Tackling Sprawl In Microsoft 365 for SharePoint Sites & Microsoft Teams

TACKLING TEAMS &
SHAREPOINT SITE SPRAWL
Richard Harbridge
2toLead Chief Technology
Officer & Microsoft MVP
#M365EduCon
Fri., Aug. 12, 2022 10:20 AM (CDT)
what you need to know

My Twitter is @RHarbridge, I’m super friendly & proud to work at @2toLead.
Richard Harbridge
2toLead Chief
Technology Officer &
Microsoft MVP
Speaker & Author
Super Friendly

Design and implement a simplified experience that gives you quick access to teams, sites,
communities, and more. Complimenting your Intranet and Digital Workplace Strategy.

MANAGE WORKSPACE SPRAWL...
WITH MANAGED PROVISIONING
WITH IMPROVED GOVERNANCE
WITH IMPROVED NAVIGATION

PROBLEM: CONTENT GROWS OVER TIME…
The modern digital workplace and Intranet has a continually increasing number
of digital spaces or ‘sites’ where content is stored and shared.

Most organizations don’t know who created a digital space (SP Site, Team, Yammer
Community, etc). What was its purpose? It’s department? It’s product, client, project, etc?
As an end user this
makes navigating these
spaces extremely
challenging.
Think it’s better as an
administrator or digital
workplace/intranet leader?
It’s not.

WHY DO WE NEED TO MANAGE SPRAWL?
What are the common issues that come with unmanaged sprawl of Microsoft Teams or
SharePoint Sites?
Ineffective
Naming
Unclear Purpose Or
Workspace Focus
Unclear Official vs
Unofficial
Cannot Differentiate
At A Glance
Inappropriate Name
Usage
Owners
Missing
Orphaned
Teams/Sites
Unmanaged
Teams/Sites
Sponsor vs Owner
Challenge
Private Channels
(Don’t Require
Owner)
Redundant
Teams/Sites
Decreased User
Confidence
Inconsistent
Workspaces
Increased
Operational Load
Increased Costs To
Support
Data Loss
Risks
Limited Ability To
Target Labels For
Information
Protection
Limited Ability To
Determine Risk
Limited Ability To
Pro-actively Mitigate
Risks
Limited Permission
Review & Increased
Chances Of Over
Sharing
Loss Of
Control
Often Unmanaged
Use Of Apps (Cannot
Target)
Unmanaged
Integration
Limited Ability To
Target Labels For
Retention
No Clear Escalation If
Owner Missing Or
Unresponsive
Slower
Team/Site
Start
Not Tailored Or Fit
To Purpose
Inconsistent
Design/Layout Leads
To Relearning
Hesitation To
Optimize Created
Spaces
Technically
Challenging
Navigation
Productivity
Costs
Challenging For New
Users To Ramp
Hard To Find
Workspaces
Uncertain Who
Owns A Workspace
Reliance On Others
To Link
Training &
Adoption
Challenges
When To Use What
Challenges
No Consistency
Makes It Harder To
Train
Unmanaged
Workspaces Cannot
Be Targeted With
Guidance
Difficulty Identifying
Champions & Pro-
actively Targeting
Champions

