Unleashing the Full Potential of SharePoint and Office 365: Custom Solutions Intranets, Search, and Provisioning
In today’s business landscape, custom solutions are increasingly becoming an essential aspect of SharePoint and Office 365. These tools provide businesses with a platform to tailor solutions to their unique needs, which can increase productivity, collaboration, and efficiency. In this article, we will explore the different solutions that can be built-in, workflows that can be created, search components, and data store for SharePoint and Office 365.
There are many customizations / enhancements that can be built in SharePoint and Office 365 to extend the Out of the Box functionalities. Here are some examples:
- Custom workflows: SharePoint and Office 365 offer out-of-the-box workflows, but custom workflows can be created using Microsoft Power Automate to automate business processes.
- Custom web parts: Custom web parts can be built to extend the functionality of SharePoint and Office 365, allowing users to create custom dashboards, reports, or custom interfaces.
- Custom forms: Custom forms can be built using SharePoint Framework or Microsoft Power Apps to create tailored data entry and data display experiences.
- Custom branding: SharePoint and Office 365 can be customized with custom branding and themes to match an organization’s brand guidelines and improve user experience.
- Custom search: Custom search can be built to improve the search experience in SharePoint and Office 365, providing more relevant results and faster search times.
- Custom templates: Custom templates can be created to streamline the creation of new sites, libraries, lists, and other content in SharePoint and Office 365, saving time and improving consistency.
These are just a few examples of the many customizations /enhancements that can be done in SharePoint and Office 365. The possibilities are virtually endless, limited only by an organization’s needs and the creativity of its developers.
Based on the previous customizations / enhancements we can fit all of them together to build solutions to meet the specific needs of a business. Some of these solutions include:
Intranet
Built on SharePoint Online can serve as a central hub for employees to access information, collaborate with colleagues, and stay up-to-date with company news and events.
can provide a powerful platform for communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing within your organization. With its robust features and customization options.
An effective intranet should include the following elements:
- Homepage: A homepage that uses out of the box webparts like news, calendar, setup navigation, etc.
- News and announcements: A section for company news and announcements, such as new hires, product releases, or policy changes.
- Document management: A centralized document library for storing and managing important documents, such as policies, procedures, and forms.
- Collaboration tools: Quick links webpart to highlight Tools for collaboration, such as shared calendars, task lists, and discussion forums.
- Search functionality: Search center out of the box or custom that allows employees to easily find information within the intranet.
- Metrics and analytics: Metrics and analytics available in the site usage to track usage and engagement with the intranet and identify opportunities for improvement.
By including these elements, an intranet can become an effective tool for improving communication, collaboration, and productivity within an organization.
- Out of the box: https://lookbook.microsoft.com/details/c9300e94-6e83-471a-b767-b7878689e97e
- Custom: https://github.com/pnp/sp-starter-kit
Figure 1 Intranet home page example using out of the box from look book examples. ALT: A screenshot of SharePoint home page with different webparts
Figure 2 Intranet home page example using custom web parts from PnP. ALT: A screenshot of SharePoint home page with different custom webparts
Document Management
SharePoint and Office 365 can be used to create a centralized repository for documents. A custom solution can be built to ensure that documents are properly managed, tracked, and updated. A document management solution can be designed to include features such as version control, check-in/check-out, and document search capabilities.
Should include the following features and capabilities:
- Document storage and organization: Document libraries to organizing documents in a logical and efficient manner, including the ability to create folders, metadata fields.
- Metadata: Create fields like status, approver, business area that gives important information and can be filtered later on.
- Version control: Tracking changes to documents, including the ability to view and restore previous versions.
- Document approval workflows: Create and manage document with Power Automate approval workflows to ensure that documents are reviewed and approved before being published.
- Access control: Setup permissions to control access to documents, including the ability to set permissions and restrict access to sensitive documents.
- Collaboration tools: Collaborate on documents with others using office or web, including the ability to co-author and provide feedback.
- Integration with other systems: The ability to integrate with other systems, such as email, CRM, and ERP systems like Power Automate or custom using PowerShell / Azure Functions, to streamline document management processes.
- Reporting and analytics: Check site analytics on document usage, such as document views, downloads, and edits.
By including these features and capabilities, a document management system in SharePoint Online can provide a centralized and secure location for managing documents and streamline document management processes.
Example of custom interface:
https://github.com/pnp/List-Formatting/tree/master/view-samples/document-library-gallery-card
Figure 3 Custom interface to show documents from Management system. ALT: A screenshot of List view with custom interface
Project Management
SharePoint and Office 365 can be used to manage projects from inception to completion. A custom solution can be built to create project sites that include features such as task lists, calendars, timelines, and project tracking tools. This can help businesses manage resources and timelines more effectively, leading to increased efficiency.
Should include the following features and capabilities:
- Project tasks and timelines: The ability to create and manage project tasks and timelines, using SharePoint list, including the ability to assign tasks to team members, set deadlines, and track progress.
