Here is a handy rule that I hope helps others:
SharpCap begins by asking you to point your scope within 5 degrees of the pole. (It is not clear from the instructions if this should be from the home position.) When you achieve that and then click "Next" it will attempt to do a plate solve. Then it will ask you to rotate 90 degrees.
Anyone who has used SC Polar Alignment knows that plate solving can be agonizing. Sometimes you are lucky and are positioned in a rich star field that is solved quickly, and other times the field is sparse and cannot be solved quickly.
My recommendation is that you should consider restarting the alignment process several times in order to find a rich star field in your last movement. That is where you will spend the bulk of your time making tiny adjustments to your mount. You want to be in a rich star field so that you get a plate solution on every frame update.
In other words, do not place much importance on the speed of the initial plate solve when you begin the procedure. That is a one shot deal for the algorithm to plant its feet. Concentrate instead on the solution speed after you make the 90 degree rotation. You want it to be fast.