📋

M365 Migration Checklist & Runbook

The go-to reference for every M365 migration. Used by IT consultants across South Africa to deliver consistent, thorough migrations.

R299 once-off

Instant download • Editable DOCX • PDF included • 30+ pages

What's Included

  • Pre-migration assessment checklist
  • Tenant readiness and licensing guide
  • Domain verification and DNS setup
  • Mailbox migration (cutover & staged)
  • OneDrive for Business sync setup
  • SharePoint and Teams provisioning
  • Cutover day runbook (timeline format)
  • Post-migration validation tests
  • User communication templates
  • Rollback procedure

Formats

  • Microsoft Word (.docx) — fully editable
  • PDF — print-ready
  • Excel tracker (.xlsx)

Overview

This M365 Migration Checklist & Runbook is a comprehensive, field-tested document that walks you through every phase of a small-to-medium business migration to Microsoft 365. Whether you're doing a cutover migration, staged migration, or tenant-to-tenant consolidation, this runbook ensures nothing falls through the cracks.

Who it's for: IT consultants, MSPs, and internal IT teams managing M365 migrations for SMBs. Assumes familiarity with Microsoft 365 admin centre but provides step-by-step instructions for each task.

What You'll Get

Phase 1: Discovery & Assessment

Network assessment, mail environment audit, application inventory, bandwidth testing, stakeholder interviews.

Phase 2: Tenant Setup & Readiness

Licensing, custom domain verification, DNS records, hybrid configuration, directory sync (Entra ID Connect) planning.

Phase 3: Migration Execution

Mailbox migration batches, public folder migration, OneDrive setup, Teams chat history migration, SharePoint data migration.

Phase 4: Cutover

Timeline-based cutover checklist, DNS cutover, MX record switch, user communication timing, rollback triggers.

Phase 5: Post-Migration

Validation testing, user training, decommissioning old systems, billing cleanup, lessons learned documentation.

Appendices

DNS records reference, error code lookup, user communication templates (email draft), client sign-off form.

Why This Runbook?

I've led dozens of M365 migrations for South African SMBs through Dial A Nerd and Elenjical Solutions. This runbook isn't theory — it's the actual checklist and procedure I used on real client projects. Every time I found myself reaching for the same knowledge, I wrote it down. This is the result.

It's specific enough to follow step-by-step but flexible enough to adapt to your client's environment. Editable DOCX format so you can add your own notes, remove irrelevant sections, or rebrand it for your consulting business.

SA-specific content includes: POPIA considerations during migration, local ISP DNS requirements (Afrihost, RSAWeb, Vox, etc.), South African business licensing (M365 Business Basic/Standard/Premium), and Xneelo/cPanel email migration notes.

Free Updates

Buy once and receive future updates at no extra cost. As Microsoft 365 evolves, this runbook evolves with it. You'll get an email notification when a new version is published.