A Comprehensive Guide to Using SharePoint: Tips and Tricks for Maximum Productivity

SharePoint is a collaboration and document management platform developed by Microsoft. It is used by businesses and organizations around the world to store, share, and manage documents and information. SharePoint is a powerful tool that can help you increase productivity and streamline your workflows.

In this guide, we’ll provide an in-depth look at SharePoint, including how to create and organize sites, manage documents, collaborate with others, and customize SharePoint to meet your needs.

Step 1: Creating and Organizing Sites

The first step in using SharePoint is creating and organizing sites. A site in SharePoint is a collection of pages, lists, libraries, and other resources that are used to store and share information.

Creating a Site

To create a site in SharePoint, you’ll need to sign in to your SharePoint account and click the “Create Site” button. You’ll then be asked to choose a template for your site. SharePoint provides a variety of templates to choose from, including templates for team sites, project sites, and communication sites.

Once you’ve chosen a template, you’ll be asked to give your site a name and description. You’ll also need to choose a URL for your site. After you’ve entered this information, click “Create” to create your site.

Organizing a Site

To organize your site, you can create pages, lists, libraries, and other resources. Pages are used to display information, such as text, images, and videos. Lists are used to store and organize data, such as tasks, events, or contacts. Libraries are used to store and manage documents, such as word documents, excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations.

Creating a Page

To create a page, list, or library, click the “Add” button on the site’s home page. You’ll then be given the option to choose the type of resource you want to create. Give your resource a name and click “Create” to add it to your site.

Step 2: Managing Documents

One of the main features of SharePoint is its ability to store and manage documents. SharePoint provides a variety of tools for organizing, sharing, and collaborating on documents.

Document Storage

To store a document in SharePoint, you’ll need to upload it to a library. To do this, click the “Add” button in the library, then select the document you want to upload. You can also drag and drop documents into the library to upload them.

Once a document is uploaded to SharePoint, you can share it with others by giving them permission to access it. To share a document, click the “Share” button next to the document, then enter the email address of the person you want to share it with. You can also create a link to the document that can be shared with anyone.

Document Collaboration

To collaborate on a document, you can use SharePoint’s built-in Office Online tools. Office Online allows you to edit documents in real-time with others, leaving comments and making changes to the document as you work.

Step 3: Collaborating with Others

SharePoint is a great tool for collaborating with others. In addition to collaborating on documents, you can also use SharePoint to communicate and collaborate with your team.

To communicate with your team, you can use SharePoint’s built-in news feed. The news feed is a social media-like feature that allows you to post updates, share links, and have discussions with your team.

To collaborate with your team, you can use SharePoint’s built-in task management features. You can create tasks, assign them to team members, and track progress using SharePoint’s task lists. You can also use SharePoint’s calendar to schedule events and meetings.

Step 4: Customizing SharePoint

One of the great things about SharePoint is that it can be customized to meet the needs of your team. SharePoint allows you to customize the look and feel of your site, add custom apps and features, and create custom workflows.

Customize Site

To customize the look and feel of your site, you can use SharePoint’s built-in themes and branding options. You can change the colors and fonts used on your site, add a logo, and choose a layout for your site.

Adding Apps

To add custom apps and features to your site, you can use SharePoint’s app store. The app store is a marketplace where you can find a wide variety of apps and features that can be added to your site.

Custom Workflows

To create custom workflows, you can use SharePoint’s built-in workflow editor. The workflow editor allows you to create custom processes for tasks such as document approval or project management.

SharePoint is a powerful collaboration and document management platform that can help you increase productivity and streamline your workflow.