MS-700 Managing Microsoft Teams Objective 2.1: Create and Manage Teams
MS-700 Exam Focus: This objective covers the comprehensive creation and management of Teams. Understanding rollout planning, team creation methods, template management, and team administration is essential for successful Teams deployment and ongoing management. Master these concepts for both exam success and real-world Teams team administration.
Introduction to Teams Creation and Management
Teams creation and management is fundamental to Microsoft Teams administration. This encompasses planning Teams rollouts, creating teams through various methods, managing team templates, configuring team settings, and administering team membership and roles. Effective team management ensures organized collaboration while maintaining security and governance standards. This process works closely with governance policies and requires understanding channel management to create well-structured collaboration spaces.
Teams creation and management involves multiple components:
- Rollout Planning: Strategic planning for Teams deployment using Advisor for Teams
- Team Creation: Multiple methods for creating teams and team structures
- Template Management: Creating and managing team templates and policies
- Membership Management: Managing team membership, roles, and permissions
- Team Administration: Ongoing management and configuration of teams
- Specialized Teams: Creating and managing frontline teams and experiences
Plan for a Teams Rollout Using Advisor for Teams
Advisor for Teams is a comprehensive planning tool that helps organizations plan and execute successful Teams rollouts. Understanding how to use this tool is essential for effective Teams deployment planning.
Advisor for Teams Overview
Advisor for Teams provides step-by-step guidance for planning Teams deployments, including readiness assessments, configuration recommendations, and rollout strategies.
Advisor for Teams Key Features:
- Readiness Assessment: Evaluate organizational readiness for Teams
- Configuration Guidance: Step-by-step configuration recommendations
- Rollout Planning: Structured approach to Teams deployment
- Best Practices: Industry best practices and recommendations
- Migration Tools: Tools for migrating from other platforms
- Success Metrics: Key performance indicators and success metrics
Rollout Planning Process
The Teams rollout planning process involves several phases, each with specific considerations and deliverables.
Rollout Planning Phases:
- Assessment Phase: Evaluate current environment and requirements
- Design Phase: Design Teams architecture and governance
- Pilot Phase: Conduct pilot deployment with select users
- Deployment Phase: Roll out Teams to broader user base
- Optimization Phase: Optimize and refine Teams deployment
- Support Phase: Provide ongoing support and maintenance
Advisor for Teams Recommendations
Advisor for Teams provides specific recommendations based on organizational characteristics and requirements.
Common Advisor Recommendations:
- Network Readiness: Network capacity and connectivity recommendations
- Security Configuration: Security policies and compliance settings
- Governance Framework: Team creation and management policies
- User Training: Training programs and change management
- Integration Planning: Third-party application integration
- Migration Strategy: Migration from existing collaboration platforms
Create a Team Using Various Methods
Teams can be created through multiple methods, each with specific advantages and use cases. Understanding these different creation methods is essential for flexible team management.
Teams Admin Center Creation
The Teams admin center provides administrative control over team creation, allowing administrators to create teams with specific configurations and settings.
Admin Center Creation Features:
- Bulk Creation: Create multiple teams simultaneously
- Advanced Configuration: Configure detailed team settings
- Template Application: Apply team templates during creation
- Owner Assignment: Assign team owners during creation
- Privacy Settings: Configure team privacy and sensitivity
- Compliance Settings: Apply compliance and governance policies
Teams Client Creation
The Teams client allows end users to create teams directly, providing self-service team creation capabilities.
Client Creation Process:
- Team Type Selection: Choose between different team types
- Privacy Configuration: Set team privacy (public, private, org-wide)
- Member Addition: Add initial team members
- Channel Creation: Create initial channels
- App Integration: Add relevant apps and integrations
- Settings Configuration: Configure team-specific settings
PowerShell and Microsoft Graph Creation
PowerShell and Microsoft Graph provide programmatic methods for team creation, enabling automation and bulk operations.
Programmatic Creation Benefits:
- Automation: Automate team creation processes
- Bulk Operations: Create multiple teams efficiently
- Integration: Integrate with other systems and processes
- Customization: Apply custom configurations and settings
- Consistency: Ensure consistent team configurations
- Reporting: Generate reports on team creation activities
Create a Team from Existing Resources
Teams can be created from existing Microsoft 365 groups, SharePoint sites, or other teams, providing flexibility in team creation and migration scenarios.
