SharePoint is used by many organizations as a central place for documents, collaboration and information management. To keep documents, communication and project information in one place, we regularly get the question from customers: is SharePoint suitable for managing projects?
The short answer is: absolutely! SharePoint offers many opportunities to organize project information, manage documents and allow teams to collaborate. At the same time, it does require a good setup. Without a clear structure, a project environment can quickly become cluttered.
In this blog, we look at SharePoint’s capabilities for project management, what organizations encounter in practice and why many organizations choose a standard solution such as WorkPoint on top of SharePoint.
SharePoint provides a good basis for managing projects. For example, each project can have its own Teams or SharePoint environment that brings together documents, communications and project information. Documents can be stored in document libraries, metadata can be used to structure information, and access rights can be set so that only the right people have access.
In addition, SharePoint works closely with other Microsoft 365 tools. Think Microsoft Teams for communication, Planner for tasks and Outlook for e-mail. This creates a single digital work environment in which project teams can collaborate and share information. So with the right setup, SharePoint can definitely be used for project management.
While SharePoint offers many features, the challenge often lies in the setup. In many organizations, project environments are created in different ways. One project site has a different structure than another, document libraries are set up differently and access rights are set up manually.
This often creates differences between projects in practice. Documents are stored in various places, structures are not always the same and it becomes more difficult to retrieve information quickly. In addition, it often takes IT a long time to build and manage new project environments. This is precisely why project management in standard SharePoint often requires customization and a well thought-out design.
To avoid these challenges, many organizations opt for a standard solution on top of SharePoint. Instead of rebuilding each project environment, a fixed structure is used that works the same for each project.
WorkPoint builds on SharePoint and adds a standardized way of project management. A project site is automatically created for each project with the appropriate document structure, metadata and access rights. This creates a consistent way of working. Project teams know where documents are, information remains organized and organizations do not have to think about how to set up a project environment every time.
With WorkPoint, organizations can structure project management within Microsoft 365. Documents are linked to projects, metadata helps organize information and access rights are automatically applied. As a result, it always remains clear which project a document belongs to and who has access to it.
At the same time, all the benefits of SharePoint remain. Project teams can continue to work with Microsoft Teams, Outlook and other Microsoft 365 applications, while project information is centrally managed within SharePoint. Because WorkPoint provides a proven standard for project management, managing projects within Microsoft 365 becomes not only possible, but also clear and manageable.
SharePoint provides a strong foundation for project management within Microsoft 365. With document libraries, metadata and integrations with other Microsoft tools, organizations can set up a proper project environment.
In practice, however, building and managing project environments in standard SharePoint often requires customization. Our standard WorkPoint-based project management solution helps to get that structure right the first time. By building on SharePoint while providing a proven project structure, organizations can start project management faster and the environment remains clear and manageable.
