SharePoint Premier League Template 2011/12

Many organisations have invested in the mighty SharePoint, but still struggle to get their staff to use it. As a SharePoint Consultant at Office Talk I always try and offer our customers interesting ways to promote their SharePoint environment.  We often encourage SharePoint Project teams to include a social area in their designs. These can be named things like 'Coffee Break' or 'Get Together'. A great place to share photographs of that 'Team Building' Event or to hold your 'Grand National Sweepstake'. 

Over the last two years several hundred companies have used the 'free' Office Talk 'My Team’s Premier League' to encourage employees to start to use SharePoint and see it's true full potential. This week Office Talk are releasing the latest version of their Football Template for the new 2011/12 season. With this unique SharePoint Template employees can monitor their favourite Premier League team’s performance during the next nine month's. You'll have to wait until the end of this blog to see how you can get a copy (or one for every team) of this template that combines my two passions SharePoint and football.

So how else can you make your SharePoint just that much more appealing to your staff? 

Here are my top 20 suggestions (they are not in any order);

1. A monthly photograph caption competition

2. List all your company holidays and key dates

3. Include Minutes of Meetings

4. Add video

5. Add your company templates to Document Libraries (ie Faxes, presentation layouts)

6. Include an Expense Form system

7. Have a Social Area that includes a 'congratulations' section

8. Have Personnel Manual easily accessible

9. Include an IT Helpdesk system

10. Useful Links (ie Weather, local restaurants, hotels etc)

11. Add Training Course Feedback forms using surveys

12. Add more photographs of members of staff

13. Let staff read about current performance of the business and don't just keep these figures secret

14. Highlight any special achievements of members of staff

15. Add a Discussion Area to let members of staff make suggestions about the SharePoint Portal.

16. Give your SharePoint Portal a friendly name

17. Use My Sites or create a Personal Site for each user

18. Allow users access externally to the system with an easy to remember URL

19. Add a Car Share section to keep the company 'green'

20. Continually review the Usage Reports for each site on your SharePoint Portal  

These are just a few suggestions. We at Office Talk are always happy to offer our 'Drop-In' service and come and give you advice on the best way to develop your SharePoint. Check this service out at http://www.office-talk.com/index.php?id=172.

To receive the free ‘My Team’s Premier League’ SharePoint Template please visit the Office Talk website at http://www.office-talk.com/index.php?id=160
As part of the ‘My Team’s Premier League’ site you can predict the final places of all the Premier League Teams so here are my predictions for the new season (although I am assuming Villa will not sell Mr. Downing);

1. Manchester United
2. Manchester City
3. Arsenal

4. Liverpool

5. Chelsea
6. Aston Villa
7. Tottenham
8. Sunderland
9. Everton
10. Blackburn
11. Bolton Wanderers
12. Stoke City

13. West Bromwich
14. Fulham
15. Newcastle
16. Norwich
17. Wolverhampton Wanderers
18. Wigan
19. QPR
20. Swansea 

Please feel free to comment on how you think the 2011/12 league table will end up.

So don’t forget to claim your free Football Template and use it as many times as you want in your organisation.