☕ SharePoint Tip #21 — Driving Adoption: getting people to actually use SharePoint

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Good morning! Here is your 15-minute SharePoint tip for today.

Day 21 | Week 4 — Product Owner Mastery

Driving SharePoint Adoption

Technology adoption is the hardest part of any SharePoint project. The platform can be perfectly configured — and still fail if people don’t use it. Today’s tip gives you a proven adoption framework.

The three adoption blockers

"I don’t know how" — training problem. Fix: short, role-specific training (not generic 2-hour sessions).

"I don’t see why" — value problem. Fix: show them specifically how SharePoint solves their daily pain (no more lost files, no more version conflicts, no more VPN).

"It’s easier not to" — inertia problem. Fix: remove the alternative. If the file server is still accessible, people will use it. Decommission it on a date certain.

The SharePoint Champions programme

Champions are enthusiastic early adopters from within each department — not IT staff. They:

  • Learn SharePoint ahead of the broader rollout
  • Advocate for it in team meetings
  • Answer colleagues’ basic questions informally
  • Give feedback to the Product Owner on what isn’t working

One champion per department of 20 people is a good ratio. Champions should be recognised — a regular call with the PO, early access to new features, a "SharePoint Champion" badge in Teams.

Adoption campaign phases

Phase 1 — Awareness (4 weeks before go-live)
Announce the change. Explain the why. Show a demo. Build anticipation.

Phase 2 — Training (2 weeks before go-live)
Role-specific training sessions: "SharePoint for Finance," "SharePoint for HR." 45 minutes maximum. Record every session.

Phase 3 — Go-live support (first 2 weeks)
Champions on standby. Drop-in Teams call daily. Quick wins celebrated and shared.

Phase 4 — Sustained adoption (months 2–6)
Monthly tips email (like this one!). Feature spotlights. Usage metrics shared with teams. Recognition for high-adoption departments.

Try it today (5 minutes)

Identify one person in each department of your organisation who would make a good SharePoint Champion. Write their names down. Reaching out to those people is one of the highest-value actions you can take as a new Product Owner.

See you tomorrow at 6:00 AM with Tip #22 — Hub Sites and Information Architecture!