SharePoint Sites?
Ineffective
Naming
Unclear Purpose Or
Workspace Focus
Unclear Official vs
Unofficial
At A Glance
Inappropriate Name
Usage
Owners
Missing
Orphaned
Teams/Sites
Unmanaged
Teams/Sites
Sponsor vs Owner
Challenge
Private Channels
(Don’t Require
Owner)
Redundant
Teams/Sites
Decreased User
Confidence
Inconsistent
Workspaces
Increased
Operational Load
Increased Costs To
Support
Data Loss
Risks
Limited Ability To
Target Labels For
Information
Protection
Limited Ability To
Determine Risk
Limited Ability To
Risks
Limited Permission
Review & Increased
Chances Of Over
Sharing
Loss Of
Control
Often Unmanaged
Use Of Apps (Cannot
Target)
Unmanaged
Integration
Limited Ability To
Target Labels For
Retention
Owner Missing Or
Unresponsive
Slower
Team/Site
Start
Not Tailored Or Fit
To Purpose
Inconsistent
Design/Layout Leads
To Relearning
Hesitation To
Optimize Created
Spaces
Technically
Challenging
Navigation
Productivity
Costs
Challenging For New
Users To Ramp
Hard To Find
Workspaces
Uncertain Who
Owns A Workspace
Reliance On Others
To Link
Training &
Adoption
Challenges
When To Use What
Challenges
No Consistency
Makes It Harder To
Train
Unmanaged
Workspaces Cannot
Be Targeted With
Guidance
Champions & Pro-
actively Targeting
Champions
• Unclear Purpose Or Workspace Focus
• Confusion On What Is Official vs Unofficial
• The Inability To Differentiate At A Glance
• Inappropriate Name Usage
Ineffective Naming Leads To...

SharePoint Sites?
Ineffective
Naming
Unclear Purpose Or
Workspace Focus
Unclear Official vs
Unofficial
At A Glance
Inappropriate Name
Usage
Owners
Missing
Orphaned
Teams/Sites
Unmanaged
Teams/Sites
Sponsor vs Owner
Challenge
Private Channels
(Don’t Require
Owner)
Redundant
Teams/Sites
Decreased User
Confidence
Inconsistent
Workspaces
Increased
Operational Load
Increased Costs To
Support
Data Loss
Risks
Limited Ability To
Target Labels For
Information
Protection
Limited Ability To
Determine Risk
Limited Ability To
Risks
Limited Permission
Review & Increased
Chances Of Over
Sharing
Loss Of
Control
Often Unmanaged
Use Of Apps (Cannot
Target)
Unmanaged
Integration
Limited Ability To
Target Labels For
Retention
Owner Missing Or
Unresponsive
Slower
Team/Site
Start
Not Tailored Or Fit
To Purpose
Inconsistent
Design/Layout Leads
To Relearning
Hesitation To
Optimize Created
Spaces
Technically
Challenging
Navigation
Productivity
Costs
Challenging For New
Users To Ramp
Hard To Find
Workspaces
Uncertain Who
Owns A Workspace
Reliance On Others
To Link
Training &
Adoption
Challenges
When To Use What
Challenges
No Consistency
Makes It Harder To
Train
Unmanaged
Workspaces Cannot
Be Targeted With
Guidance
Champions & Pro-
actively Targeting
Champions
• More Orphaned & Abandoned Teams/Sites
• Unmanaged & Unsupported Teams/Sites
• Inability To Identify Sponsor/Owner For Key Decisions
• Lack Of Accountability & Inability To Manage At Scale
Owners & Ownership Missing Leads To...

SharePoint Sites?
Ineffective
Naming
Unclear Purpose Or
Workspace Focus
Unclear Official vs
Unofficial
At A Glance
Inappropriate Name
Usage
Owners
Missing
Orphaned
Teams/Sites
Unmanaged
Teams/Sites
Sponsor vs Owner
Challenge
Private Channels
(Don’t Require
Owner)
Redundant
Teams/Sites
Decreased User
Confidence
Inconsistent
Workspaces
Increased
Operational Load
Increased Costs To
Support
Data Loss
Risks
Limited Ability To
Target Labels For
Information
Protection
Limited Ability To
Determine Risk
Limited Ability To
Risks
Limited Permission
Review & Increased
Chances Of Over
Sharing
Loss Of
Control
Often Unmanaged
Use Of Apps (Cannot
Target)
Unmanaged
Integration
Limited Ability To
Target Labels For
Retention
Owner Missing Or
Unresponsive
Slower
Team/Site
Start
Not Tailored Or Fit
To Purpose
Inconsistent
Design/Layout Leads
To Relearning
Hesitation To
Optimize Created
Spaces
Technically
Challenging
Navigation
Productivity
Costs
Challenging For New
Users To Ramp
Hard To Find
Workspaces
Uncertain Who
Owns A Workspace
Reliance On Others
To Link
Training &
Adoption
Challenges
When To Use What
Challenges
No Consistency
Makes It Harder To
Train
Unmanaged
Workspaces Cannot
Be Targeted With
Guidance
Champions & Pro-
actively Targeting
Champions
• Decreased User Confidence & More Confusion
• More Inconsistent Workspaces & Abandoned Workspaces
• Increased Operational Load & Lower User Productivity
• Increased Costs To Support
Redundant Teams/Sites Lead To...

