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Independent SharePoint Architecture Review and Second Opinion

Already have a plan? Have it reviewed before you commit.

You have a design or a proposal from an MSP, a Microsoft partner, a migration vendor, or your own team. I review it as an independent SharePoint and Microsoft 365 architect and tell you what is sound, what is risky, and what to ask before you approve it. The review stands on its own: it does not assume that I do the implementation, and I don't resell Microsoft licences, so the advice has no stake in what you buy.

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16+ years of SharePoint experience Microsoft Certified Architecture and hands-on build experience Remote, from Vancouver, BC

Who it is for

  • IT directors and CIOs who have to approve a proposal, an SOW, or an estimate
  • Microsoft 365 leads and enterprise architects who want a second set of eyes on a design
  • Project managers whose vendor plan has gaps they cannot pin down
  • Organizations that rely on an MSP or a Microsoft partner and want an independent check
  • Internal teams that need senior SharePoint input on a design decision

What I can review

Migration plans
Approach, waves, tooling, permissions mapping, validation, SOW assumptions, and the estimate.
Information architecture
Site structure, hubs, libraries, metadata, navigation, and what belongs in OneDrive, Teams, or SharePoint.
Permissions and sharing
The access model, group design, external sharing, and guest access.
Governance
Ownership, provisioning, lifecycle, retention and archiving, and Copilot readiness.
Custom solutions
SPFx designs, Microsoft Graph integrations and their app permissions, and Power Automate or Azure Functions architecture.
Vendor proposals
Scope, exclusions, assumptions, staffing, and what happens after go-live.

What you receive

  • What looks sound, so you know what not to change
  • What needs clarification before you approve
  • Major risks, ranked by impact
  • Unnecessary complexity and cost
  • Missing governance and ownership decisions
  • Questions to put to the vendor or the internal team
  • Recommended changes, with the reasoning

How the review works

  1. 1

    Send the documents

    The proposal, SOW, design, diagrams, or decision you want reviewed.

  2. 2

    Context call

    A short call about constraints, deadlines, and what worries you.

  3. 3

    Review

    I work through the documents and, where it helps, look at the current configuration with read-only access.

  4. 4

    Written findings

    A short report in plain language, followed by a walkthrough call. The vendor or your team can join it.

Architecture judgement, backed by working code

I design SharePoint and Microsoft 365 solutions and I still build them, so a review covers both the design and whether it can be built and supported. Some of that work is public:

See all open-source projects and the case studies.

What happens after the review

Usually one of three things: you approve the plan with a few changes, you go back to the vendor with specific questions, or you decide the scope needs more discovery first. In that last case, the migration assessment is the usual next step.

If the plan is in the middle of delivery and going badly, the review becomes a recovery plan. See SharePoint migration consulting.

Frequently asked questions

What is an independent SharePoint architecture review?

A second opinion on a SharePoint or Microsoft 365 plan, design, or vendor proposal from an architect who is not delivering the work: what is sound, what is risky, what is missing, and what to ask before approving it.

Can you review a SharePoint architecture our MSP proposed?

Yes. Send the proposal and any design documents. The review covers whether the design fits your requirements, what it leaves out, and which assumptions to confirm with the MSP before you approve it.

Can you review a vendor's migration plan or SOW before we sign?

Yes. I check the scope, assumptions, exclusions, tooling, permissions approach, and validation plan against what you have told me about the environment, and list the questions to ask the vendor. If nobody has inventoried the environment yet, a migration assessment may be the better first step.

Will you tell us if the plan is fine as it is?

Yes. If the design is sound, the review says so and explains why. A second opinion is only useful if it is honest in both directions.

Can you act as an independent advisor to our internal Microsoft 365 team?

Yes. Some teams want a single review; others want senior SharePoint input on call, such as design reviews and a second opinion before major changes.

Do we need a full implementation engagement, or can we start with a review?

You can start with a review. It stands on its own and does not assume that I do the implementation.

How is the review delivered?

Remotely: documents, calls, and read-only access where it helps. I am based in Vancouver, BC, and work with organizations across British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada.

Related

Have a plan you are not sure about?

Send a short note about the plan and the decision you need to make. I will tell you whether a review is worth it.

Send a note