Why SharePoint Modernization Cannot Wait
Microsoft's investment in SharePoint is focused exclusively on the modern experience. Every new feature, performance improvement, integration capability, and AI enhancement (including Microsoft Copilot for SharePoint) is built for modern sites and pages. Organizations running classic SharePoint experiences are not just missing new capabilities but are accumulating technical debt that becomes more expensive to address over time.
The business case for modernization extends beyond features. Modern SharePoint pages load 2-3x faster than classic pages, are fully responsive for mobile devices (critical for hybrid workforces), support accessibility standards out of the box, integrate natively with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Viva, and provide better search experiences through modern web parts and content types. For enterprises with thousands of sites, the performance and user experience improvements alone justify the modernization investment.
After leading SharePoint modernization programs for organizations with 500 to 10,000+ sites across healthcare, financial services, and government, EPC Group has refined a systematic approach that minimizes risk while maximizing the pace of modernization.
Phase 1: Assessment and Inventory
Every successful modernization program starts with a comprehensive assessment of the current environment. Without understanding what you have, you cannot plan what to modernize, what to consolidate, and what to retire.
SharePoint Modernization Scanner
The SharePoint Modernization Scanner (part of the PnP Framework) analyzes your SharePoint Online environment and produces detailed reports on site collection inventory with classic vs. modern page counts, web part usage including identification of classic web parts that block modern page rendering, workflow inventory (SharePoint 2010 and 2013 workflows), InfoPath form usage, customizations including custom master pages, page layouts, and themes, list and library configurations that may not be modern-compatible, and site usage metrics to identify inactive sites for potential retirement. Run the scanner against your entire tenant and use the output as the foundation for your modernization roadmap. The scanner categorizes sites into modernization readiness tiers: ready for automatic conversion, requires minor remediation, requires significant remediation, and candidates for retirement.
Information Architecture Assessment
Classic SharePoint environments often suffer from organic growth that creates sprawling, unstructured site collections with inconsistent navigation, naming, and governance. Modernization is the ideal opportunity to redesign your information architecture using modern constructs: hub sites for departmental and functional groupings, communication sites for one-to-many broadcasting (company news, department announcements), team sites connected to Microsoft 365 Groups for collaborative work, and site designs and templates for consistent provisioning of new sites. Invest time in the information architecture redesign before starting technical modernization. This prevents the common mistake of modernizing a broken structure, which yields a modern-looking environment that is still difficult to navigate and govern.
Phase 2: Hub Site Architecture
Hub sites are the organizational backbone of modern SharePoint. They provide shared navigation, search scope, and visual identity across associated sites without requiring complex managed paths or site collection hierarchies.
Hub Site Design Principles
Enterprise hub site architecture should follow these principles:
- Flat hierarchy - Limit hub nesting to 2 levels maximum (parent hub and child hubs). Deep hierarchies create navigation confusion.
- Function-based grouping - Organize hubs around departments (HR, Finance, IT, Marketing) or functions (Projects, Policies, Training) rather than mirroring org chart hierarchy.
- Scalable association - Any site can associate with one hub. Design hub architecture to accommodate future sites without restructuring.
- Consistent branding - Apply hub-level themes and navigation to all associated sites for visual coherence while allowing site-level customization.
- Search scoping - Hub-scoped search allows users to search across all hub-associated sites, making information discovery intuitive.
Common Enterprise Hub Topologies
Most enterprises implement one of two hub topologies. The departmental model creates hubs for each major department (HR Hub, IT Hub, Finance Hub, Marketing Hub) with team and communication sites associated to their respective department hub. The functional model creates hubs for cross-cutting functions (Company News Hub, Policy Hub, Project Hub, Learning Hub) with sites organized by purpose rather than ownership. The departmental model works best for organizations with strong departmental autonomy, while the functional model works best for organizations that prioritize cross-functional collaboration and information sharing.
Phase 3: Page Modernization
Page modernization converts classic wiki pages, web part pages, and publishing pages to modern SharePoint pages. The PnP Page Transformation Framework automates much of this conversion, but understanding its capabilities and limitations is essential for planning.