SharePoint Sites?
Ineffective
Naming
Unclear Purpose Or
Workspace Focus
Unclear Official vs
Unofficial
At A Glance
Inappropriate Name
Usage
Owners
Missing
Orphaned
Teams/Sites
Unmanaged
Teams/Sites
Sponsor vs Owner
Challenge
Private Channels
(Don’t Require
Owner)
Redundant
Teams/Sites
Decreased User
Confidence
Inconsistent
Workspaces
Increased
Operational Load
Increased Costs To
Support
Data Loss
Risks
Limited Ability To
Target Labels For
Information
Protection
Limited Ability To
Determine Risk
Limited Ability To
Risks
Limited Permission
Review & Increased
Chances Of Over
Sharing
Loss Of
Control
Often Unmanaged
Use Of Apps (Cannot
Target)
Unmanaged
Integration
Limited Ability To
Target Labels For
Retention
Owner Missing Or
Unresponsive
Slower
Team/Site
Start
Not Tailored Or Fit
To Purpose
Inconsistent
Design/Layout Leads
To Relearning
Hesitation To
Optimize Created
Spaces
Technically
Challenging
Navigation
Productivity
Costs
Challenging For New
Users To Ramp
Hard To Find
Workspaces
Uncertain Who
Owns A Workspace
Reliance On Others
To Link
Training &
Adoption
Challenges
When To Use What
Challenges
No Consistency
Makes It Harder To
Train
Unmanaged
Workspaces Cannot
Be Targeted With
Guidance
Champions & Pro-
actively Targeting
Champions
• Limited Targeting For Information Protection/Retention
• Increased Likelihoood Of Access Mistakes/Over Sharing
• Less Proactive Mitigatation With Permission Reviews
• Managing Security/Reporting Being More Reliant On IT
Data Loss Risks Arise Due To...

You will love the way we work. Together. ™
M365Sprawl.com
Understand how to
solve common Sprawl
issues, and how they
impact end-users and
IT, in our eBook.
Download: M365Sprawl.com

SOLUTION: OOTB CREATION EXPERIENCES?
While OOTB can work great for many smaller orgs (less than 100 users), most need more structure
to support governance, lifecycle management, and better search/navigation experiences.
What business unit,
department, product,
customer, partner etc
does this site relate to?
Out Of The Box
●

While OOTB can work great for many smaller orgs (less than 100 users), most need more structure
to support governance, lifecycle management, and better search/navigation experiences.
Out Of The Box
●
Post creation
application of a
template directed by
users or supported as
an extra step.
What if context and
metadata could inform and
apply the right template
from the start?

The reality is that site templates (and site scripts) are powerful and should be used when
viable. The site template experience can’t be disabled and is always available.
Supports Many “Actions”
• Creating a new list or library (or modifying the default one created with the site)
• Creating site columns, content types, and configuring other list settings
• Set site branding properties like navigation layout, header layout and header
background
• Applying a theme
• Setting a site logo
• Adding links to quick launch or hub navigation
• Triggering a Power Automate flow
• Installing a deployed solution from the app catalog
• Setting regional settings for the site
• Adding principals (users and groups) to SharePoint roles
• Setting external sharing capability for the site
Power Automate Enables More (See PnP Provisioning Engine)

