SharePoint Roadmap Pitstop: July 2023

Microsoft should be putting a giant pause in the middle of this roadmap until they get the one drive and Sharepoint teams to have some unified leadership on desktop files.  Sync link and favourite, inconsistent user experience across platforms, inability to jump between online and desktop use - it’s all an absolute nightmare. On top of that ridiculousness, one can’t even attach a file to an email properly in a uni form way.  Pc. Browse online but setting permissions sends two emails, Mac - insert link only unless you download, web - access sites but only default document libraries. 

Microsoft seemingly have no user stories on file handling. If they / you did you’d immediately stop working on anything else because bluntly, it’s a joke. 

oh wait favourites.   Available in part to some in whole to very few, largely to none. Most users see no option. The next much smaller group can favourite files, finally one person in the org can favourite files and folders. 

if you want to simplify sharing, get the absolute basics right. Attaching documents form the cloud service.  It’s an embarrassment that a plugin for Dropbox can do this and Sharepoint to outlook can’t.  

nothing else but file handling and sharing should matter right now.  Until you get that ore alpha feature working well. 

let’s walk through a recently migrated team member

welcome to Sharepoint team member - oh sorry no, you can’t just browse every site you have access to to attach a file. You have to commit one way or the other to desktop or online OneDrive use because, you cannot  use sync and link.  What’s that? You need an education on the differences.  Ok. Here you go.  Sorry you don’t understand business one drive and Sharepoint - makes sense because we don’t use business OneDrive other than to have PERSONAL one drives and sync or link or favourite Sharepoint sites.  Oh but if you want to use link you can’t get files offline. But if you sync folders you can’t access them in one drive.  Without sync you can’t easily attach a file.  So you may as well not bother using Sharepoint and just consider it file storage while you ignore everything else the company is trying to do.  

how can the brain trust at Microsoft not just release a Sharepoint FileBrowser app and call it a day.  Absolutely terrible user experience, and bluntly, embarrassing for the IT team that it so bad. Clearly this super challenging problem that was created by Microsoft requires team leaders who speak to each other with oversight from someone who has ever used Sharepoint / email across platforms.  Or run IT.  you’ve got me longing for a server rack in the corner.  and it’s only just begun. Absolutely awful experience but I’m glad that doing a thing that very few will ever do has been made easier. Now work on not sending two emails when it’s done in your email client, and allowing access to all doc libraries from anywhere with an online browse.