Plan your transition to Microsoft 365
Using a pre-deployment checklist enables companies to create timelines and set goals and subtasks that will help keep their Microsoft 365 deployments on schedule. Having a model to follow will improve quality of life and manage key benchmarks so they don’t become insurmountable.
The following table provides a sample deployment planning checklist that can help you get started. Your organization can use this checklist as a template and then customize it to map to your organization's business requirements.
Deployment Tasks /Events
Start Date
Finish Date
Resources
Dependencies
Determine your deployment goals
Complete the following tasks with your internal and external stakeholders: - Agree on scope and timeline - Agree on project tracking mechanism - Develop success criteria and a communication plan
Inventory your current environment and make key deployment decisions
Inventory your current environment
Collect the number of user accounts (sign in names, email addresses)
Collect the number and size of mailboxes (including shared mailboxes and conference rooms)
Collect client versions and configurations (browsers, operating systems, office applications, mobile versions, and so on)
Collect details on your network settings (DNS hosts, proxy and/or firewall configuration, internet connectivity)
Collect information on file storage locations (file shares, intranet file storage)
Collect details about any intranet sites that you plan to migrate
Collect online meeting and Instant Messaging systems that you plan to migrate
Collect the details about any applications that work with existing systems, such as mail enabled applications, workflow, CRM, and so on
Make key deployment decisions
How will you create and synchronize accounts?
How will user accounts be authenticated?
Will you migrate any data and how will that migration occur (email and files)?
Will there be any short or long-term integration with on-premises systems?
What devices will users be able to connect from (from remote mobile devices, or just from your network)?
Fix potential deployment blockers
Clean up active directory accounts
Get your data ready for a migration
Get your network ready (guidance and tools)
Update client software versions
Prepare your environment if you have Active Directory Rights Management Services
Set up Microsoft 365 services to work for your organization
Configure your Microsoft 365 subscription
Verify the domains you want to use with your subscription
Configure application settings (email, instant messaging, online meetings, web collaboration, file storage, Yammer)
Optionally prepare for directory synchronization
Optionally prepare for single sign-on
Prepare your organization
Prepare service desk for upcoming migration
Test the deployment and optional migration process
Tell your users about the upcoming changes and how it will affect them
Roll out to users
Set up accounts and mailboxes
Add your users and assign licenses to users in Microsoft 365 for business
Optionally migrate data
Validate functionality then complete final steps
Migrate DNS settings to point to Microsoft 365
Tell your users when they can start using Microsoft 365
Reconfigure client systems such as Office, Outlook, Outlook for Mac, and mobile devices to connect to Microsoft 365
Knowledge check
Choose the best response for the following question. Then select “Check your answers.”