Short answer
A complete Microsoft 365 migration project includes discovery, tenant and identity preparation, security baselines, mail flow and DNS planning, a pilot, data migration in waves, cutover with user communication, hypercare support, decommissioning of old systems and handover documentation. Licences and some tools are usually separate. Check each proposal against this list so nothing important is left out.
Key facts
- Discovery and design are part of the project, not a sales step.
- Mail flow, DNS and identity changes are core scope, not extras.
- A pilot wave should come before production waves.
- Hypercare after cutover and handover documentation belong in scope.
- Licences and third-party tool licences are usually separate line items.
The phases of a typical project
Most well-run migrations follow the same phases, whatever the source platform.
| Phase | What happens | Typical output |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Inventory users, mailboxes, data, identity, devices, mail flow | Inventory, risk list, recommended approach |
| Design | Wave plan, identity design, security baseline, site structure | Migration plan and runbook |
| Preparation | Tenant setup, Entra Connect, licensing, policies, tooling | Ready target environment |
| Pilot | Migrate a small group and test | Lessons fed back into the runbook |
| Production waves | Pre-stage data, cut over in waves | Migrated users and data |
| Hypercare | Fix issues, support users, tune settings | Stable environment |
| Handover | Documentation, knowledge transfer, decommissioning plan | As-built documents |
Workloads that should be in scope
List every workload explicitly. Anything not named is often assumed to be excluded.
- User mailboxes, archives, shared mailboxes, resource mailboxes and distribution lists
- Calendars, contacts, delegates and mailbox permissions
- OneDrive and SharePoint content, or file shares and cloud storage
- Teams, including channels and files, and what happens to chats
- Identity: accounts, groups, UPNs, Entra Connect and MFA registration
- Devices: Outlook profiles, Intune enrollment or Autopilot where relevant
Mail flow, DNS and identity
These are the parts that cause outages when missed. Scope should cover MX, Autodiscover, SPF, DKIM and DMARC changes, connectors for apps and devices that relay mail, and coexistence such as free/busy during the transition.
Identity work includes deciding UPN format, configuring Entra Connect or cloud-only accounts, and handling MFA and Conditional Access so users can sign in on cutover day without lockouts.
Communication and support
Users need to know what changes, when, and what to do. A good project includes cutover notices, a short first-day guide, and help desk preparation. Hypercare, usually one to two weeks after the final wave, covers missing items, Outlook and mobile reconfiguration, and permission fixes.
What is usually not included
Make exclusions explicit so they do not surprise you.
- Microsoft 365 licence costs
- Third-party migration tool licences, unless stated
- Rebuilding custom apps, workflows or legacy integrations
- Ongoing managed support after hypercare
- Hardware replacement for devices that cannot meet requirements
Handover and decommissioning
At the end you should receive as-built documentation: tenant configuration, policies, mail flow, identity setup and what was migrated where. Knowledge transfer sessions help your team run the environment. The project should also define when the old system is shut down or its subscription cancelled, after a safe retention period.
How Accred Consulting approaches it
Accred Consulting scopes every workload explicitly after Discovery. The Proposal sets clear scope, assumptions, exclusions, a fixed price and a timeline. Delivery covers preparation, pilot and production waves with structured check-ins. Handover includes documentation and knowledge transfer so internal IT can run the environment, and optional Support retainers cover ongoing needs. Clients work directly with US-based specialists. In one anonymized Exchange exit, an inventory of apps relaying mail during discovery prevented an outage at cutover.
Track record: 400+ client projects, 2,000+ migration workstreams and 150,000+ users migrated by a US-based team. Company facts · Case studies
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