SOLUTION: METADATA DURING CREATION
Why is asking a few extra questions on provisioning so important? What value does this extra
metadata provide once we have it for reference?
Sample Metadata Questions:
• What is the purpose or business reason for
this workspace?
• What division does this relate to?
• What department does this relate to?
• What product does this relate to?
• What customer does this relate to?
• What project does this relate to?
• Will this workspace contain highly
confidential information?
• Who is the business sponsor for this
workspace?
• What should the visibility of this workspace
be? Should it be shown in the directory?
Workspace Metadata
Matters!
It Enables Default
Metadata
That Empowers
Effective & More
Targeted Labelling
Improving Content
Protection
Improving Retention
Management
It Enables
Differentiated
Templates
Which Enable Faster
Adoption
Which Improve
Productivity
Which Improve
Consistency &
Experience
It Enables More
Effective
Management
With Targeted
Support
With Targeted &
Improved Lifecycle
Management
With Empowered
Discovery & Reduced
Redundancy

SOLUTION: POWER APP FORM(S)!
By centralizing and governing the creation of ‘spaces’ (groups, teams, sites etc.) we can improve
content organization and apply things like default metadata and pre-configured templates.
FREE: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/platform/samples/app-templates#request-a-team
Watch out for premium connector costs with Power Automate on the provisioning!

ESTIMATED COMPLEXITY
Request A Team
Microsoft 365 Management
The app supports the
organization's need to tailor Teams
templating and enhance the Teams
request process. End users request
teams via a form that collects info
such as business justification, while
approvers can manage requests
and builds can be automated. This
includes the ability to reference
existing teams as templates during
the request process.
Try It Yourself Today
Microsoft Solution Discover Another 40+ Solution Ideas In Our eBook
https://2tl.co/40M365IdeasSlides

SOLUTION: REQUEST FORM(S)!
By centralizing and governing the creation of ‘spaces’ (groups, teams, sites etc.) we can improve
content organization and apply things like default metadata and pre-configured templates.
You can always create
your own forms and
embed them into your
digital workplace hub /
Intranet.
Here we have simple field
additions and a style that
displays based on an option
in the global navigation.
Requires Minor Customization
◑

SOLUTION: MANY OPTIONS!
Each of these capabilities can be leveraged in a solution to meet the needs of an effective
request and provisioning engine for Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Yammer and more.
SPFx Solutions Custom Sites
Azure
Functions
Logic Apps WebJobs
PnP
Provisioning
Engine
SharePoint
Site Designs
Teams
Templates
Power Apps
Power
Automate
Microsoft Lists
SharePoint
Lists

By messaging and following up with a user once they have created a space we can also get
more insight, this way we don’t block the creation, but have a process to manage after.
Note this is how Microsoft
works “OOTB” with it’s apply
site template functionality.
Upon creation of a new site, it
prompts if a template might
be applicable (post creation).

Microsoft continues to update and improve capabilities here so be sure to review if there are better
ways to tackle this over time. A few recent examples below…

SOLUTION: REQUEST PROCESS!
It is important to have a process for new site and team creation and to automate the process so that you can
provide tailored, or templated experiences for users and better management/navigation.
Example of a High-level Site Provisioning process description

