uration

FirstVote

ScoringDataEntry

CollateralsAcquisition

ProductSelection

PaymentCheck

ContractGet

SignatureDecisionVoteScoring

ProductSelection

DataEntry

ProductConfiguration

ProductSelection

CollateralsRegistration

CollateralsEvaluation

Scoring RatingProduct

Configuration

ProductSelection

Entry inLand Register

CollateralsEvaluation

Scoring

CollateralsAcquisition

GetSignature

Vote

PaymentDataEntry

CheckContract

Decision

Identifying Capabilities

Anatomy of a Capability

Start

People

Procedures

Technology

Encapsulating a Capability

Business own the WHATSharePoint Consultant owns the HOW

SharePoint is a strange BeastJust because it’s possible…

… does not mean it’s a good idea !

Advice :

Know your SharePoint (consultant)

Your SharePoint Consultants

Should care about :• Why and What we are building

• User Experience

• Reuse

• Maintenance

• Metrics

• Simple is Hard

SharePoint ConsultantsBad OnesConsider SharePoint as a Framework• 1st option is to develop• Know the API, but not the Configuration

Do not see the forest for the trees• Fail to see the big picture• Focus on the How, not the What

Have a hard time speaking clearly• Sounds like Klingon• Do not care about UX

Good OnesSee SharePoint as a Platform• Know the Features (all of them)• Understand why there are many possibilities for a

given goal

Put themselves in the users shoes• Focus on the outcome• Will challenge to understand the what

Should be easy to understand• Talk Business• Make suggestions for Improvement• Understand User Experience

One Last Quote…

DEMOSharePoint as a Business Platform

Jean-François Saint-PierreManaging Partner – Business Development

jfsp@evolusys.ch