Heidi Grant Halvorson published a great article on the Harvard Business Review called How to Become a Great Finisher. I found this article to be particularly relevant and accurate in my own life.

If we focus more on how far we have left to go, ‘To Go Thinking’, motivation is not only sustained, but it’s heightened.  However, if we focus on the how much we have accomplished so far, ‘To Date Thinking’, you actually undermine your motivation.

I think this falls in line with not broadcasting your personal goals.  It seems the kudos and congratulations that you receive from friends and family give you a feeling of accomplishment – even if you haven’t yet started your journey.  I told a few people about my cycling goals when the winter frosts were melting away, and I got a lot of ‘atta boys’ and ‘good luck’ wishes.  It made me feel like I had some huge accomplishments before I had even pulled my bike out!

I am experiencing a plateau in my own life with my personal weight loss goals.  I have now lost more than 50 pounds.  I still want to lose another 20 pounds.  It seems I have reached some invisible ceiling with my goal where I now hover at the same weight (give or take 4-5 pounds).  I hear the little voice in my head telling me it’s ok.  “You’ve already lost so much weight!”  In fact, I hear the same from my family.  “You may not be losing any more weight, but you’ve done so well already!”  Their words are filled with encouragement and love, but Heidi’s article reinforces my thought that it is demotivating.

I am committing to focus more on ‘To Go Thinking’.  I now have personal ‘To Go’ goals related to cycling, exercise, business, writing, blogging, photography, entrepreneurship, and a few other things.   But at least for now, I have 20 pounds to go till I reach my personal goal weight.

This was my first experience using the Automated SharePoint 2010 Powershell-based installation script from CodePlex, the AutoSPInstaller available at http://autospinstaller.codeplex.com/ (Special thanks to Brian Lalancette and Andrew Woodward and anyone else that uses, documents, comments, or blogs about it.  Really great tool for managing the install, even a multi-server farm.

So, I used the AutoSPInstallerInput.XML configuration file, verified my account info, checked database names, and let it rip.  Worked like a champ.  Went through to test everything… Sites were responding, My Sites worked, looked good.  Then I tried to search.

Search wasn’t quite working.  I went to the Search Application Topology, all that I had were the Admin component and the Databases. There was no Crawl Component configured, and there was no Index Partition.  Shame on me… I didn’t actually configure the Crawl or Index Partition as part of the script.

Easy enough to fix, right. I figured I would just use the web interface to manually create a new Crawl Component.   When you create a new component, a status message appears for ‘pending creation’. So, I created a new Crawl Component and then clicked ‘Apply Topology Changes’.

No luck. Failed. Received an error message that SharePoint could not configure a Crawl Component because there were an incorrect number of indexes. The SharePoint search topology only supports from 1 to 256 indexes.  I currently had zero.

So I had to go create an Index first, right? Wrong. Couldn’t create an Query Component because there was no Crawl Component configured.  Regardless of where I started, I couldn’t create the components because they were dependent on each other?

What’s the answer? You must create all components and databases at the same time. Each will show ‘pending creation’ or ‘pending deletion’ depending upon your actions. Apply Topology Changes will then appropriately configure the necessary Search Application Components.

Another lesson learned.

If you are trying to learn SharePoint, even getting started can be a little intimidating.  SharePoint information is available in many forms: books, blogs, discussion boards, conferences, events, webinars, and more. With so much information available for free, where do you start?

Start with a book. There are many free resources out there, but many of them are out of context for someone just coming to SharePoint. A book is usually pretty concise and comprehensive.  You can keep it with you, highlight it, make notes, and have it readily accessible.  It can be a physical book or Kindle version.  It does not matter.  There are so many books to choose from that it doesn’t even matter which book you start with. Pick one. Buy one. Borrow one. Steal one. Please don’t actually steal one. You’ll find that the SharePoint community is a very engaging community of people that will gladly lend or give you a book if you ask for one.

