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:
- Content access controls are different
- Content ownership is different from that of existing sites
- Intent of the content is significantly different from existing sites
- 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?
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Great article ! That is right that administrators are often confuse about when to create a site and how to separate the content. Another interesting point is “do we have to create a site or a site collection ?”, I’m waiting the article 😉
I’ll get right on it! 🙂
Steve Goodyear’s graphic already has that covered:
http://www.balestra.be/2012/06/governance-when-to-create-a-subsite-or-new-site-collection-diagram.html
Excellent resource, thanks for pointing that out!
Very similar questions or stream of thought I use when asked to create a new site.
Most of the time it’s really only for a document library (but as we know, many people confuse the two…) I will even create one in our upper site collection level “Home” then apply separate permissions.
I’ve even created a Links list on the Home site with links to special content or sub sites not otherwise visible. Each link has specific permissions visible to the appropriate users or groups. Works for us. Good thing our organization is small (less than 200 users).
Thanks,
T
Reblogged this on Shewrite63 and commented:
Good advice from the SharePoint Therapist. Always good to ask questions before creating yet another SharePoint site…