No Magic Wand: The Real Best Practices for SharePoint Migrations
- Scott Ellis
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
People talk about migrations like they’re some elegant, orchestrated waltz. In reality, it’s more like moving out of a house you’ve lived in for 15 years. Dusty closets. Forgotten junk drawers. Questionable decisions that seemed smart in 2011. And the whole time, the clock’s ticking.
Migrating to SharePoint isn’t just about moving content. It’s about making sense of the mess before you start packing boxes. You don’t want to bring your clutter into your new space. You want to build something better.
So here it is. No fluff. No corporate speak. Just the best practices that actually work when you’re planning a SharePoint migration. I am going to keep this short, use bullets and let you get back to your day. Let's Go.
1. Don't Migrate Garbage
If it’s outdated, unused, or six versions deep in a folder labeled “archive_final_FINAL,” it’s not worth migrating. Audit your content like you’re cleaning out your garage. If no one’s touched it in years, ask why it exists at all.
Inventory all content from your current system
Identify outdated, unused, or duplicate files
Let department leads review and purge their own content
Create rules: If it hasn’t been touched in 2+ years, it’s out (unless legally required)
Pro move: Let departments own their own cleanup. Give them clear guidance, deadlines, and a stake in the process. If they won’t own their content, don’t migrate it for them.
2. Start with Strategy, Not Software
Too many teams jump in thinking SharePoint is the strategy. It’s not. It’s the tool. Before anything moves, ask yourself:
Who are we building this for?
What do they need, every day, to do their job better?
List the core pain points with the current system
Establish a migration goal: usability, access, governance, etc.
Identify what is NOT being brought into the new system
This is your foundation. Get this wrong, and your new SharePoint site will be shinier but just as useless as the old one.
3. Map the Information Architecture Like a Blueprint
Structure matters. You don’t just throw content into a modern site and call it done. You need a thoughtful architecture. Hubs, sites, pages, navigation. All of it needs to be designed with the user in mind, not the org chart.
Map out hubs, communication sites, and team sites
Create a logical, user-focused site structure
Limit depth of navigation to reduce friction
Involve real users in the architecture review
Think like a user. What do they need access to? What do they search for? How can you reduce clicks, friction, and confusion?
4. Metadata is Your Best Friend
Folders are a trap. (Enter Admril Ackbar "It's A Trap")
They seem organized until they’re not. Metadata gives you power. You can filter, sort, surface, and automate. It’s the backbone of modern SharePoint. Use it.
Define key metadata for documents and content
Create a controlled vocabulary or tag list
Set up content types for common documents
Train users to use metadata during uploads
But don’t go nuts. Keep it simple. Get buy-in. And make sure the people uploading content actually tag things properly. Otherwise, it’s just more noise.
5. Pilot First, Panic Less
Don’t go full-scale from the start. Pick a team, a department, or a site and pilot the migration. Watch what breaks. Learn what people actually need. Adjust.
Choose one department or team for your migration pilot
Test all workflows, permissions, and integrations
Gather user feedback and adapt your approach
Document every lesson before scaling
A good pilot reveals the potholes before you drive the whole company into them.
6. Train Like It’s Your Job, Because It Is
New SharePoint isn’t old SharePoint. It’s not a file share. It’s not your old intranet. If people don’t understand how to use it, they won’t. And they’ll blame the tool, not the process.
Develop cheat sheets, how-to videos, and live demo sessions
Hold Q&A sessions for departments post-rollout
Assign migration champions in each team
Reinforce learning with reminders and prompts
Train people in context.
Show them how their daily workflows change.
Create cheat sheets. Hold live sessions.
Make it easy to adopt, or be ready to watch adoption die a slow, painful death.
7. Communicate Like You Actually Want People to Care
No one wants to read a 40-page PDF about your migration timeline. Tell people what’s changing. Tell them why. Tell them what’s in it for them. Be transparent about what might go wrong and what you’re doing to fix it.
Create a migration communication plan
Send regular updates with timelines and expectations
Be transparent about changes and potential hiccups
Celebrate small wins to keep momentum alive
And keep talking. Migration isn’t a one-day event. It’s a journey. People need updates, support, and someone they trust to guide them.
The Final Cut
A SharePoint migration isn’t just a tech project. It’s a culture shift. It’s the chance to build something better, more usable, more human, more aligned with how people actually work.
Don’t waste it by rushing. Don’t blow it by copying the old mess into a new frame.
Take your time. Do it right. Build something that makes people wonder why it wasn’t always this way.
Golden rule: Overcommunication beats confusion. Always.
Check out my SharePoint Design Services
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