There are a lot of myths in the world we live in. I won't comment on the "myth" of the Loch Ness Monster or sasquatch (Bigfoot). Those are "myths" that are way beyond my ability to dispel. However, there are SharePoint myths that can and should be dispelled. By dispelling these myths for yourself, for your peers, and for your customers, be they internal or external, you can dramatically improve your SharePoint project's chances for success.

Myth #1: SharePoint is a silver bullet

Perhaps the most pervasive myth is that SharePoint Technologies are a silver bullet that can solve any problem. Need to start a nuclear reactor? Try SharePoint. Need to launch a rocket? SharePoint is your solution. Although SharePoint might be used in the office of a nuclear reactor, it isn't going to be controlling the amount of plutonium exposed to the reaction. Nor is it going to calculate the trajectory of a rocket (although it might be useful for discussing characteristics of the rocket).

SharePoint is a tool -- a useful tool. Just like any other tool, it has its own set of strengths and weaknesses and won't solve every problem. It's great for prototyping. It can facilitate rapid design sessions and joint application design sessions. It's isn't so useful at processing millions of records in a list.

Approach SharePoint as a tool and not a fictionalized idea, and you'll be much happier about what SharePoint does -- and does not do.

Myth #2: SharePoint eliminates the need to organize

Every so often I buy a new file cabinet, a new inbox, a magazine holder, or some other tool designed to help me regain control of the disorganized mess that often is my office. I find that, without fail, the tool helps in some ways but doesn't eliminate my need to work to keep my office space organized. A file cabinet doesn't make someone organized. Nor does a file cabinet make you magically able to find that file you misplaced, particularly if it's still on your desk.

Similarly, SharePoint doesn't make you an organized company or eliminate the need to be organized. It can help you get organized, and it can minimize the pain of being disorganized, but ultimately its ability to solve poor organization problems is limited.

SharePoint's powerful search tool is at the root of the myth that it eliminates the need for organization. The search tool can help you find information even when you've misplaced it. However, the more disorganized you are, the more copies of the same file end up hanging around. The net result is that you have more noise to look through in the search results to find the latest version of the file -- or the particular file you want out of a large set of related files that all meet your search criteria.

Go into deploying SharePoint with the assumption that SharePoint will both force you to be more organized and facilitate that organization. Approaching SharePoint in this way will help you improve your organization, while slightly reducing your need for it.