SOLUTION: DIRECTORY EXPERIENCES!
What is shown below is a really simple mockup of a filtered OOTB site directory experience.
You can create many pages with different views/visuals and relevant links to resources (Team, Site, Yammer, etc.)
Our communities can be filtered or explored by hierarchies (site explorer), by focus area (topic map), by the ones you recently visited or have favorited (your sites, your
teams, your communities) or by filtering the columns below (just click the column header).
Link ID Community Manager(s) Practice Groups Date Created Category Private Owner
International Bank Of Banking EB001 Strange, Stephen; Connor, Sarah; Ripley, Ellen Corporate Securities 11/16/2018 RFP Y Snow, John
Travis County, Washington TCT001 Opel, Glenn; Knight, Misty; Allen, Tim; Banner,
Bruce; Marco, Polo, Rambo, John
Litigation; Environmental 11/15/2018 RFP Y Jones, Jessica
Gotham Housing Authority SAH012 Balboa, Rocky Government; Real Estate 11/03/2018 Pitch Y Jones, Jessica
Harbridge Corp HIL003 Parker, Peter; Spector, Marc; Segal, Steven; Bond,
James
Trademark & Copyright 10/30/2018 Proposal N Danvers, Carol
Metropolis Independent School
District
DIS020 Brooks, Mel; Knight, Misty; Grey, Jean; Banner,
Bruce
Public/Education Law 10/27/2018 RFP N Jones, Jessica
International Bank Of Banking EB001 Strange, Stephen; Connor, Sarah; Ripley, Ellen Corporate Securities 11/16/2018 RFP Y Snow, John
Travis County, Washington TCT001 Opel, Glenn; Knight, Misty; Allen, Tim; Banner,
Bruce; Marco, Polo, Rambo, John
Litigation; Environmental 11/15/2018 RFP Y Jones, Jessica
Gotham Housing Authority SAH012 Balboa, Rocky Government; Real Estate 11/03/2018 Pitch Y Jones, Jessica
Harbridge Corp HIL003 Parker, Peter; Spector, Marc; Segal, Steven; Bond,
James
Trademark & Copyright 10/30/2018 Proposal N Danvers, Carol
SITES, TEAMS & COMMUNITIES IN OUR ORG Not Following
BROWSE SECTIONS DEPARTMENTS SITES, TEAMS & COMMUNITIES MY LINKS
Org
Logo
Search
Out Of The Box
●
OOTB Lists and web parts
can give you directory
experiences if you simply
store the data from the
request process
(approved or already
created spaces).
* Public by default
scales and works
better in the long
run

SOLUTION: IMPROVE MANAGEMENT!
By centralizing and governing the creation of ‘spaces’ (groups, teams, sites etc.) we can
improve how we manage the lifecycle of these spaces.
Expiration & Archiving
Policies
Targeted
Not Only At The
Collection Level
Multi-staged
Duplication Detection
& Reduction
In Provisioning
In Post Provisioning
Reduce Risks
Owner Gap
Escalation
External Sharing
Review
Permission Review &
Security Attestations
Compliance &
Sensitivity Review
Organizational
Improvements
Associating Teams &
Sites To SharePoint
Hubs
Surfacing In Key
Navigation Tools
Suggest Related Sites
& Digital Spaces
Improve Site / Team
Owner Onboarding
Improve Targeting Of
Contextualized
Training Materials
Recommend
Contextualized
Mentors, Champions
& Examples
Pro-actively Provide
Training Material &
Adoption Guidance
Automate Adoption
Guidance
Enable More
Effective Tracking
Pro-active
Optimization
Guidance For Teams,
Sites Or Communities
Highlight Useful
Features
Recommend
Improvement Ideas

SOLUTION: IMPROVE MANAGEMENT!
By centralizing and governing the creation of ‘spaces’ (groups, teams, sites etc.) we can
improve how we manage the lifecycle of these spaces.
Can we reduce redundant
spaces? Can we improve how
they are managed?
On the more custom side you
might see prompts based on
finding similar existing spaces
(reducing redundant spaces),
or automatic lifecycle and
governance, that occurs
based on re-engaging
users/owners etc.

The modern digital workplace and Intranet has a continually increasing number
of digital spaces or ‘sites’ where content is stored and shared.
How can we help our users navigate this?
With so many spaces (sites,
teams, yammer communities and
more) how can an Intranet (a
Digital Hub for your Digital
Workplace) improve navigation
of these spaces?

SOLUTION: LEVERAGE OOTB NAVIGATION?
Mega menu layout enables you to better organize and showcase the related content and sites
based on topic categories and headings. All with audience targeting and more…
Out Of The Box
●

SOLUTION: DESIGN BETTER NAVIGATION!
Navigation doesn’t need to be limited to top level links, or simple UI layouts. Here we have two
examples of content in the nav, and richer/deeper nav.
Requires Customization
◔
This design only scales to so
many links. There are other
options than a simple
sectional layout.

