TL;DR
- What it is: Focused workshops + audits that reveal what your SharePoint intranet actually needs (not just what looks nice).
- How long: Usually a few focused days or weeks, not months. Sometimes longer for deep, complex orgs.
- What you get: A clear requirements doc, IA recommendations, a homepage prototype, personas & user journeys, and a practical roadmap.
- Why bother: Avoids lifting old problems into a new platform, builds cross-team buy-in, and makes the final build far more useful.
- From experience: We’ve seen Discovery transform intranet projects. Surfacing hidden pain points, uniting Comms/HR/IT, and uncovering insights (like when mobile-first was mission-critical) that set clients up for success.
Why Discovery Should Come First
So, you’re about to upgrade (or finally build) your intranet on SharePoint. Exciting!
The urge to skip straight to design layouts and a list of shiny new features is real. But here’s the thing: jumping straight in without a discovery process is like building a SharePoint intranet with no plan. Not good
We always recommend our clients start with Discovery and here’s why it matters.
What Even Is a Discovery Process?
Discovery magic is where we figure out what your digital workplace actually needs to do. Not just what sounds nice for a steering committee.
A Discovery phase usually includes things like:
- Talking to the people who’ll use the intranet (stakeholders, staff, everyone in between)
- Audits of content, governance and functionality to understand the current state of play, what’s worth keeping and what belongs in the digital recycling bin
- Mapping user journeys (because “clicking around until you give up” is not a journey)
- Reviewing your Microsoft 365 and SharePoint environment to understand required integrations and constraints
- Sketching out layouts, branding, and features so you can see what’s possible in modern SharePoint
A solid Discovery phase goes further:
- Information architecture: How should content be organised so people can actually find it? What needs to be grouped together, what requires permissions, and what other systems or tools need to be considered?
- Consulting with key teams: Comms, HR, and IT all have different priorities, from aligning with comms strategy, to supporting onboarding and policy management, to fitting within the IT roadmap. Discovery brings these voices together.
- Entry points for staff: Do people log in through Teams, SharePoint, or on mobile? Knowing where they’re starting ensures the intranet meets them where they are.
The good news?
A Discovery phase doesn’t have to drag on.
In most cases, you’re looking at days or weeks, not months. A focused approach brings clarity quickly. And while some organisations benefit from a more in-depth deep dive, many find that just a few weeks is all it takes to uncover the insights they need. Building from Scratch? Don’t wing it.
If you’re rolling out a brand-new SharePoint intranet, discovery is your safety net.
It helps you:
- Get to know your users: Who are they? What do they need? What makes them want to throw their laptop out the window?
- Stay aligned with business goals: Because “cool widgets” won’t impress your CFO unless they solve real problems.
- Ditch the clutter: Focus on features that matter most (news, alerts, documents, mobile access, Teams integration).
- Design with intent: Your SharePoint homepage isn’t just a pretty face. It needs to guide, inform, and empower.
One client with 750+ staff (most of them frontline) discovered through this process that mobile-first wasn’t just a nice-to-have. It was crucial and vital to success.
The result?
A modern, unified SharePoint intranet that gave staff the info they needed, wherever they were. Even when they only had access to a mobile device.
Migrating? Don’t Just “Lift and Shift”
Moving from an old intranet to SharePoint Online?
Let’s bust a myth right up front: “lift and shift” to modern SharePoint isn’t really a thing, unless you’re just moving documents.
Modern SharePoint means you’re rebuilding, not just dragging and dropping. So, if you’re picturing a quick copy-paste job, you’re in for a surprise (and not the good kind). Discovery is even more critical here. We don’t want to see you dragging old problems into a new platform.
A proper Discovery phase helps you:
- Spot the content that should never see the light of day again (think: ancient policies, duplicate folders, and that “test” page from 2017)
- Translate your old navigation into something that makes sense in modern SharePoint (flat structure, fresh content, and pages that don’t require a treasure map)
- Build buy-in so staff don’t panic when things look different (change is hard, but confusion is harder)
- Ensure your SharePoint architecture (sites, hubs, permissions) is future-proof
Case in point: a client came to us with an intranet that was basically a maze with no exit. We’re talking sites within sites, folders within folders, and duplicated content all over the place.
Through discovery, we mapped the pain points, ran a “reverse brainstorm” (yes, it’s as fun as it sounds), and ended up designing a SharePoint homepage and IA that actually worked. And could scale with them knowing they had great plans to grow as an organisation.
What You Actually Walk Away With
This isn’t just a sticky-note party.
A proper Intranet discovery phase delivers:
- A clear requirements doc that sets up your intranet build and testing
- A homepage prototype built in SharePoint Online (so you can see it, not just imagine it)
- Information architecture recommendations for sites, permissions, search, and hubs
- Personas and user journeys that keep the focus on people, not just features
- A practical roadmap you can actually use
Not bad for a foundation that makes you feel confident you're heading in the right direction and saves months of rework.
Why It’s Worth It
We’ve run intranet discovery workshops for councils, education providers, nonprofits, and commercial organisations.
The results?
- Happier staff because they enjoy using their new intranet
- A single source of truth in SharePoint instead of a dozen conflicting systems
- Workflows that save time instead of eating it
- Smooth onboarding and compliance wins
Or, in one client’s words: what could have been “a complex and overwhelming process” ended up “seamless and even enjoyable.” (We’ll take that win.)
The Bottom Line
Don't treat the Discovery process as a luxury add-on.
It’s the thing that makes sure your SharePoint intranet upgrade is worth the investment.
Discovery front‑loads decisions, it saves you from expensive, mistakes keeps you on track, and ensures the end result works for your people.
So before you get carried away with homepage designs or shiny new features, do the smart thing: start with discovery.