PROMOTE USER ADOPTION

Phase 1: Preparation & Foundations (Pre-Launch)

1.1 Secure Executive Sponsorship

• Identify a C-level or senior executive sponsor (ideally CIO, Chief Digital Officer, or Head of Internal Comms).
• Have the sponsor record a short video explaining why SharePoint matters to the business and what success looks like.
• Ensure the sponsor regularly mentions SharePoint in town halls, newsletters, and leadership meetings.

1.2 Assemble a Cross-Functional Adoption Team

Typical roles:

• Program Lead / SharePoint Champion (full-time or 20–30% time)
• IT/Pro Services (technical governance & support)
• Internal Communications
• Learning & Development / Training team
• Business unit champions (1–2 per major department)
• Power users / Super users from the business

1.3 Define Clear Business Objectives & Success Metrics

Examples of measurable goals (pick 3–5):

• 80% of active employees visit a modern site at least once per week within 6 months
• 70% reduction in email attachments >10 MB
• 90% of new projects use a provisioned Team Site or Microsoft 365 Group
• Average document findability time reduced by 50% (survey)
• 50% of departmental file shares migrated and decommissioned within 18 months

1.4 Conduct a Current-State Assessment

• Map existing tools (file shares, Dropbox, old SharePoint, etc.)
• Run discovery workshops with departments to understand pain points and use cases
• Identify quick wins and low-hanging fruit

1.5 Establish Governance & Best-Practice Framework (light but clear)

Key governance deliverables before launch:

• Naming conventions
• Site provisioning process (PnP provisioning engine or custom Power App)
• Permissions model (prefer Microsoft 365 Groups & sharing controls over manual permissions)
• External sharing policy
• Retention & sensitivity labels strategy
• Information architecture principles (hub sites, metadata, content types)

Phase 2: Design the User Experience

2.1 Build an Intranet Home (SharePoint Home + Communication Sites)

• Personalized home experience (highlight followed sites, recent docs, news)
• Global navigation using Hub Site association
• Company news, quick links, people directory, “My Tools” web parts

2.2 Prioritize High-Value Use Cases

Top 10 proven use cases that drive adoption:

1. Departmental team sites (replacing file shares)
2. Project & client collaboration sites
3. Company-wide policies & procedures library
4. Onboarding portal for new hires
5. Corporate intranet / news
6. Forms & workflow automation (Power Automate + Power Apps)
7. Knowledge bases & wikis
8. Meeting hubs (integrated with Outlook/Teams)
9. Employee resource groups / communities
10. Executive & leadership communication sites

2.3 Make Sites Beautiful & Mobile-Friendly

• Use out-of-the-box section layouts and modern web parts
• Invest in professional branding (company colors, fonts, logo)
• Ensure every site works perfectly on phones (critical for frontline/retail workers)

Phase 3: Rollout & Launch Strategy

3.1 Phased Rollout (Never big bang)

Typical phases:

• Phase 0 – Pilot (50–200 users, usually IT + one friendly department)
• Phase 1 – Early adopters & champions (10–15% of organization)
• Phase 2 – Majority departments
• Phase 3 – Remaining users + cleanup of legacy systems

3.2 Create a “Launch Moment”

• Official launch event (virtual or hybrid) with executive sponsor
• Countdown campaign (“10 days until the new way of working”)
• Swag, desktop wallpapers, Teams backgrounds

3.3 Migration Strategy

• Use SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) or third-party tools (ShareGate, AvePoint)
• Migrate only what is current & relevant (“sunset” old content)
• Communicate clearly what is moving and what is being archived

Phase 4: Training & Support

4.1 Multi-Layer Training Approach

• Level 100 – “What is SharePoint & why should I care?” (2–3 min animated videos)
• Level 200 – Everyday user training (live 45-min sessions + on-demand recordings)
• Level 300 – Power user / site owner training
• Level 400 – Champion training (monthly community calls)

4.2 Create Bite-Size, Task-Based Content

Formats that work:

• 90-second “How to” videos (upload a file, co-author, share securely, find anything, etc.)
• Interactive walkthroughs using Microsoft 365 learning pathways or Custom Learning
• Laminated quick-reference cards for common tasks
• In-context guidance (callouts/web parts that say “New here? Watch this 60-sec video”)

4.3 Build a Yammer / Teams Champion Community

• Private group for champions only
• Monthly calls with roadmap updates, tips, Q&A with product team
• Recognition program (“Champion of the Month”)

Phase 5: Drive & Sustain Adoption

5.1 Appoint and Empower Departmental Champions

• 1 champion per 50–100 employees
• Give them visible badges in Delve/Teams profile
• Provide extra training, early access to new features, and swag

5.2 Run Adoption Campaigns

Examples:

• “File Share Amnesty Month” – no questions asked migration help
• “Find it in 5 seconds” challenge with prizes
• “Zero Email Attachments Week”

5.3 Gamification & Recognition

• Leaderboards for most active sites or most documents co-authored
• Digital badges (using Microsoft Viva Engage or third-party tools)
• Executive shout-outs for teams with best sites

5.4 Ongoing Measurement & Feedback

Weekly/Monthly metrics dashboard:

• Active users & sessions (Microsoft 365 usage reports)
• Most visited sites & search queries (helps refine IA)
• Top shared documents (shows what content is valuable)
• Support ticket trends
• Monthly pulse survey (“How easy is it to find documents?”)

5.5 Iterate Relentlessly

• Monthly steering committee meeting with adoption team
• Act on the top 3 pain points every sprint
• Celebrate wins publicly

Critical Success Factors (The “Must-Haves”)

1. Visible, repeated executive sponsorship
2. “What’s in it for me?” clearly articulated for every role
3. Relentless focus on quick wins in the first 90 days
4. Frictionless technical experience (SSO, fast sync with OneDrive, mobile access)
5. Governance that enables rather than blocks
6. Real human support (floor walking, office hours, champions)
7. Continuous communication (not just launch week)