SOLUTION: DESIGN BETTER NAVIGATION!
Navigation doesn’t need to be limited to top level links, or simple UI layouts. Here we have two
examples of content in the nav, and richer/deeper nav.
Requires Customization
◔
This design scales to more
lower level links. There are
other options than the OOTB
simple sectional layout.

SOLUTION: HOW ABOUT SHAREPOINT HOME?
Office 365’s SharePoint home is now a more modern site directory experience that is more
personalized and dynamic. From recent sites you visited to recent activity relevant to you.
Out Of The Box
●

SOLUTION: HOW ABOUT SHAREPOINT HOME?
It’s a little hidden and most users don’t know it exists. Even when trained users often forget to
use it, because you have to navigate away from the places you work to visit it.
Out Of The Box
●
How do users get to it?
So… it’s another place to go?

With improvements coming to global menu design can we leverage that to fill the hub mega
menu gaps?
Out Of The Box
●

With improvements coming to global menu design can we leverage that to fill the hub mega menu
gaps? ADD your own app to this bar for a DIRECTORY as these default ones are not sufficient.
Out Of The Box
●

APP BAR INTEGRATION IN VIVA CONNECTIONS
In Microsoft Viva Connections use resources to easily navigate to your sites, communities, stream
channels, and more. Providing more ways to get to the places you want to engage.

Design and implement an improved experience that gives you quick access to teams, sites, communities,
and more across environments. Complimenting your Digital Workplace Strategy. www.M365Sprawl.com

ESTIMATED COMPLEXITY
Digital Workplace
Directories
Organizing the Digital Workplace
Navigating sites, teams,
communities and enterprise digital
workspaces can be a challenge, but
with metadata, user-led filtering
and effective directory experiences
you can solve this challenge.
Implement the most important
investment for solving governance-
related challenges with sprawl while
providing a better experience.
See A Demo Of This In Action Today
2toLead Solution Discover Another 40+ Solution Ideas In Our eBook
https://2tl.co/40M365IdeasSlides

The modern Intranet acts as a Digital Hub for the organization. This means that it needs to
integrate key systems or experiences for improved productivity outcomes.
Integrated and targeted
dashboards, dynamic
and always up to date
directories and a well
designed, personalized
and improved navigation
at the global header and
footer solve the major
navigation challenges…
So this will help, but is
there more that orgs do?

Identification
Improve topics by combining AI and
human expertise.
Automatically build topic pages
Create topic pages and topic cards using
suggested definitions, related content,
relevant conversations, and expertise.
Curate topics
Cultivate knowledge using your experts
and AI to refine topic pages.
Organize knowledge
Curation Discovery
demo

M365Intranets.com
https://2tl.co/NavBook

M365Intranets.com
M365Sprawl.com
M365Campaigns.com
Explore 800+ Pages of
Free Expert Guidance…
M365Metrics.com
M365Ideas.com
SharePointMigrations.com
https://2tl.co/NavBook M365Ideas.com

Let’s connect and find ways to do more and work together.
Message me on LinkedIn or email Richard@2toLead.com
200+ Awesome Presentations at:
Richard Harbridge
2toLead Chief Technology
Officer & Microsoft MVP
Super Friendly
Thank You
Slideshare.Net/RHarbridge
800+ Pages of Whitepapers at: 2toLead.com/Whitepapers
Elsewhere…
M365Resources.com
Office365Campaigns.com
M365Sprawl.com
M365Intranets.com
M365Metrics.com
SharePointMigrations.com
https://2tl.co/NavBook
M365Ideas.com

Tackling Sprawl In Microsoft 365 for SharePoint Sites & Microsoft Teams

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Tackling Sprawl In Microsoft 365 for SharePoint Sites & Microsoft Teams

Similar to Tackling Sprawl In Microsoft 365 for SharePoint Sites & Microsoft Teams (20)

More from Richard Harbridge

More from Richard Harbridge (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Tackling Sprawl In Microsoft 365 for SharePoint Sites & Microsoft Teams