Creating Teams from Microsoft 365 Groups
Existing Microsoft 365 groups can be converted to Teams, preserving existing membership and content while adding Teams functionality.
Group to Team Conversion:
- Membership Preservation: Maintain existing group membership
- Content Migration: Migrate existing group content
- Permission Inheritance: Inherit existing permissions and settings
- Calendar Integration: Preserve calendar and scheduling features
- File Access: Maintain access to existing files and documents
- Notification Settings: Preserve existing notification preferences
Creating Teams from SharePoint Sites
SharePoint sites can be converted to Teams, enabling collaboration features while preserving existing content and structure.
SharePoint to Teams Conversion:
- Document Library Integration: Integrate existing document libraries
- List Integration: Connect existing SharePoint lists
- Page Migration: Migrate SharePoint pages to Teams
- Permission Mapping: Map SharePoint permissions to Teams
- Workflow Integration: Integrate existing workflows and processes
- Custom App Integration: Connect custom SharePoint applications
Creating Teams from Existing Teams
New teams can be created based on existing teams, using them as templates or starting points for new collaborative spaces.
Team Duplication Benefits:
- Structure Replication: Replicate proven team structures
- Channel Templates: Use existing channels as templates
- App Configuration: Replicate app configurations and settings
- Permission Models: Apply proven permission and role models
- Process Templates: Replicate successful collaboration processes
- Best Practice Application: Apply lessons learned from existing teams
Create a Team from a Template
Team templates provide standardized starting points for team creation, ensuring consistency and best practices across the organization.
Built-in Team Templates
Microsoft provides several built-in team templates designed for common organizational scenarios.
Microsoft Built-in Templates:
- General: Basic team template for general collaboration
- Education (Class): Template for educational institutions
- Education (Professional Learning Community): For educator collaboration
- Healthcare (Standard): Template for healthcare organizations
- Healthcare (Ward): Template for hospital ward management
- Retail (Manager Collaboration): Template for retail management
- Retail (Store Communications): Template for store communications
- Financial (Branch): Template for financial services
Custom Team Templates
Organizations can create custom team templates to meet specific business requirements and ensure consistency across teams.
Custom Template Components:
- Channel Structure: Pre-defined channel hierarchy and naming
- App Integration: Pre-configured apps and integrations
- Permission Models: Standardized permission and role configurations
- Content Templates: Pre-created documents and resources
- Workflow Templates: Standardized processes and procedures
- Compliance Settings: Pre-configured compliance and governance settings
Create and Manage Templates and Template Policies
Template management involves creating, configuring, and managing team templates and policies to ensure consistent team creation across the organization.
Template Creation Process
Creating effective team templates requires careful planning and consideration of organizational needs and best practices.
Template Creation Steps:
- Requirements Analysis: Analyze organizational requirements and use cases
- Template Design: Design template structure and components
- Content Creation: Create template content and resources
- Testing and Validation: Test template with pilot teams
- Documentation: Document template purpose and usage
- Deployment: Deploy template for organizational use
Template Policy Management
Template policies control how templates are used and who can create teams from specific templates.
Template Policy Settings:
- Access Control: Control who can use specific templates
- Approval Workflows: Require approval for template usage
- Usage Restrictions: Limit template usage to specific scenarios
- Customization Limits: Control how much teams can customize templates
- Compliance Requirements: Enforce compliance requirements for template usage
- Audit and Reporting: Track template usage and effectiveness
Manage Team Membership and Roles
Team membership and role management is essential for maintaining proper access control and collaboration within teams.
Team Roles and Permissions
Teams provides different roles with varying levels of permissions and capabilities.
| Role | Permissions | Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Full control | Manage team settings, membership, and content |
| Member | Standard access | Participate in team activities and collaboration |
| Guest | Limited access | Limited participation in team activities |
Membership Management Best Practices
Effective membership management requires following best practices for access control and team administration.
Membership Management Guidelines:
- Regular Review: Periodically review team membership
- Role Assignment: Assign appropriate roles based on responsibilities
- Access Control: Implement proper access control measures
- Documentation: Maintain clear documentation of roles and responsibilities
- Training: Provide training on role responsibilities
- Monitoring: Monitor team activity and membership changes
Manage Teams in the Admin Center
The Teams admin center provides comprehensive management capabilities for teams, including configuration, monitoring, and administration.