If you are looking for a great intro book, I highly recommend Sue Hanley’s latest book, Essential SharePoint 2010. It’s extremely well written, easy to understand, and provides a great introduction to SharePoint.

Even when starting with a book (or class or guessing your way through it), I would still recommend the following basic approach to learning SharePoint:

1. Learn the SharePoint terminology. It is important to understand the basic terminology with any platform, but it is critical to understand the building blocks of SharePoint. You need to know what a List is in SharePoint. You need a lot more keywords: Farm, Web Application, Site, Site Collection, Library, List, Workflow, Activity, Alert, Item, and much more.  You do not need to remember all of the specific details or become an expert yet, but you do need to understand the terminology and the boundaries of SharePoint.
2. Learn the SharePoint browser interface. Before you become an Admin or Developer, you should learn what you can do with the SharePoint browser interface.  Learn Site Settings, List Settings, and Permissions. You can create sites, lists, libraries, workflow, alerts, and build entire applications using nothing but the browser interface. Before you begin supporting SharePoint from an administrative level or writing any code, you need to learn what can be accomplished from the browser interface. I have worked with more than one developer that wrote code to perform something that SharePoint did out of the box!
3. Learn SharePoint Designer. Oh, bother! SharePoint Designer is not to be trusted! I’ve heard it before, but the reality is that you need to use the appropriate tool for the job. SharePoint Designer 2010 is an incredibly powerful tool.  It’s used for applying designs and styles, but I personally don’t even do that (I’m not a designer and don’t claim to be). I use SharePoint Designer to create and manage Lists and Libraries. I use SharePoint Designer to make use of external data (using BCS and External Lists). I use it for creating and managing workflow, and I use it for creating XSLT List View Web Parts. You can build entire applicaitons by configuring SharePoint using SharePoint Designer – without writing code.  Very powerful.
4. Learn about third-party SharePoint products. In most organizations (not all), I stress the importance of minimizing the amount of custom application development that you support. I feel that it is important to exhaust all other alternatives before you begin writing custom code. This includes leveraging third-party tools and applications. Within the vast SharePoint world, there are hundreds of web parts, applications, tools, and solutions that you can purchase. If you are learning SharePoint, you should become familiar with some of these tools and what they do. If nothing else, it will help you understand how others have attacked building applications. It may also shed some light on some of SharePoint’s weaknesses (or at least what some of these vendors think those weaknesses are).
5. Developers: Only after the previous steps should you Learn Visual Studio and .NET in the context of SharePoint. Last (but definitely not least), go to Visual Studio and/or PowerShell. If you are already a .NET developer, you may be inclined to start here. Don’t! Learn the SharePoint basics before you start writing code.
   If you are new to .NET, then you still need to follow this prescription: Learn SharePoint before you learn how to write custom code in SharePoint. If you are new to .NET, you will need to learn .NET and more specifically ASP.NET. There are thousands of resources available for this as well, and it depends upon your preferred learning method. There are books, classes, blogs, webinars, and online virtual classrooms. Pick a method that works for you (on your schedule and within your budget).

PMI has a few certification programs (PMI-SP, PMI-RMP, PMI-PgMP), but the certification that I’ve had since 2006 is the Project Management Professional (PMP).  While much of the country may not value the PMP credential as much as they should, the PMP is highly valued around DC.

Obtaining the PMP is a pretty grueling process that involves a prerequisite of thousands of hours of actual Project Management experience, dedicated and specific project management education, PROVING this experience and education through an exhaustive application process and finally by taking a certification exam.  This particular exam leaves nearly everyone walking away feeling like they did not pass.

Maintaining the PMI PMP certification requires reporting and proving your CCR PDUs.  To keep your PMP, you need to adhere to PMI’s Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program. To follow this program, you really only need to participate in qualified professional development activities, which in turn earn you professional development units (PDUs) to maintain your credential.  These PDU units can be obtained through work experience, volunteer work, formal education, webinars, conferences, and by contributing to the overall knowledge around project management, such as blogging, authoring books, speaking, teaching, etc.

