A SharePoint migration can look deceptively simple: move the files, move the sites, move the permissions, done.
In reality, migration projects often become complicated because organizations discover problems after the migration has already started:
- Sites nobody knew existed
- Permissions that don’t map cleanly
- External sharing that needs to be reviewed
- Large libraries that take much longer than expected
- Users who still have access to the old environment
- Data that probably shouldn’t have been migrated in the first place
That’s why one of the most valuable things you can do before a migration is stop and assess what you’re actually dealing with.
The First Question Isn’t “How Do We Migrate It?”
It’s: “Should we migrate all of it?”
A migration project can be technically successful and still be a bad project. If you spend weeks moving obsolete sites, duplicate content, outdated permissions, or data nobody uses, you’ve successfully moved a problem from one environment to another.
A migration is an opportunity to clean up, simplify, and make better decisions about your information architecture, not just relocate data.
What Should You Assess Before Migrating?
Your SharePoint environment. Start by understanding what you actually have: how many sites and libraries, how much data, which sites are active, which are connected to Teams, who owns them, whether OneDrive is part of the migration, and whether existing architectural or governance issues need addressing. You can’t build a realistic migration plan without understanding the current state.
Permissions and sharing. Permissions are often one of the biggest sources of migration complexity. Review SharePoint permissions, Microsoft 365 groups, external sharing, guest access, unique permissions, and permission inheritance. The goal isn’t simply to reproduce the existing permission structure; it’s to determine whether that structure still makes sense.
Data and content. Not everything deserves a place in the new environment. Look for obsolete content, duplicate data, inactive sites, large libraries, and content that requires special handling. The question isn’t just “Can we migrate it?” It’s “Is it worth migrating?”
The migration approach. There isn’t one strategy that works for every organization. Depending on the environment, you may need a pilot migration, department-based waves, an incremental rollout, user-based migration, or separate approaches for SharePoint and OneDrive. The right approach depends on your data, users, dependencies, and business requirements.
Risks and dependencies. This is where an assessment can save significant time and money. Potential risks include Microsoft throttling, large data volumes, complex permissions, external sharing, user mapping, licensing, security policies, customizations, Power Automate workflows, and dependencies between sites and users. The earlier you identify these risks, the more options you have to manage them.
Why Assess Before You Migrate?
Because fixing a problem before migration is usually easier than fixing it afterward. Imagine discovering that users can’t access the content they need, external users have lost access, important content was missed, permissions were mapped incorrectly, or a migration wave takes three times longer than expected. These aren’t just technical problems. They affect productivity, timelines, budgets, and user confidence.
A good assessment changes the conversation from “let’s move everything and see what happens” to “we know what we’re moving, why we’re moving it, what could go wrong, and how we’re going to manage it.”
What Should You Get From an Assessment?
You don’t necessarily need a 50-page document. You need clarity.
By the end of an assessment, you should understand your current state, key risks, recommended approach, and next steps. This gives you what you need to make informed decisions before committing significant time and money.
Our 90-Minute SharePoint Migration Assessment
If you already have a migration objective but aren’t sure about the best way to approach it, we offer a focused 90-minute SharePoint Migration Assessment.
We’ll review your environment, understand your objectives, identify the key project risks, and provide practical recommendations for your next step.
You leave with a clearer picture of what needs to happen before the migration begins and what you should address before committing significant time and money.
Because the most expensive migration problems are often the ones you could have identified beforehand.
Planning a SharePoint migration? Let’s assess it before you move it.