Admin Center Management Features
The admin center provides various tools and features for managing teams at scale.
Admin Center Capabilities:
- Team Overview: View and manage all teams in the organization
- Bulk Operations: Perform bulk operations on multiple teams
- Settings Management: Configure team-level settings and policies
- Membership Management: Manage team membership and roles
- Content Management: Manage team content and resources
- Analytics and Reporting: Generate reports on team activity and usage
Manage Teams Environment Settings
Teams environment settings control global Teams behavior and configuration across the organization.
Environment Configuration Options
Teams environment settings provide various configuration options for controlling Teams behavior.
Environment Settings Categories:
- General Settings: Basic Teams configuration and behavior
- Security Settings: Security policies and compliance settings
- Privacy Settings: Privacy controls and data protection settings
- Integration Settings: Third-party application integration settings
- Notification Settings: Global notification and alert settings
- Feature Settings: Enable or disable specific Teams features
Configure Privacy and Sensitivity Settings
Privacy and sensitivity settings control how teams handle sensitive information and maintain appropriate privacy levels.
Privacy Configuration Options
Teams provides various privacy settings to control team visibility and access.
Privacy Settings:
- Public Teams: Visible to all organization members
- Private Teams: Visible only to team members
- Org-wide Teams: Automatically include all organization members
- Hidden Teams: Hidden from team discovery and search
- Discovery Settings: Control team discoverability
- Join Settings: Control how users can join teams
Sensitivity Label Configuration
Sensitivity labels provide additional control over team content and access based on information sensitivity.
Sensitivity Label Features:
- Content Classification: Classify team content by sensitivity level
- Access Control: Control access based on sensitivity labels
- Visual Markings: Apply visual markings to sensitive content
- Compliance Enforcement: Enforce compliance policies based on labels
- Audit and Reporting: Track access to sensitive content
- Data Loss Prevention: Prevent unauthorized sharing of sensitive content
Create and Manage Frontline Teams and Experiences
Frontline teams and experiences are designed for workers who don't have dedicated workstations, such as retail employees, healthcare workers, and field service personnel.
Frontline Teams Features
Frontline teams provide specialized features and capabilities for frontline workers.
Frontline Teams Capabilities:
- Shift Management: Manage work shifts and schedules
- Task Management: Assign and track tasks and assignments
- Communication Tools: Specialized communication features for frontline workers
- Knowledge Sharing: Share knowledge and best practices
- Training and Development: Provide training and development resources
- Performance Management: Track and manage performance metrics
Frontline Teams Configuration
Frontline teams require specific configuration to meet the unique needs of frontline workers.
Frontline Configuration Considerations:
- Mobile Optimization: Optimize for mobile device usage
- Offline Capabilities: Provide offline functionality where possible
- Simplified Interface: Provide simplified, easy-to-use interfaces
- Quick Access: Enable quick access to frequently used features
- Integration: Integrate with existing frontline systems
- Training: Provide appropriate training for frontline workers
Exam Preparation Tips
For the MS-700 exam, focus on understanding the different team creation methods, template management, and team administration capabilities.
Key Exam Points:
- Understand how to use Advisor for Teams for rollout planning
- Know the different methods for creating teams
- Understand how to create teams from existing resources
- Know how to create and manage team templates
- Understand team membership and role management
- Know how to manage teams in the admin center
- Understand Teams environment settings configuration
- Know how to configure privacy and sensitivity settings
- Understand frontline teams and experiences
- Know best practices for team creation and management
Real-World Implementation Considerations
In practice, team creation and management requires balancing user autonomy with organizational governance. Successful implementations consider both user needs and administrative requirements.
Remember that team management is an ongoing process that requires regular review, optimization, and user support. A comprehensive understanding of team creation and management provides the foundation for building organized, efficient, and collaborative Teams environments that support organizational objectives while maintaining proper governance and security standards.
Summary
Teams creation and management encompasses rollout planning, multiple creation methods, template management, membership administration, and specialized team types. Understanding these components enables administrators to implement comprehensive team management frameworks that support diverse collaboration needs while maintaining organizational governance and security standards.