M365-002 / SOURCE CONTROLLED
SharePoint migration decision framework
Migration is a disposition programme, not a content-copy exercise. Every site, workflow and record needs a reason to move and a known owner on the other side.
● CONTROLLEDOWNER / SYSTEM 8REVIEW / MONTHLY
Inventory before tooling
Build a joined inventory of sites, content, custom code, forms, workflows, integrations, identities, databases, certificates, usage and records obligations. Scanner output is useful, but it cannot tell you which behaviour is still required or who accepts the migrated result.
Five disposition decisions
| DECISION | USE WHEN |
|---|---|
| Migrate | The information and interaction remain useful and are supported in the target |
| Rebuild | The business outcome remains valid but the implementation should change |
| Retire | No current purpose, obligation or approved dependency remains |
| Archive | Evidence must be retained but does not need an active application |
| Rehost temporarily | Continuity is required while a controlled replacement is delivered |
Risk-ranked sequence
- Move low-dependency collaboration spaces first to validate identity, metadata and support.
- Separate records and legal holds from ordinary content movement.
- Prove high-risk customisations, workflows and external-user journeys before committing a factory rate.
- Keep rollback and read-only legacy access explicit until acceptance evidence is complete.
Acceptance evidence
- Reconciled counts and sampled content integrity.
- Permission and external-access tests against approved personas.
- Workflow and integration tests covering exceptions, not only the happy path.
- Search, accessibility, performance and records-management checks.
- Named business acceptance and documented residual risk.
Pricing gate
A fixed price becomes credible only after the inventory, disposition decisions, dependency proofs and acceptance model exist. Before that point, the price either carries a large contingency or quietly transfers discovery risk into change control.