- Resource management: The ability to manage project resources, such as team members, equipment, and budgets, using SharePoint list, to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget.
- Project reporting and analytics: The ability to export reports and analytics on project performance, such as project status, risks, and issues from SharePoint list
- Integration with other systems: The ability to integrate with other systems, such as CRM and ERP systems, using PowerShell / Azure Functions, to streamline project management processes.
- Project templates: The ability to create and use SharePoint site / document project templates to standardize project management processes and ensure consistency across projects.
By including these features and capabilities, a project management system in SharePoint Online can provide a comprehensive solution for managing projects, from planning to execution to reporting and analysis.
- Out of the box: https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/use-the-sharepoint-project-management-site-template-3d4ebdf3-03f7-485a-a16b-c4b4292d4b97
Figure 4 Out of the box interface to show tasks, activity and events. ALT: A screenshot SharePoint page with out of the box webparts
Business Process Automation
SharePoint and Office 365 can be used to automate business processes. A custom solution can be built to create workflows that automate tasks such as document routing, approval processes, and task assignments. This can help businesses reduce errors, save time, and increase productivity.
Should include the following components:
- Forms: Custom forms using Power Apps or Form Customizer (SPFX) allows users to collect and manage data.
- Workflow: A Power Automate workflow enables users to automate workflows that can streamline and optimize business processes.
- Approval Workflows
- Task Assignment Workflows
- Integration Capabilities: The app should be able to integrate with other business systems, such as CRM or ERP systems, using PowerShell / Azure Functions, to enable data exchange and improve automation.
- Notifications: Teams approvals provide notifications to users, such as email or teams app notifications, to keep them informed of changes or updates related to the approval process.
How to get started:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/business-apps/introduction-to-sharepoint-business-process-integration
Figure 5 SharePoint List view formatter with buttons to initiate actions. ALT: A screenshot SharePoint list with custom interface
Provisioning Application
Can be a valuable custom solution in SharePoint Online, as they can help automate the creation and management of SharePoint sites, lists, libraries, and other resources. With a custom provisioning system, you can define templates for different types of SharePoint resources and automate the process of creating new instances of those resources based on those templates.
Should include the following components:
- Template Catalog: Include a catalog of available templates that can be requested, such as sites, lists, libraries, or web parts.
- Approval Workflows: Power Automate approval workflow process to ensure that resource requests are authorized before they are provisioned.
- Automated Provisioning: The app should be able to automatically provision using PnP Provisioning Engine resources once the request has been approved, saving time and reducing manual work.
- Customizable Templates: Should provide customizable templates that allow users to pre-configure resource settings, such as site templates, list templates, or document library templates.
Overall, the Provisioning system app in SharePoint Online should provide a streamlined and efficient process for requesting and provisioning resources, while ensuring that resources are properly managed and secured.
Provisioning system being used by look book:
https://github.com/SharePoint/sp-provisioning-service
Figure 6 SharePoint look book service home page. ALT: A screenshot of look book application
SharePoint Search Center
It provides a centralized location for users to search for information across multiple sites, lists, and libraries within a SharePoint environment. A Search Center typically includes advanced search functionality, search results customization options, and other search-related features.
Should include the following components:
- Search Box: The search center should have a search box using PnP search box that enables users to search for content across SharePoint sites and documents.
- Advanced Search: The search center should provide an advanced search option that allows users to refine their search results by using filters and criteria, such as date range, content type, or metadata using PnP filters and refiners.
- Sorting and Filtering: PnP filters enable users to sort and filter search results based on specific criteria, such as relevance, date, or popularity.
- Content Sources: The PnP search webpart to configure SharePoint and Office 365 content sources, which are locations that the search center should crawl and index, such as SharePoint sites, external websites, or file shares.
- Search Analytics: The SharePoint Online Administration search center provide search analytics tools that enable administrators to monitor and analyze search usage, such as popular search terms, search frequency, and search results clicked.
Overall, the SharePoint search center in SharePoint Online should provide a comprehensive search experience that enables users to quickly and easily find the content they need, while providing administrators with the tools they need to manage and monitor search usage.
Custom search experience:
https://microsoft-search.github.io/pnp-modern-search/
Figure 7 Example of PnP custom search layout. ALT: A screenshot of PnP custom search layout
In conclusion, SharePoint and Office 365 provide businesses with a powerful platform for collaboration, productivity, and efficiency. Custom solutions can be built-in to enhance these capabilities further, including document management, project management, and business process automation. Custom workflows can be created to automate processes within SharePoint and Office 365, including approval workflows, task assignment workflows, and notification workflows. Custom search components can be created to enhance search capabilities, including custom metadata fields, custom search web parts, and federated search. Custom data stores can be created to enhance data management capabilities, including custom lists, custom libraries, and custom forms. By leveraging these custom solutions, businesses can unleash the full potential of SharePoint and Office 365, leading to increased productivity, collaboration, and efficiency.