Due to the nature of the work that I do, I end up having more than enough hours of practical work experience, education, and contribution activities – but I still have to aggregate, formalize, and submit all of the credential CCR PDU information.

I finally made the time to aggregate and supply all of my requisite PDU information to PMI to keep my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification active for 3 more years.  I got my email with the subject line: Congratulations! You have renewed your PMI credential

Well, the celebration is over, and it’s now time to get back to earning and documenting my PDUs again.

• Integrated community content in the Access Application Part Gallery.
  
  I assume that this means it will allow us, the “community”, to contribute new Application parts to be used in building Access applications.  This will be very powerful – especially for those folks that use Access as an interface to SharePoint for Access Power Users.
• Better alignment between Project Server and SharePoint Server browser support.
  Browser Support is good.
  
• Office Web Applications Support for Chrome
  Even more Browser Support is even better.
  
• Internet Explorer 9 “Native” support for Office Web Applications and SharePoint.
  Finally! Browser support for their own browser. Left hand, meet right hand.
• Improved backup / restore functionality for SharePoint Server
  Good news for Admins – especially for admins that don’t have the luxury of using some of the third-party backup and restore tools.
• Project Professional now synchronizes scheduled tasks with SharePoint task lists.
  I’m a huge fan of Project.  Better synchronization of Project with SharePoint without the need for Project server is a big win.

That’s not all, there are other features highlighted on the blog post.

As far as the Project Server 2010 updates included in Service Pack 1, there are some notes on the Microsoft Project product team blog post early this morning.

My favorite is again Browser Support.

• With Project Server 2010 SP1, Project Web App pages needed by team members to submit task status and timesheets are supported on FireFox, Safari, and Chrome.

I’m preparing a new series of blog posts specifically around moving to Office 365 Beta.

What questions do you have?  What specific topics would you like to read about?  Questions or comments?  Are you using 365 yet?  Are you thrilled or miserable?

My standing desk

I’ve taken the plunge and am on the standing desk kick.  I have been asked about it no less than 30 times, so I’m putting it in writing.

For my health.  I’ve made a lot of lifestyle changes over the last year.  I’ve lost fifty pounds so far.  This is just another small step to make me a better me.  There seems to be a lot of research around this, and there are many benefits to standing.  When I’m in the office, I would normally sit for about 6 hours each day.  A Men’s Health article cited a study that people that sit for 6 hours a day are 68% more likely to be overweight.  Furthermore, the article indicated standing will burn an additional 60 calories per hour.  While that may not seem like a lot, every little bit will help me.

It’s better for my back.  I don’t have the back problems that some people have.  I do have lower back issues, though.  If this will help in any way, then count me in.

It’s better for my posture.  I’ve not been slumping as much.  It’s even easier to maintain a good posture.  While I can sit in a good posture, I find myself slumping very quickly.

There seems to be a lot of research in support of it, though I think some of it leaves room for interpretation.  For example, the American Cancer Society website article cites more time spent sitting linked to higher risk of death.  While many of the standing desk advocates read this as ‘stand at your desk’, I read it to mean that a sedentary life is bad and movement is good.

I do get more movement while standing as I’m shifting, pacing, doing toe-ups, and generally getting some movement and exercise instead of slouching in my chair.

It’s only Day 3 – what have I noticed so far?

First, the positives.  I seem to be able to type faster.  I don’t know if it’s actual or imagined, but it seems to be so.  I haven’t been getting my late afternoon tiredness.  I seem to be more awake the entire day.

Downsides?  My legs are a little achy.  I’m committed to trying it for 3 weeks, so I’ll see if this helps.  My normal dress shoes weren’t going to cut it, so I’m sporting my Asics today.

Who else uses a Standing Desk?