Automatic Page Conversion
The PnP Page Transformation Framework handles the following conversions automatically: wiki page text content to modern text web parts, classic image web parts to modern image web parts, Content Query Web Parts to modern Highlighted Content web parts (with some configuration adjustments), list view web parts to modern list web parts, and page layouts to section-based modern page layouts. The framework runs in PowerShell or C# and can process hundreds of pages per hour. For enterprise environments, create a conversion pipeline that processes sites in batches, validates the output, and provides a report of any conversion issues for manual review.
Manual Conversion Requirements
Certain classic elements require manual recreation in the modern experience. Script Editor Web Parts with custom JavaScript must be rebuilt as SPFx web parts or replaced with modern alternatives. Custom-coded web parts using the classic web part framework require SPFx redevelopment. Content Editor Web Parts that link to external HTML files need content migration to modern text web parts or SPFx solutions. Classic publishing page layouts with complex field mappings require modern page template equivalents. Budget 1-4 hours per page for manual conversion depending on complexity.
Phase 4: Custom Solution Remediation
Custom solutions are the most complex and time-consuming aspect of SharePoint modernization. The three primary categories are web parts, workflows, and forms.
Web Part Migration to SPFx
Classic web parts built on the server-side web part framework must be rebuilt using the SharePoint Framework (SPFx) for modern compatibility. SPFx web parts run client-side using React or other JavaScript frameworks, deploy through the app catalog, and work across SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and Viva Connections. The migration approach depends on the web part's complexity and business criticality. For simple display web parts, evaluate whether a modern out-of-box web part (Highlighted Content, Quick Links, People, Events) can replace the custom solution. For complex interactive web parts, plan a full SPFx rebuild using React components with the same functionality. For web parts with backend dependencies, consider Azure Functions or API Management as the backend tier for SPFx client-side components.
Workflow Migration to Power Automate
SharePoint Designer workflows and Nintex workflows must migrate to Power Automate. Map each workflow's trigger, conditions, actions, and outcomes to Power Automate equivalents. Common migration patterns include approval workflows mapped to Power Automate's built-in approval actions, notification workflows mapped to email and Teams notification actions, document processing workflows mapped to Power Automate with SharePoint connectors, and integration workflows mapped to Power Automate premium connectors or custom connectors. For complex workflows that exceed Power Automate's capabilities, consider Azure Logic Apps or custom Azure Functions as alternatives.
InfoPath Forms to Power Apps
InfoPath forms are one of the most common blockers in SharePoint modernization. Microsoft retired InfoPath in 2019, and forms must migrate to Power Apps (for list-based forms) or SPFx form customizers (for document library forms). Power Apps provides a low-code environment that business users can maintain, while SPFx form customizers provide pixel-perfect control for complex form requirements. For enterprises with 50+ InfoPath forms, prioritize migration based on form usage frequency and business criticality, and consider Power Apps model-driven apps for complex multi-entity form scenarios.
Phase 5: Site Template Migration
Classic site templates (custom .wsp solutions, save-site-as-template) must be replaced with modern site designs and site scripts. Modern site designs provide a declarative, JSON-based approach to site provisioning that is more maintainable, versionable, and governable than classic templates.
Site designs define the configuration applied when a new site is created: theme, navigation, lists and libraries with columns and views, content types, regional settings, and hub site association. Site scripts execute the configuration steps using a JSON schema that supports creating lists, applying themes, triggering Power Automate flows for additional provisioning, and installing SPFx solutions from the app catalog. For enterprises, combine site designs with a provisioning service (Power Automate or Azure Function) that handles advanced provisioning steps like permission configuration, external sharing settings, and sensitivity label application.
Phase 6: Governance for Modern SharePoint
Modern SharePoint introduces new governance considerations that classic environments did not have. A modern governance framework should address:
- Site creation governance - Controlled site provisioning through approved request processes rather than open self-service (which leads to sprawl)
- Hub site association policies - Clear rules for which sites associate with which hubs to maintain information architecture integrity
- Guest access governance - Policies for external sharing at the tenant, site, and document level using sensitivity labels and DLP
- Lifecycle management - Automated detection of inactive sites with owner notifications and archival or deletion processes
- Naming conventions - Enforced site and group naming policies using Azure AD naming policies and blocked word lists
- Sensitivity labels - Automated classification of sites and documents based on content sensitivity for compliance requirements
Measuring Modernization Success
Track these metrics throughout the modernization program to demonstrate progress and business value:
- Modern page percentage - Target 95%+ modern pages across all active sites
- Classic web part elimination - Track reduction in classic web part usage to zero
- Page load performance - Measure average page load time improvement (target 50%+ reduction)
- Mobile usage - Track increase in mobile SharePoint usage as responsive modern pages enable mobile access
- Search effectiveness - Measure search click-through rates and zero-result queries
- Site lifecycle - Track inactive site retirement and reduction in total site count through consolidation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between SharePoint classic and modern experience?
