SHAREPOINT: 5 FEATURES THAT DELIVER RAPID VALUE
- Sep 23
- 4 min read
Author: Jonathan Stuckey
Audience: SharePoint solution designer, Intranet managers, Content authors
As Microsoft is about to dump even more "AI" on everyone, sometimes it is useful to ask what we can do that's simple and offers value. The best improvements aren’t always flashy - sometimes, it’s just the basics done well. Here are five genuine updates that we will help any size organisation, without needing platitudes or “digital transformation” clichés.
For each we've added an implementation difficulty (1 = easiest, 5 = most involved) and how quickly users can gain benefit from delivery.
1. Organisation Template Library
Implementation Difficulty: 1 (Easy)
Value Delivers Quick Wins: Immediate
Centralise those document templates and avoid the proliferation of Office files using old-versions or poorly implemented document templates. Register a SharePoint library as an Org-wide template library, using Add-SPOOrgAssetsLibrary, and upload your Word, Excel or PowerPoint file templates for use by everyone. Assign permissions for everyone to view and use (e.g. assign “Everyone except external users” is the norm), but limit people who can edit. The Templates will show up in Office desktop apps and PowerPoint for the web.
Good to know: All staff can find the latest templates fast, and to distribute an update just upload a new version to a library.
Watch for: Permissions—ensure broad read but restrict who uploads or edits content.
Constraint: Allow time for the changes to roll out across tenancy (anything from 30-seconds to 15 minutes); and accept a few quirks with file type support (published versions are “template” e.g. .dotx, .potx, and .xltx formats)
2. Digital Assets Library
Implementation Difficulty: 1 (Easy)
Value Delivers Quick Wins: Immediate
Provide a single place to store, manage, and share logos, images, and approved media. Either use A sites SharePoint’s Asset Library or create a standard document library in the site which will become your “Asset Resources” location. Access to the images, icons and other useful assets become accessible to any site you can create pages, news or even wherever you allow Microsoft 365 Copilot to generate content. This makes selecting consistent visuals in communications and projects easier than scrabbling online.
Good to know: Managing sharing (or updating) images etc is as easy as ‘adding a file’ to a library – because it is; plus asset and document libraries have improved video support thanks to Stream.
Watch for: Assign upload rights sparingly, read rights broadly. Align approved (good quality) images and digital assets with brand guidance ensure high-quality content is used internally and externally.
Constraint: Asset libraries deliver most value when someone maintains them—don’t let old logos, or stale corporate images linger.
3. Microsoft Learning Pathways Template
Implementation Difficulty: 2
Value Delivers Quick Wins: 1–3 days (if curated)
Build an internal training portal powered by current Microsoft 365 resources. Not to be confused with a Learning Management Solution, it provides free-to-air self-service access for your staff. Deployed via the SharePoint LookBook, this site template brings Microsoft maintained training and support assets to your people. You can even add your own content to keep it up-to-date for best results.
Good to know: Ideal for onboarding, supporting new ways of working, or custom policies; simple to configure the out-of-the-box topics, and extensible with your own videos, presentations and knowledgebase pages.
Watch for: Appoint an owner for periodic review of outdated playlists and content if you’ve added your owner; Review Microsoft’s updates too, to ensure you only release content relevant to your organization and not everything MS offer.
Constraint: Some curation is needed for it to be valuable, but most of the technical work is handled for you.
4. Global Navigation (Home Site as Hub)
Implementation Difficulty: 3
Value Delivers Quick Wins: Requires planning
Enable global navigation by promoting a SharePoint communication site as the Home Site, registering it as a Hub Site, then configuring the navigation from site settings. Done well, it prevents navigation chaos and clarifies where to find “official” resources, by presenting a persistent navigation menu wherever you are in SharePoint.
Good to know: The navigation structure and labels matter, while anyone can outline basics remember to draft before you publish it, and test with your users for feedback and avoid confusion.
Watch for: Test in a pilot before tenant-wide rollout to avoid clashing structures.
Constraint: May take some effort, especially where current navigation is complex or ungoverned.
5. Viva Connections for Microsoft Teams
Implementation Difficulty: 3 - 4 (can be involved)
Value Delivers Quick Wins: Project-sized
Viva Connection brings your SharePoint intranet, news, search and dashboards directly into Microsoft Teams with a dedicated app. Pre-requisites include setting up a Home Site configured as a Hub, then activating Viva Connections. At the simplest it’s a way to drag your global navigation and integrated search into Microsoft Teams – at the most sophisticated there’s a lot of work for providing specific audience experiences, dashboards, custom components.
But even if you are a small organisation, you will still get value from enabling the basics.
Good to know: Best coordinated with both IT and Comms teams for meaningful dashboard content.
Watch for: Thinking of delivering more than one experience or to multiple groups then Dashboard customisation and team targeting need design attention.
Constraint: Benefits from a project approach because “JFDI” with an IT approach will deliver a bad experience; Requires both SharePoint and Microsoft Teams admin rights to configure but is simple to do.
Assessment
Feature | Implementation | Quick Win |
Organisation Template Library | 1 (Easiest) | Immediate |
Digital Assets Library | 1 | Immediate |
Learning Pathways | 2 | 1–3 days (if curated) |
Global Navigation | 3 | Requires planning |
Viva Connections | 4 (Most Involved) | Project-sized |
Don’t underestimate the long-term benefits of these straightforward changes, they clear away confusion to support your user's experience, and free up your time for real project work. Each is worth doing but start with what delivers immediate value first.
Resources
Close
If you have questions and want to understand more about if or how Microsoft's services can provide benefit to your business - give us a call: hi@timewespoke.com
About this article: No Generative AI was used in the creation of this article. ...not even locating the image.
About the author: Jonathan Stuckey
Comments