Using A Game Storming Cover Story Technique For Sharepoint Vision

For succeeding in SharePoint Development to the fullest you need to have a clear, compelling vision. By just asking some stakeholders about the vision of SharePoint is getting nowhere. This article is about a very good book “Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers and Changemakers”. It offers many useful techniques for SharePoint development and SharePoint customization. You may use them for presenting while running requirements that gather workshops for SharePoint and the most important the Cover Story Game which you will really be fond of.

Cover story game is the most effective way for getting what users describe their vision for SharePoint. What developers achieve by doing so may be the question that arises in your mind. They can definitely hope for improved and missioned results in SharePoint development that satisfies their customers. Cover story is what? It is a game about pure imagination and its sole objective is to think expansively around an ideal future state for the organization and we can better call it as an exercise for visioning. Its object is to remove all disbeliefs and provide you with the future state that is so stellar that it will land your organization earn all the fame. This is what users expect while they outsource SharePoint development.

In this game the players need to pretend as if the future has already come and is reported by the mainstream media. Cover story game encourages people to think big and expect big. It works very well for SharePoint development because an organization has number of possible vision for the platform. So the game gives you with the chance in which you can ensure that your tangible examples are able to explore the many possible end states without constraining users.

How to run the Cover Story Game for SharePoint?

Initially break down your users into groups of anywhere between 4 and 6. Ensure that the group has markers and get them to fill the template.

Below are the categories on the template:

• Cover: It tells them the story of big success which they dream of
• Headline: It covers the substance of the cover story
• Sidebars: It has interesting facts about the story
• Quotes: These are from potential end users of solution
• Brainstorm: It documents initial ideas
• Images: It supports the content with examples

By the time ends which usually takes about an hour get the groups to present their cover story so it will show their vision of SharePoint. Present it to other groups and then discuss the real world example and implement the search solution on the SharePoint platform. It would give some fantastic results.

You will receive some really interesting statements and then drill down further a number of various possibilities and visions that are presented. Also you will come to notice that while leveraging search in different ways: promoting knowledge sharing, finding experts and allowing people to express their opinion. Also the quotes prove to be interesting.

What would be the outcome?

• It helps to target requirements that gathers activities at content but also all the elements for a successful people search solution.
• By introducing related keywords the users will be encouraged to explore topic areas that are outside their immediate interest.
• It allows users to rate their search experience and give suggestions.

Try to use this technique if you are amongst the one who is starting SharePoint journey.

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