The direct answer
SharePoint Online includes an Organization chart web part. Open the page, select Edit, open the Toolbox and choose See all web parts, then add Organization chart. Type a person's name or email address and pick them from the results; use Edit properties to set how many reporting levels up the chart shows. Readers hover over or select a name to see that person's details.
The chart draws its reporting lines from the directory: each person's manager as recorded in Microsoft Entra ID. That is why the most common complaint, a chart that is wrong or has gaps, is a data problem rather than a SharePoint problem. EPC Group checks that every employee has the right manager before a chart goes on an intranet page.
Step by step
- On the page, select Edit at the top right.
- Open the Toolbox, select See all web parts, and select or drag Organization chart onto the page.
- Optionally rename the web part by typing over the title Organization chart.
- In Name or email address, type the person the chart should center on and choose them.
- Select Edit properties and enter the number of reporting levels up to show.
- Save and publish (or republish) the page.
Options compared
| Option | Good for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Organization chart web part (built in) | A chart around one person or team on an intranet page | No external users; accuracy depends on manager data in Microsoft Entra ID |
| Third-party org chart web part | Whole-company trees, search, export, extra fields | Licensing, data access approval, and the same manager-data dependency |
| Static diagram (image or file) | A one-off chart for a board pack or a reorganization | Goes out of date as soon as someone joins or leaves |
Keeping the chart accurate
The manager relationship in Microsoft Entra ID is the single source of truth. Microsoft Graph returns the user or organizational contact assigned as a person's manager, can expand the chain of managers up to the top, and returns a 404 for someone with no manager assigned. EPC Group runs that check across the directory, fixes gaps at the source (usually the HR system that feeds Microsoft Entra ID), and then publishes the chart. For employee directories and intranet design, see how an intranet works on SharePoint and SharePoint intranet design.
Primary sources
- Use the Organization chart web part — Microsoft Support, accessed 2026-10-27
- List manager (Microsoft Graph v1.0) — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-27
- Intelligent intranet overview — Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-27
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my SharePoint org chart wrong or empty?
EPC Group almost always finds the cause in the directory, not the web part: a person with no manager set, or a manager set to someone who has left. Microsoft Graph returns the user assigned as a person’s manager and a 404 when none is assigned, so missing managers break the reporting line (Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-10-27).
Can external users or guests appear in the SharePoint org chart?
No. EPC Group plans around this limit when partners or contractors work as guests, because Microsoft states that external users cannot be added to the Organization chart web part at this time (Microsoft Support, accessed 2026-10-27).
Can I show the whole company in one SharePoint org chart?
EPC Group recommends a chart per department or leader on large intranets. The built-in web part shows a person and the number of reporting levels up that you set, which keeps each chart readable; whole-company charts usually need a third-party web part or a separately maintained diagram.
When is a third-party org chart web part worth it?
EPC Group considers one when the business needs features the built-in web part does not offer, such as a full-company tree, search across the chart, export, or photos and fields beyond the profile card. Most of these products also read reporting lines from Microsoft Entra ID, so the same data clean-up comes first.
Talk to a senior architect
A one-hour scoping call with a senior EPC Group architect covers your directory data, the intranet pages that need a chart and whether the built-in web part is enough. Email contact@epcgroup.net or call 888-381-9725.
Documented and anonymized engagements
Named engagements come first; anonymized summaries follow under the anonymized-engagement rule — the client is not named and every statement is EPC-reported. Documents behind named engagements are in the Evidence Center.
- Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. — SharePoint Server 2019 build and deployment: custom user experience, navigation, web parts, search, enterprise-application integration, quality assurance and training (2021)Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. · 2021 · Contracted — countersigned
- Canadian Forces Morale & Welfare Services (CFMWS) — SharePoint consulting support (2014)Canadian Forces Morale & Welfare Services (CFMWS) · 2014 · Contracted
- Stryker Corporation — SharePoint Center of Excellence development (2012)Stryker Corporation · 2012 · Delivered — payment-corroborated (client payment records published)
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York — SharePoint best-practices needs assessment, architecture and governance gap analysis, roadmap for a global SharePoint Center of Excellence across the twelve Reserve Bank districts (2010)Federal Reserve Bank of New York · 2010 · Contracted — countersigned, with historical work product
- Copilot and SharePoint AI Governance: Regional Bank (2024)Anonymized engagement summary · Regional bank · 2024
- SharePoint Intranet Permission Automation: Contractor (2024)Anonymized engagement summary · Federal government contractor · 2024
- Two SharePoint Farms to SharePoint Online: Regional BankAnonymized engagement summary · Regional bank · 2024
- SharePoint Health Check, Upgrade and Support: ManufacturerAnonymized engagement summary · Consumer-products manufacturer · 2017–2023
More engagements: NASA (agency-wide, across the NASA Centers) — Agency SharePoint Phase 1 Initiative: needs assessment, architectural review, governance, and a global SharePoint Center of Excellence for knowledge management, intranet and enterprise content management across the NASA Centers (2009–2010) · National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) — SharePoint records management and Center of Excellence advisory and implementation support (2010) · National Institutes of Health — SharePoint Center of Excellence design (2010) · Northrop Grumman — 'Finance I.R.M. Automation Process' statement of work on SharePoint (2010) · NASA Johnson Space Center — SharePoint Site Provisioning Solution (2009) · YMCA (Houston) — Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 implementation (2007) · SharePoint Support and Custom Apps: Professional Services · SharePoint 2010 to 2019 Migration: Regional Bank (2020) · SharePoint Online Document Management: Transportation (2020) · SharePoint 2010 to Online Design: Global Law Firm (2018) · SharePoint 2016 Intranet Redesign: Energy Company (2018) · SharePoint Intranet Redesign: Financial Services · SharePoint Migration: Major Healthcare Network