A lot of people.  There are apparently schools in Minnesota or Texas have tried them.  Lifehacker founding editor Gina Trapani and Lifehacker editor Jason Fitzpatrick; former Twitter developer and founder of BankSimple Alex Payne; TreeHugger leader Graham Hill; creator of Instapaper Marco Arment; novelist Philip Roth; former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

What are your thoughts?  Should I get the treadmill going and walk all day?

First, let’s oversimplify SharePoint.  SharePoint is software used to build websites.  That’s it.

However, SharePoint is more than just a single-purpose web site tool.  It’s a platform that you can use build your Intranet, extranet, private social network, professional network, search engine, and public-facing website.  It’s more than just a web content management system, blogging system, wikie, or document sharing interface.  Once you and your team knows a little bit about SharePoint, you can focus on doing your job and less on learning and supporting niche applications and tools.

SharePoint is feature rich.  SharePoint sites can consist of documents, pages, images, videos, discussions, blogs, wikis, calendars, sites, subsites, security, workflow, search, dashboards, BI, and much more.  The fact that you can construct so many types of solutions without ever writing code is a powerful feature in itself.  I’m a huge proponent of configuration over customization.  If you do opt for customization (a.k.a writing code), then the SharePoint world is your oyster.

SharePoint is now bigger than Microsoft.  There are literally thousands of options available hosting, third-party products, add-ons, solution starters, templates, samples, examples, and even source code (see CodePlex).  Even companies that are traditional Microsoft competitors develop products that ‘tie in’ to SharePoint – even IBM.

Availability of Information.  Do a search for “whatever product or solution you are thinking about using”.  Search for Drupal, SiteCore, Ektron, WordPress, Joomla, or any of the hundreds of other website management products out there.  Then do a search for SharePoint.  Then go to Amazon.  Search for books related to your product.  Then search for books related to SharePoint.  If you want to become completely self-sufficient (and not rely on the vendor/consultant/IT guy), there does not seem to be a platform anywhere that has more information freely available than SharePoint.

Community.  There are more developers, end users, architects, consultants, companies, vendors, Microsoft partners working around SharePoint than any other solution or platform I have ever seen.  The SharePoint community exists both online and in person!  There are user groups that regularly meet and talk SharePoint in every major metro area – and international!  The single most important facet of the community is the welcoming attitude of the SharePoint community.  Join any group and participate, or just sit back and watch.  The community is extremely helpful.

Conferences.  There are so many conferences every year that I no one has an accurate count.  Even if the conference isn’t dedicated to SharePoint, there seem to be SharePoint tracks or sessions at most of the conferences I’ve seen.

Return on Investment.  This is one that gets thrown around a lot – largely because of rumors and suppositions.  One of the most ill informed arguments I’ve heard is that SharePoint is expensive and open source is free!   First, SharePoint Foundation is free.  If you are running Windows Server 2008, you can download SharePoint and use it for … wait for it … FREE!    Okay, but let’s be realistic.  I know that you’ve heard this before – nothing is free.  You have to pay for servers, bandwidth, resources, skills, education, support – regardless of the technology.  If you run any technology platform – you pay for it.   Every related to implementation influences the ROI.  Availability of information, stability, education costs, capabilities, stability, recurring investments.  Also, what happens when angry IT guy that put in the LAMP solution quits or goes out of business.  Who, where, how are you going to get support?  Is the community and ecosystem big enough to support you in a year?  What about in 5 years?

Technology decisions are complex.  Do I think SharePoint is a good fit for every organization?  Yes!  (just kidding).  I think we can all agree that there is no single technology that is a perfect fit for every organization for every solution.  I think every organization should give serious consideration to the big picture when selecting technology platforms.  Do you want a single platform or individual niche applications?  Do you want commercially supported tools or open source (or a hybrid)?  While I don’t work for Microsoft, I’ve never heard of an IT manager getting fired for choosing Microsoft as a technology platform.