[Organization Name] Deploymentand Customization Policy

What follows is the deployment policy for [Organization Name].

SharePoint provides a great deal of functionality and capabilities to business users through Out of the Box (OOTB) components and browser based configuration. It is a general best practice to rely on these components wherever possible to mitigate risk introduced to the platform through custom code (performance, upgrade, support). However, custom code may become a requirement to achieve business objectives and can often result in high value returns through deployment to the SharePoint platform.

This section leverages the Microsoft “SharePoint Products and Technologies Customization Polices” as the authoritative whitepaper on the subject of customizing SharePoint

The SharePoint environment is considered a Gold Service level and customizations will be guided by the allowable actions within the Gold Service level. Presented in this section are the summary level customization policies specific to [Organization Name] and any differing policies from the authoritative whitepaper.

Service Level Implications

[Organization Name] will follow the Gold Service Level description and policies detailed within the referenced white paper. Though the whitepaper references multiple customers within a single “hosted” environment, [Organization Name] presents a related scenario with respect to functionality and purpose of site types within the platform. Presented below are the differing site types and their customization priority:

Site Type / Scope / Customization Priority
Portal / Enterprise scope for communications and information sharing. / High – consider offering enterprise functionality through.
Collaborative Team Sites / Departmental teams for line of business communications, collaboration and automation. / Med – consider high value LOB solutions or customizations that fill needs for all departments.
Collaborative Project Sites / Small cross functional teams typically 3 to 20 users. / Low – consider only customizations that span all projects (ex. PMO template or workflow).

Customization Process

The [Organization Name] customization process will be guided by the [Organization Name] Release Management deliverable. Processes detailed within the white paper[1] (pages 11 – 13) should be used as reference only (Analysis, Packaging, and Deploying).

Service Policies

Service policies presented within the white paper should be strictly adhered to, however [Organization Name] will handle SharePoint Designer editing in a different fashion:

  • SharePoint designer editing, including no-code workflows will not be permitted unless expressly approved by [Organization Name] IT. Allowing Site Owners to leverage SharePoint designer will be approved on a case by case basis and supported only through approval by [Organization Name] IT. [Organization Name] will use application group policies to prohibit the use of SharePoint designer unless prior authorization has been given.[RH1]

Customization Policies

Customization policies presented within the white paper (GOLD LEVEL) will be adhered to by [Organization Name] personnel. Any customizations that require server side code, server side modification or the use of SharePoint designer must receive prior approval from [Organization Name] IT. Server side code and server side modification require the full release management process to be followed.

Release Management

SharePoint provides a great deal of functionality and capabilities to business users through Out of the Box (OOTB) components and browser based configuration. It is a general best practice to rely on these components wherever possible to mitigate risk introduced to the platform through custom code (performance, upgrade, support). However, custom code may become a requirement to achieve business objectives and can often result in high value returns through deployment to the SharePoint platform. Release Management is meant to provide an overview of the best practices and procedures for introducing custom code to the SharePoint environment to ensure platform stability while providing value added functionality to the SharePoint platform.

Customization Examples

The table below represents some common examples of SharePoint customizations and sample business problems where customizations may be considered for the platform.

Customization / Description / Business Purpose (ex.)
Branding / Master page development and updates to associated styles and css / Maintain a corporate look and feel and improve overall usability
Workflows / Custom coded workflows (WF) to be available enterprise wide / Custom document retention workflow to follow [Organization Name] processes
Web Parts / Custom web parts to access applications or provide additional functionality / Allow users to access and update data from ERP or other systems.
3rd Party Web Parts / Vendor supplied web parts for system integration or additional functionality / Integrate vendor platforms (ex. Business Objects) with SharePoint as primary user interface.
Timer Jobs / Scheduled actions through SharePoint for event kick-off or maintenance / Exam and report SharePoint storage usage against standard quotas.

Author Note: Customizations that do not require server-side code deployed and their permitted usage are documented through customization policies; these include (SharePoint Designer, InfoPath, and access to SharePoint web services).

Customization Process Overview

All SharePoint customizations requiring the deployment of server-side code will adhere to the release management life-cycle process comprised of the activities detailed below.

Activity / Overview / Participants
Customization Review / Review the development effort and business case for the proposed customization. /
  • SharePoint Admin
  • Governance Team
  • Business Sponsor

Development & Testing / Construction and unit testing of the customization. Apply development best practices. /
  • SharePoint Dev

Documentation & Packaging / Document components requirements, purpose and technical architecture. Properly package for deployment and register through source control. /
  • SharePoint Dev

Code Review / Submitted code and documentation for standard code review. /
  • SharePoint Admin
  • SharePoint Dev

Deployment & Performance Testing / Deployment and rollback testing in pre-production environment. Performance test application metrics and resource usage. /
  • SharePoint Admin
  • SharePoint Dev

Deployment / Production deployment to the enterprise SharePoint platform. /
  • SharePoint Admin

Support / Help desk informed and trained on customization support process, issues escalated to development team. /
  • Help Desk
  • SharePoint Dev

Customization Review

All SharePoint customizations will be presented for review by the SharePoint Governance Board and SharePoint Admin. A simple summary of the customization goals & scope, high level requirements, expected benefits, and effort estimate will be presented by the business sponsor (Line of business, IT, communications, etc). Based upon submission, the Governance and SharePoint Admin will review and approve or reject based upon the following approval criteria:

  • The customization proposed cannot be accomplished through OOTB components or configuration (compromises in functional requirements should be considered).
  • The customization proposed adheres to the overall governance plan and policies and supports the solution vision for the [Organization Name] SharePoint platform.
  • The customization proposed does not introduce significant risk to platform performance, availability, or potential upgrades/maintenance (in general adheres to SharePoint SLAs).
  • The customization proposed can be properly packaged and deployed, is supportable through normal channels (1st, 2nd, and 3rd line), and may be removed or disabled through administration.
  • The customization proposed provides business value to a strategic business initiative or the enterprise as a whole relative to the effort estimates and expected risk.

Deployment Schedule

What follows is the schedule for deployments within [Organization Name]…

  • Recommending Once a Month as a starting point.

[1]“SharePoint Products and Technologies Customization Polices” as the authoritative whitepaper on the subject of customizing SharePoint ( ).

[RH1]Requires Confirmation - How does the organiazationwant to approach this?