SharePoint Migration Checklist for Australian Organisations

Phase 1: Pre-Migration Inventory & Clean-Up

Never "lift and shift" disorganized network folders directly into the cloud. Use automated discovery tools (such as SPMT Assessment Tool or ShareGate) to establish your baseline:

• Identify Redundant Data: Isolate files not accessed in the last 3–5 years for archival rather than migrating active bloat.
• Path Length & Blocked Characters: Audit folder depths exceeding 400 characters and file names containing invalid symbols (e.g. # % * : < > ? / \ |).
• Large File Inventory: Catalog individual files over 15 GB and legacy OneNote notebooks requiring special handling.

Phase 2: Target Information Architecture & Taxonomy

Design the target modern SharePoint structure before writing a single byte:

• Flat Site Hierarchy: Create distinct Modern Team and Communication site collections rather than deep subsite trees.
• Hub Site Associations: Group departmental sites under logical Hub Sites for cross-site search and unified navigation.
• Managed Metadata & Content Types: Define standard document columns (e.g. Document Category, Retention Schedule, Department Owner) to replace nested folder mazes.

Phase 3: Permissions Restructuring & Entra ID Mapping

Remap legacy Active Directory NTFS permissions to modern Microsoft 365 security groups:

• Eliminate Item-Level Permissions: Group access at the site and document library level to avoid performance throttling and broken inheritance.
• Audit External Sharing Defaults: Disable public anonymous link sharing on sensitive financial, legal, and HR libraries in alignment with SharePoint governance policies.
• Entra ID Role Alignment: Map legacy security groups to dynamic Microsoft 365 security groups before running migration waves.

Phase 4: Tooling & Migration Wave Scheduling

Select the appropriate migration utility and structure segmented batches:

Phase 5: Cutover, Redirection & Adoption

• Set Source to Read-Only: Lock legacy network file shares or on-premises servers to prevent split-brain edits.
• Deploy OneDrive Known Folder Move (KFM): Seamlessly redirect Desktop and Document folders to SharePoint/OneDrive across staff laptops.
• Deliver Role-Based Staff Training: Conduct live 30-minute training sessions on co-authoring, version history, and Teams file synchronization.