During a recent SharePoint governance discussion, we talked about the process for responding to requests for new sites.

One thing I brought with me from my last job was an understanding of just how bad site sprawl can get.  I knew going into the meeting that management only had a vague idea about sites, the reasons for creating them, and the reasons for NOT creating them.

So I came prepared with a handout with a few brief sentences that management could understand and buy into.  With this plus a description of the out-of-control scenario of site sprawl, I got my buy-in.

What is a site?
A site is a collection of lists, libraries and pages with similar ownership, access rights, and intent.

When should a site be created?
Consider creating a site when:

1. Content access controls are different
2. Content ownership is different from that of existing sites
3. Intent of the content is significantly different from existing sites
4. Content is of significant complexity and volume (for example, if a group needs its own calendar, document library and lists with multiple content types and tags specific to that group)

When should you consider other options?

• If the content is minimal (only a few documents)
• If the ownership or purpose matches an existing site

Other Considerations
Sites should have clear ownership (both a sponsor and a content manager).

What do you think?

Get Notified! Scroll to the bottom of the page to get notified when new posts are added to the site!