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Phase 1

Foundations

The conceptual frame everyone on a Microsoft 365 program should share before decisions get made. Five topics: the M365 ecosystem, how to pick the right app for the job, identities and groups, SharePoint sites and hubs, libraries and content types.

What's in this phase​

  • Microsoft 365 as an integrated ecosystem — what M365 actually is at the platform level, the SaaS governance shift it represents, the Copilot reach implications.
  • Using the right app — Email, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams: when each one is the right answer.
  • Identities and groups — Users, Microsoft 365 Groups, security groups, mail-enabled SGs, distribution lists: what each is for, what each provisions automatically.
  • SharePoint sites and hubs — Site types, hub architecture, navigation standards.
  • Libraries, metadata, content types, document sets — Library design, folders vs metadata, content types, taxonomy, Syntex / SharePoint Premium for auto-extraction.

When to read this​

Before decisions get made. New stakeholders, kickoff workshops, anyone joining the program who hasn't been part of the prior decisions. The point is that when the Decisions & Design phase starts, everyone is working from the same mental model.