How to Make the Most of Lifecycle Management

There are over 145 million daily active Microsoft Teams users, and we are all witness to how it is the new enterprise hub of communication and collaboration. Such a vastly used platform is bound to come across significant challenges along the way. Among the most common issues are Microsoft Teams teams sprawl and duplication, which cause your platform to grow at an unsustainable rate.

So, what can you do keep that from happening? Lifecycle management is a concept organizations must consider to manage their MS Teams platform efficiently, so that it is sustainable even in the long run.

Lifecycle Management in Microsoft Teams

To understand the significance of lifecycle management it is important to note the impact of each team that is created. Setting up a team in MS Teams is a quick enough process, but its longevity is what needs to be considered. If you are still wondering why that’s important, remember that each team natively ties into SharePoint Sites, Outlook Groups, Microsoft 365 Security and much more, and all those assets will be adding to the expanse of your platform.

With strategic planning you can manage and maintain your Microsoft Teams deployment. What can you achieve with Lifecycle Management in MS Teams? Let us explain a few:

  • Eliminate MS Teams teams duplication through monitoring and managing who can create teams.
  • Standardize naming conventions to make Microsoft Teams more user-friendly and consistent for working between various MS Teams workspaces.
  • Proper Microsoft Teams Governance can tame your Microsoft Teams environment significantly and ensure you avoid the duplication and sprawl challenges many face.
  • Control growth with Governed Provisioning including approval workflows and consistent team naming, channels and tabs to maintain a consistent experience.
  • Ongoing Activity and Usage Monitoring with periodic reviews of access and activity to ensure the right people have access to the right resources without compromising on compliance.

lifecycle management - member access review

As organizations were pushed to adapt to working remotely as quickly as possible, without a proper pre-deployment plan in place, a lot of Microsoft Teams set ups are now in disarray. But with lifecycle planning you take care of that mess.

Who needs Microsoft Teams Lifecycle Management?

MS Teams Lifecycle Management Use Case: CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL PROJECT

Suppose an organization is starting a project with a short lifespan that requires inter-departmental collaboration. Given that the organization already collaborates with MS Teams, and each department has their dedicated team, the first step would be to create a new team in MS Teams to facilitate inter-departmental collaboration. Since the project is said to be short lived, here is what you need to consider in each phase of its development:

Lifecycle Management Phase 1: CREATION

Key Considerations:

  • Team creation in MS Teams: Controlling group creation is a good strategy to reduce duplication. You can manage creation in Microsoft Teams through Azure Active Directory via PowerShell.
  • Membership of the new team: Include only who is necessary as MS Teams owners (minimum 2), then consider who should be added as members and potentially external guests. One needs to consider the number of members and their roles.
  • Structuring MS Teams: Defining and standardizing a structure, layout and naming convention for these types of repeatable projects is necessary in MS Teams. This requires admins to clarify the purpose of each channel and ensure members know where to communicate, and what to use when.

lifecycle management - ms teams templates

Lifecycle Management Phase 2: ACTIVE USAGE

Key Considerations:

  • Reviewing access of MS Teams team members: To ensure the right members have access to the asset and that there is no risk involved in granting access to certain members is something to be mindful of. This also includes removing employees that are no longer with the company.
  • Inviting external members: Decisions need to be made on who has control over inviting external members so that the team does not grow out of control.
  • Monitoring the usage of created teams in Microsoft Teams: Monitoring is key to keep the team from turning into a wasteland of resources. You will need an Azure AD Premium P2 license for access review. Unless you plan on keeping the membership limited, this can get expensive.

lifecycle management - ms teams activity monitoring

Lifecycle Management Phase 3: RETIREMENT

Key Considerations:

  • Group Expiration Policies: By implementing expiration policy, an inactive group if not renewed by the owner will be deleted. This is also an Azure AD capability with a P1 license and if chosen it will impact anything associated with that group.
  • Retention Policies: Utilizing retention policies at levels like folders and documents or at SharePoint sites and OneDrive accounts can help maintain content even after a group has been deleted.

lifecycle management - group expiration

We have demonstrated that with lifecycle management you can make optimal use of your MS Teams platform by ensuring that each team is accounted for and governed by policies. If the above-mentioned considerations are not taken seriously, then your Microsoft Teams deployment will suffer from a mix of hurdles: sprawl, duplication, access issues, content sprawl, lack of findability, etc.

Microsoft Teams Management Simplified

If you find yourself in a predicament similar to many others, where your MS Teams app has spun out of control, then Orchestry can help you get a grip on it.

As an Official Orchestry Delivery Partner, Klarinet Solutions is witness to its powerful capabilities like Transparent Workspace Governance, Pre-Configured Workspace Templates, Informative Workspace Directory and Empowering Self-Service Provisioning. With all these intelligent features, the management of MS Teams from creation through usage and to retirement/archival is a breeze.

orchestry workspace provisioning

Further, Orchestry’s upcoming release promises exciting lifecycle management capabilities that will further simplify the collaborative space. If you want to learn more about who can get access to Orchestry’s features, get in touch with our Microsoft Teams Solution Experts. We would be happy to showcase how Orchestry makes work simple in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online and across Microsoft 365.

We’re more than happy to answer all questions or concerns you may have, don’t hesitate to contact our team!

 

Daniel Amaro
Co-Founder and President, Klarinet Solutions

Dan Amaro is Klarinet Solutions' Co-Founder, President, and Lead Architect. With over a decade of expertise in effective automation and intranet solutions, he knows all things tech. He firmly believes that the right digital workplace technology streamlines communication and collaboration to allow teams to have better work-life balance. As lead architect, he works to optimize business processes, integrate moving parts, and deliver a system that runs efficiently and seamlessly within organizations.