My Approach to Governance in M365 - Part 1

Microsoft 365 (M365) is a powerful suite of tools that enables collaboration, communication, and productivity. However, without effective governance, it can quickly spiral into chaos. Over the years, I’ve learned that successful governance isn’t about imposing strict rules or relying solely on technology—it’s about empowering users with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed decisions.

Why Governance Matters

Governance in M365 is about more than compliance and security. It’s about:

Streamlining Collaboration: Ensuring teams have the right tools and structure to work effectively.
Protecting Data: Preventing accidental data loss or unauthorized access.
Optimizing Resources: Avoiding redundant Teams, SharePoint sites, and Viva Engage communities.
Empowering Users: Giving people the confidence to use M365 tools correctly.

The challenge? Balancing these goals without overwhelming users or IT teams.

The Traditional Governance Pitfalls

Many organizations default to overly restrictive policies or costly third-party solutions to manage M365 governance. Common issues include:

Restricting M365 Group Creation: Blocking users from creating Teams or SharePoint sites often leads to frustration and shadow IT.
Over-Reliance on Technology: Expensive SaaS governance tools promise automation but fail to address the root cause of issues: user behavior and understanding.
Complex Processes: Lengthy approval workflows and unclear policies discourage adoption and create bottlenecks.
Neglecting Standardization: Inconsistent naming conventions, site structures, and access policies result in confusion and inefficiency.

Governance shouldn’t feel like a burden. It should enhance productivity while ensuring compliance and security.

A Better Approach: Education First

I’ve found that the most effective governance strategies prioritize education and user empowerment. Here’s how I approach it:

1. Educate Users Before They Act

Before users can create an M365 Group, Team, or SharePoint site, they complete a short, interactive course. This isn’t your typical compliance training. Instead, it focuses on real-world scenarios:

When to Use Teams, SharePoint, or Viva Engage: Clarifying the purpose of each tool helps users choose the right platform for their needs.
Why Governance Matters: Explaining the risks of data breaches and the benefits of structured collaboration.
Best Practices: Tips for naming conventions, access management, and data classification.

At the end of the course, users complete a short quiz. Passing the quiz unlocks their ability to create new groups or sites, ensuring they understand the basics before taking action.

2. Provide Templates for Success

To simplify setup and promote consistency, I provide predefined templates for common use cases:

Project Teams: Includes channels for planning, execution, and reporting.
Departmental Sites: Structured to facilitate document sharing, announcements, and collaboration.
Event Communities: Tailored for managing event logistics and post-event follow-up.

Templates save time and reduce the risk of misconfiguration while ensuring alignment with organizational standards.

3. Rethink Naming Conventions

While naming conventions have traditionally been a cornerstone of governance, I believe they are no longer essential. With advancements in search capabilities and metadata tagging, there are better ways to organize and locate resources. Instead of focusing on rigid naming rules, I advocate for:

Smart Metadata: Leveraging labels and tags to provide context and aid discoverability.
Search Optimization: Ensuring users can quickly find what they need through intuitive search functions.
Guided Structures: Providing templates and default settings that naturally align with organizational needs.

This approach reduces the cognitive load on users while maintaining order and efficiency.

4. Automate Cleanup Processes

Governance isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it task. Automation plays a key role in keeping environments tidy:

Inactive Group Notifications: Owners are alerted after six months of inactivity, prompting them to archive or delete the group.
Automated Archiving: Groups without owner responses are automatically archived after 30 days.
Access Reviews: Periodic prompts for group owners to review and confirm permissions.

These processes prevent sprawl and reduce the burden on IT.

Why This Works

This approach addresses the root cause of governance issues: a lack of understanding. By focusing on education and empowerment, organizations can:

Reduce support tickets and IT intervention.
Minimize shadow IT by making governance easy and intuitive.
Save costs by avoiding expensive third-party tools.
Foster a culture of accountability and collaboration.

What’s Next?

In the next part of this series, I’ll dive deeper into the role of automation in M365 governance. We’ll explore how to streamline workflows, enforce policies, and keep environments clean without micromanaging users.

Pro Tip: Start small. Pick one governance pain point, like naming conventions or inactive groups, and build your education and automation processes around it. Once you see results, expand to other areas.

Questions or insights about M365 governance? Share them in the comments! And don’t forget to subscribe for Part 2 of this series.