Best Practices for Microsoft Teams Governance

Individuals can use Microsoft Teams to chat with others, schedule Teams meetings, make phone calls, etc. These features are primarily managed by the individual using them. However, deployment of Teams within Teams requires organizational planning and oversight. This help article provides best practices for Teams governance and assumes a working knowledge of Teams. The goal is to provide enough structure to eliminate clutter and duplication while still allowing groups to self-organize and get their work done.

Best Practices

1. Define the group that will set governance for Teams.

   1. Who needs to be represented in the organization?

   2. How will this group operate?

2. Decide what needs to be standardized.

   1. Do Teams and channels need a naming convention?

   2. What are the criteria for creating a new team?

   3. What are the criteria for creating a new regular channel? Private channel? Shared channel?

   4. What are the criteria for adding external users or guests to a team or shared channel?

   5. What are the requirements for team, private channel, or shared channel ownership?

3. Create a plan to manage and use tags.

   1. What tags are needed by your organization?

   2. Who will have permission to create and/or edit tags?

4. Create a plan to manage team ownership and avoid ownerless Teams.

   1. What is the minimum number of owners required?

   2. If an owner leaves a team, how will that owner be replaced?

   3. How will you ensure that all Teams have the minimum number of owners required?

5. Create a plan to manage the lifecycle of your Teams.

   1. What will your expiration policies be to ensure unused Teams are archived and eventually deleted?

   2. How will you find unused Teams?

   3. Who will manage this work?

6. Create standards for appropriate user conduct in chats and channels.

   1. How will you address violations?

   2. What are the criteria for using moderation in a Teams channel?

7. Define criteria for managing apps and integrations in Teams.

   1. What is the process for requesting and implementing a new app or integration in Teams?

   2. What are the criteria for adding a new app or integration in Teams?

8. Create a plan to ensure security, compliance with regulations, and limit legal liabilities.

   1. How will you use sensitivity tags?

   2. How will you ensure that data needed in a legal proceeding will be preserved?

   3. What will be your schedule for auditing and reporting? Who will be responsible for this activity?

9. Create a plan to regularly review and update governance practices.

   1. How will you collect information on user needs?

   2. Who will decide and approve governance changes?

Resources

Teams Governance Best Practices

How to Implement Microsoft 365 Governance

Best Practices for Using Microsoft Teams

Teams Channels Best Practices

Teams Best Practices for Large Groups

Microsoft Teams Governance Best Practices

Microsoft Teams Best Practices Guide