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Learn How to Use SharePoint for Collaboration: Full Guide

Stephen King ~ Modified: November 28th, 2024 ~ Migration, SharePoint ~ 8 Minutes Reading

Summary: This is a comprehensive guide about how to use SharePoint for collaboration. This blog contains different scenarios for using SharePoint effectively. Here you will also get to know about the challenges of collaborating on SharePoint and key concepts to protect your SharePoint data on the cloud.

Using SharePoint for collaboration can evolve the way of data management in all sizes of organizations. Being a product of Microsoft 365, it also ensures a seamless user experience during collaboration. It brings all the team members on the same page whether the team members are working in-house or remotely. Its centralized data storage management with the help of document libraries and lists, provides access to the files to all the members. SharePoint is not limited to just providing centralized storage. It is more than that. 

Table Of Content

Therefore, In this detailed write-up, we will delve more into the use of SharePoint for collaboration. So, stay tuned till the end of the write-up.

How to Use SharePoint for Collaboration?

SharePoint is a service provided by Microsoft for collaboration and document management. Microsoft introduced SharePoint in 2001 with document storage and management functionality. But later on, with core updates, Microsoft added a collaboration feature for easy file and message sharing with team members.

SharePoint is a platform for collaborating with other members of a team or outside the organization to work together on documents and manage tasks. It supports different types of SharePoint sites. By default, SharePoint comes with two options while you are trying to create a new site for collaboration, i.e., a Team Site and a Communication Site.

The team site is used when you want to give access to other members to collaborate on projects and documents, while the communication site is used to share information or broadcast a message to viewers.

Steps of How to Use SharePoint for Collaboration

  1. Login to Microsoft 365 SharePoint with valid credentials.
  2. Click on the Create Site option, located on the horizontal pane.
  3. Select any one option from the team site or communication site based on your preference.
  4. A page opens; enter the site name and site description, then choose any one option from making a site private or public.
    Note: If you want the members inside and outside the site can access all the files and documents, choose public. Otherwise, if you want only site members can access it, select the private option.
  5. Now add members to a site by entering their email IDs or names and then click the Finish button.

Now go back to the home page of SharePoint and you can see a channel has been created with the name you provided in step 4. Now you are ready to collaborate with others on SharePoint.

Important Features Provided by SharePoint for Collaboration

SharePoint is a hub of features for collaboration. From document collaboration to creating document libraries, all features are available on one platform.

Let’s see the important features provided by Microsoft 365 SharePoint for collaboration.

  • In SharePoint, you can easily share files, media, pages, and documents with individuals or groups of members.
  • Users can work on documents based on the permissions assigned to members and can access the documents from anywhere around the globe. 
  • Users can also create custom permission in SharePoint Online to restrict the non priority members.
  • One of the prime features of SharePoint for collaboration is tracking the version history. That states that every change performed on the SharePoint document will be saved and can be accessed for auditing purposes.
  • SharePoint calendars also enhanced the collaboration where all team members can access the latest events and meetings.
  • Users can access the SharePoint files in real-time and stay up-to-date with the latest changes. 
  • Now users can avail of powerful document libraries and pre-set templates from SharePoint for collaborating and managing documents effectively. 
  • SharePoint also provides a communication site option to broadcast a message or make announcements to large groups of people at the same time.

Integrating SharePoint with Other Tools

In the continuity of exploring how to use SharePoint for collaboration, it’s time to dig into its integration. SharePoint can be seamlessly integrated with Microsoft’s other tools such as Teams, OneDrive, and many more. Let’s see how its integration helps in the collaboration.

1. SharePoint with Microsoft Teams

Integration of SharePoint and Teams can take the collaboration to the next level. Microsoft Teams is used for posts, sharing files, and for online meetings.

As SharePoint integrates with Microsoft Teams, then users can directly access the SharePoint files through the Teams application.

2. SharePoint and OneDrive for Business

Integration of SharePoint with OneDrive for Business allows users to sync the SharePoint files to their local devices. It helps users to access the files in offline mode.

As a result, the remote teams where the Internet connection is not up to the mark can also enhance their productivity. 

Examples & Case Studies on SharePoint Collaboration

SharePoint has become one of the most popular services for collaborating within and outside the organization.

SharePoint is gaining popularity because of uninterrupted collaboration on document management and team communication. Let’s see some case studies on how to use SharePoint for collaboration.

  • In healthcare, users can deploy SharePoint to manage and store patient records and securely share medical information between doctors and nurses. It also helps to research and track the development processes of medical drugs. 
  • In manufacturing, businesses use SharePoint for product management to regularly update the flow of supply chain information and to create product quality control documentation. 
  • In education, schools and colleges deploy SharePoint for teacher collaboration, course material sharing, and student document management. It also helps in maintaining student and teacher attendance and allows teachers to broadcast messages to all the students.
  • In financial services, banks use SharePoint to create a centralized repository for customer information management and enable efficient collaboration between different departments.

Challenges of Collaborating on SharePoint

SharePoint provides many features for collaboration but it poses some challenges that need to be addressed for risk-free collaboration. Security is one of the main challenges faced by many users while collaborating on SharePoint.

As data stored in the cloud increases the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches, it is important to prevent the risk by implementing robust security features.

Another challenge reported by users is the co-authoring issues and limited integration with other tools. It is important to take preventive measures before sharing or collaborating on SharePoint because it can lead to data loss and inconsistencies.

Some users also mentioned information overload and site gets cluttered. It is because of excessive information. As a result, you may encounter SharePoint list not showing all items.

A Solution to Overcome the Challenges

There are some manual solutions to overcome these challenges, like implementing multiple-factor authentication and encryption decryption to avoid data breaches.

Provide proper training to all the members of the company on SharePoint features and functionalities.

Migrating SharePoint data is one reliable solution to overcome information overload and site clutter issues. Many experts recommend opting for the Automated SharePoint Online Migration Tool to migrate all your SharePoint data easily in a few steps.

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Conclusion

SharePoint can be used purposely to enhance collaboration. It depends upon the user how to use SharePoint for collaboration efficiently. Users have the choice to create multiple sites of suitable type whether it is communication or Team. Enabling the features like auditing, and version controlling also depends upon the user to make the most out of SharePoint. Hence, you can use SharePoint for collaboration whether you are managing a small team or a large one as per your necessities. 

FAQ

Q1. Can multiple users edit the document in SharePoint at the same time?

A – Yes, SharePoint provides a co-authoring feature to allow multiple users to work on a document at the same time without interfering with each other’s changes.

Q2. How to Setup the co-authoring feature in SharePoint?

A – Execute the below steps.

  1. Open the document library where you want to enable co-authoring.
  2. Expand the Library tab and click Library Settings.
  3. Then select Advanced Settings and mark the box under “Allow items from this document library to be co-authored by multiple users.”
  4. Click OK.

Q3. What are the features of the automated tool for SharePoint migration?

A – Among multiple features, below are the major ones.

  • Allow users to migrate the entire SharePoint document library with metadata to another SharePoint account.
  • Provide an interactive dashboard to track the process of migrating.
  • Provides different types of migrations, such as re-run, delta, and retry failed item migrations.
  • The user can easily export a summary and detailed report of the complete SharePoint migration process.

Q4. How can I improve search results in SharePoint?

A – You can improve search results by using relevant metadata, keywords, and tags when uploading documents. Or apply SharePoint’s search filter to narrow down results.