When a business team requests a new SharePoint site, the default process often lacks structure. Without a governance checklist, site owners may skip critical settings like external sharing limits, retention policies, or permission reviews. This leads to security gaps, content sprawl, and wasted time later. This article provides a practical, step-by-step workflow for creating a governance checklist that any business user can follow when provisioning a new site.
Key Takeaways: Governance Checklist for New SharePoint Sites
- Site purpose and owner registration: Document the site’s business goal, primary owner, and expected lifespan before creation.
- Sharing and permission defaults: Set external sharing to “Existing guests” or “Specific people” to prevent accidental data exposure.
- Retention and deletion policy: Apply a default retention label and set an inactive site deletion schedule in the admin center.
What a Governance Checklist Covers and Why It Matters
A governance checklist is a reusable document that defines who can create sites, what settings must be configured, and how sites are reviewed or retired. It is not a legal policy document but a practical workflow for site owners and administrators.
The checklist covers three core areas: pre-provisioning requirements, configuration steps during site creation, and post-provisioning reviews. Pre-provisioning includes business justification and naming conventions. Configuration steps include setting permissions, external sharing, and retention policies. Post-provisioning covers quarterly audits and site deletion triggers.
Without this checklist, sites are often created with default settings that allow anyone in the organization to share content externally. Over time, orphaned sites accumulate, consuming storage and creating compliance risks. The checklist ensures every new site follows the same baseline rules.
Steps to Build and Use a Governance Checklist for New Sites
Follow these steps to create a governance checklist that your team can use in the SharePoint admin center or via a simple spreadsheet. Each step corresponds to a line item on the checklist.
- Define the site request form
Create a Microsoft Form or SharePoint list that captures the site name, business purpose, primary owner, secondary owner, expected duration, and sensitivity level. Require approval from a governance committee or department head before the site is created. - Set naming conventions
Specify a prefix or suffix for site URLs and titles. For example, use “PROJ-” for project sites and “DEPT-” for department sites. Enforce this using a site naming policy in the SharePoint admin center under Policies > Site naming policy. - Configure external sharing defaults
Go to SharePoint admin center > Policies > Sharing. Set the default sharing link type to “Specific people” and limit external sharing to “Existing guests” or “Only people in your organization.” Document which site types can request exceptions. - Apply a default retention label
Create a retention label in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal. Assign it to all new SharePoint sites via a retention label policy. This ensures that site content is kept for a minimum period and deleted after the business need ends. - Set site deletion schedule
In SharePoint admin center > Policies > Inactive sites, configure a policy to automatically delete sites that have been inactive for 180 days. Notify site owners 30 days before deletion. - Document owner responsibilities
Add a checklist item requiring the primary owner to acknowledge they will review permissions quarterly and respond to access requests within 48 hours. Store this acknowledgment in the site request list. - Create a review cadence
Schedule a quarterly review of all active sites using the SharePoint admin center > Active sites. Export the site list and compare it against the governance checklist. Flag sites missing required settings.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Checklist is too long to follow
A checklist with more than 15 items discourages use. Keep the core checklist to 10 items. Group advanced settings like custom branding or external app access into a separate advanced checklist for power users.
No enforcement mechanism
A checklist is useless if no one checks it. Use SharePoint admin center policies to enforce naming, sharing, and inactivity rules automatically. For manual items like owner acknowledgment, require approval via Power Automate before the site is created.
Owners are not trained
Site owners often do not know how to change sharing settings or apply retention labels. Include a link to a one-page quick reference guide in the checklist. Run a 30-minute training session for new owners every quarter.
Sites are never reviewed after creation
Post-provisioning reviews are often skipped. Set a Power Automate flow to send a reminder to site owners 30 days after site creation. The reminder should include a link to the review form and the governance checklist.
| Item | Manual Checklist | Automated Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Naming convention | Owner verifies prefix | Site naming policy enforces prefix |
| External sharing limit | Owner checks sharing settings | Admin-level sharing policy blocks external users |
| Retention label | Owner applies label manually | Default label policy applies to all new sites |
| Inactive site cleanup | Owner reviews site list quarterly | Inactive sites policy deletes after 180 days |
| Owner acknowledgment | Owner signs form | Power Automate captures digital signature |
Now you have a practical governance checklist that covers the full lifecycle of a SharePoint site. Start by creating the site request form and the naming policy. Then automate retention and inactive site cleanup. Finally, schedule quarterly reviews and train site owners. For advanced governance, consider using Microsoft Syntex for automatic content classification and retention labeling based on document sensitivity.