SharePoint classic experience uses master pages, server-side rendering, and legacy web parts built on the classic web part framework. SharePoint modern experience uses responsive, mobile-friendly pages rendered client-side with the SharePoint Framework (SPFx), featuring built-in accessibility, automatic dark mode support, section-based page layouts, and modern web parts. Modern sites load 2-3x faster, are fully responsive for mobile devices, and support features like news posts, site designs, hub sites, and Microsoft Viva integration that are unavailable in classic. Microsoft continues to invest exclusively in the modern experience, making modernization essential for organizations that want to leverage new SharePoint capabilities.
How long does SharePoint modernization take for an enterprise?
Enterprise SharePoint modernization timelines depend on environment complexity. A typical organization with 500-2,000 classic sites takes 6-12 months for a complete modernization program. The timeline includes 2-4 weeks for assessment and inventory using the SharePoint Modernization Scanner, 4-8 weeks for information architecture redesign and hub site planning, 8-16 weeks for phased site and page modernization (typically 50-100 sites per wave), 4-8 weeks for custom solution remediation (converting classic web parts and workflows to SPFx and Power Automate), and 2-4 weeks for user training and change management. Organizations with extensive custom development, InfoPath forms, or SharePoint Designer workflows should add 2-4 months for solution remediation.
Can classic SharePoint web parts be automatically converted to modern?
Some classic web parts have direct modern equivalents that can be automatically converted using the SharePoint Page Transformation Framework (PnP modernization framework). Content Editor Web Parts, Script Editor Web Parts, and Media Web Parts have automatic conversion paths. However, many classic web parts require manual recreation: custom-coded web parts must be rebuilt as SPFx web parts, legacy Business Connectivity Services web parts need alternative approaches, and InfoPath form web parts require conversion to Power Apps or custom SPFx solutions. The modernization assessment identifies which web parts can be auto-converted and which require manual remediation, allowing you to plan effort and timeline accordingly.
What happens to SharePoint Designer workflows during modernization?
SharePoint Designer workflows (2010 and 2013 versions) do not work in the modern experience and must be migrated to Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow). Microsoft has retired SharePoint 2010 workflows and will retire 2013 workflows in phases. The migration approach depends on workflow complexity: simple approval workflows can be recreated in Power Automate using built-in templates in hours, moderate workflows with conditional logic require careful mapping to Power Automate flow actions (typically 1-3 days per workflow), and complex workflows with custom code, web service calls, or multi-stage processes may require redesign using Power Automate with custom connectors or Azure Logic Apps. There is no automated workflow migration tool, so budget 2-8 hours per workflow depending on complexity.
Should we modernize in-place or migrate to new modern sites?
The decision between in-place modernization and migration to new sites depends on your information architecture goals. In-place modernization (converting classic pages to modern within existing sites) preserves URLs, permissions, and content with minimal disruption, ideal for sites with good structure and governance. Migration to new sites (creating new modern sites and moving content) is better when you need to restructure your information architecture, consolidate redundant sites, implement hub site topology, or clean up years of organic growth. Most enterprise modernization programs use a hybrid approach: in-place modernization for well-structured departmental sites, and migration to new sites for consolidation scenarios. The SharePoint Modernization Scanner output guides this decision for each site.
Modernize Your SharePoint Environment
EPC Group's SharePoint consulting practice has modernized environments with 500 to 10,000+ sites for enterprises across healthcare, financial services, and government. We handle assessment, information architecture redesign, technical modernization, custom solution remediation, and governance implementation.
Schedule SharePoint Modernization AssessmentErrin O'Connor
CEO & Chief AI Architect at EPC Group with 28+ years of experience in enterprise Microsoft solutions. Bestselling Microsoft Press author specializing in SharePoint architecture, migration, and governance for Fortune 500 organizations.