Overview of how to plan, build, and launch Viva Connections
Use Viva Connections to engage and empower different employee groups like frontline workers and information workers across your organization. Viva Connections integrates Microsoft 365 apps and tools to create experiences that meet users where they are and keep them updated on news, announcements, and provides access to resources from a desktop or mobile device.
Note
- You must have an Enterprise (E), Frontline (F), or Academic (A) license type to create a Viva Connections experience.
- Users with a Microsoft 365 subscription (E, F, or A license) are limited to creating and using one experience. If you want to create or use two or more experiences (up to 50), then every user in your tenant must have a Microsoft Viva Suite or Viva Communications and Communities license. See Microsoft Viva plans and pricing for more info.
- Viva Connections does not have any requirements to get started.
- You must have SharePoint admin permissions to access the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Use Viva Connections to create experiences that engage and empower different employee groups like frontline workers and information workers across your organization. Manage your existing Viva Connections experiences in the Viva Connections admin center where you can create an experience with or without an existing SharePoint home site. Here you can also assign permissions, designate targeted audiences, order the view priority of your experiences, set existing SharePoint communication sites as a SharePoint home site (allowing for multiple experiences, each with their own SharePoint home site). Learn more about setting up Viva Connections using the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Note
- In the latest release, the ability to set a SharePoint home site will move from the SharePoint Admin Center (SPAC) to the Viva Connections admin center.
- Use this guide to prepare your organization for Viva Connections through the planning, building, and launching phases.
- Review the different roles and activities in each phase.
- Discover planning considerations and best practices.
- Get guidance for change management, adoption, and end-user training.
Step-by-step guidance to provision Viva Connections
There are three options that provide in-depth information about how to get Viva Connections for your organization.
| Option | Description | Time to complete |
|---|---|---|
| Quick guide | Get basic instructions on how to set up Viva Connections. | 10 minutes |
| Plan, build, and launch guidance | Get detailed guidance that focus on tasks in the plan, build, and launch phases. | 30 minutes |
| Learning path | Get even more in-depth guidance that includes fictitious business stories and examples. Complete knowledge checks to confirm learnings. | Two hours |
Overview of setting up Viva Connections
Viva Connections doesn’t require a SharePoint home site to get started and offers minimal setup and includes default cards on the dashboard to help get you started. Tasks marked with an asterisk (*) are optional, or may only apply to customers who will use SharePoint home sites to complement the Viva Connections experience.
Overview of activities in each phase
| Phase | Steps and tasks |
|---|---|
| Plan | Step 1: Plan for Viva Connections Identify and align on key tasks and scenarios that can be supported by Viva Connections. Learn more about how Viva Connections and SharePoint home sites work together. Step 2: Set a SharePoint home site (optional)* Determine if a standalone Viva Connections in Teams or one with an intranet portal is needed. If it's the one with the intranet portal, prepare your communications site. Step 3: Plan the dashboard Learn more about the different kinds of cards and how they can support specific scenarios. Step 4: Get ready for the Feed Consider ways to influence the order of content in the Feed. Step 5: Plan Resources Determine which links belong in the resources section. Step 6: Create an adoption plan Create a plan to help the rest of the organization adopt Viva Connections. Learn more about Viva Connections adoption. Step 7: Consider success metrics Think about how your organization will determine if Viva Connections is meeting specific needs. Step 8: Plan for maintenance over time Consider which parts of the experience may need to be refreshed over time. |
| Build | Step 1: Start creating a Viva Connections experience in the Microsoft admin center Choose to create a single experience for the whole organization, or multiple experiences that service distinct audiences. You can create standalone experiences, or choose to build off an existing intranet portal to set it as a SharePoint home site. Step 2: Pin the Viva Connections app in Microsoft Teams After the creation of your first experience, pin the app in the Teams admin center to make Viva Connections easily discoverable to users. Step 3: Ensure high-traffic sites and portals are healthy Run a health check and make sure everyone has access to the right content. Step 4: Test and refine the experience Find people in your organization who can test the experience before it's released more broadly. |
| Launch | Step 1: Consider tactics to spread the news Think about where different audiences usually get news. Step 2: Announce Viva Connections Use more than one communication channel to reach audiences. Step 3: Use champions and provide continued support Continue to use early adopters to help others get the most out of Viva Connections. |
Overview of roles in each phase
| Phase | Roles |
|---|---|
| Plan | Work with your organization’s stakeholders and business partners (from groups like HR, operations, facilities, communications specialists, and technology advocates) to identify the most valuable workflows and tasks that can be completed in Viva Connections. Key administrative stakeholders typically include: - Business owners, who lead efforts in different departments like sales, operations, design, engineering, etc. - HR professionals, who manage team members and oversee company and organizational structure and efficiency. - Internal communication specialists, who facilitate and manage communications between employees and various internal teams. - Communications coordinators and specialists, who execute and maintain company-wide communications and brand management. - Administrative assistants, who complete and oversee various administrative tasks. |
| Build | - The Microsoft admin center admin will set up the initial experience, add audiences, designate owners who can edit and customize each Viva Connections experience, and will pin the app in Teams. - Site owners and authors for the SharePoint home site will design the SharePoint home site content, global navigation, and the dashboard. - Additional site owners and authors may be involved to update content or news post that will be relevant to the Viva Connections experience. |
| Launch | - Collaborate with champions (early adopters) to help other people at the organization implement Viva Connections. - Leverage executive sponsors who can help evangelize Viva Connections at large company meetings and in broad communications. - Business owners and managers at all levels can help teams and individuals find value and adopt new ways of working. |
Next, plan Viva Connections for your organization
After you have reviewed the phases, tasks, and roles needed to get Viva Connections, get started planning.