A Guide to Answer the “What Tool to Use When” in Microsoft 365

When I talk to customers, I am often asked to help their users answer the question of “what tool to use when” in the Microsoft collaboration options (OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint). In this article, I would like to share some resources to answer this question, clarify some important points, and share why I believe this is (still) a question we hear repeatedly.

Useful Resources

Over the years we have developed at least two very useful resources to help IT leaders explain to their users the differences between the cloud storage options in M365. The infographic above has been useful and we have also documented a detailed Microsoft 365 Collaboration Tools Policy that we believe can be beneficial to share with your users. Click the image below to download it and start using it now! 👇

The Source of Confusion

Before I clarify the use cases and differences of each tool, let me share what I think is at the core of the confusion. There are 3 main root causes, in my opinion:

Training approaches that confuse people: Users are often exposed to collaboration tools in isolation from each other and, when this is the case, they “force” the use of the tool to fit their needs. Take, for example, OneDrive. Often we see people being exposed to this tool in isolation from Teams or SharePoint and end up using it as a shared space to collaborate (instead of an individual storage and collaboration solution). Something similar happens with Teams or SharePoint. Users may be exposed to Teams without understanding where SharePoint fits in their collaboration landscape and where SharePoint may serve them better.

Lack of collaboration technology governance: One thing is to have the technology ready and deployed and another, very different thing, is to explain to your users exactly what this technology should be used for (or not used for), what other solutions it replaces, its core uses cases, and its limitations. For example, perhaps your organization uses Microsoft Teams for project-based work and uses SharePoint for long term collaboration and to replace old file shares. Clear guidelines, communicated clearly and reinforced in training is very important. Without this governance, users will be forced to make their own conclusions about the use of the tools and will likely bend the rules.

Poor information architecture: In my conversations with clients, often, we are asked to help deliver training to misspell them myths and help users correct course. However, the issue often stems from the fact that there is no Microsoft 365 architecture to support what IT wants people to do. Instead, we see that SharePoint sites do not have an hub to unify all sites, or that people create Teams for anything under the moon, or that they still have P Drives co-existing with OneDrive. Let’s be honest, how could we expect users to be clear on what to use when in such complex collaboration context?

Clarifying the Differences between OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint

Okay, now that we shared some resources to help you and explained the source of the confusion, let me give you MY perspective on the best way to explain to employees the differences between OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint. Keep in mind that these are GENERAL descriptions and the factors mentioned above related to governance and information architecture weight on these definitions. I am a proponent for a simple framework that leverages the “me,” “we,” and “us” analogy.

	“ME” SPACE	“WE” SPACES	“US” SPACE
M365 collaboration tool	OneDrive for Business	Microsoft Teams / SharePoint Team Sites	SharePoint Communication Sites
What is	Individual file storage for work-related files.	Teams and SharePoint are both for file storage and collaboration, however, Teams is an application and SharePoint a platform.	Public sites with pages and libraries to host your intranet (official) content.
Use cases	Store individual files and unofficial records. Ad hoc collaboration colleagues. Share (large) files securely.	Teams is better suited for short term initiatives like projects or committees. SharePoint, in our experience, is generally better for shared files and long term team collaboration.	Publish information like news, policies, communities, etc. This information typically engages and informs users. Most visitors of these sites do not have the ability to edit the content but instead they are “consumers” of this content.
User benefits	Ample storage. No VPN required. Collaborate in real-time. Access files from anywhere, any device.	Iterate quickly on a project with your team in Teams. Store team department files and collaborate with colleagues or externals. Avoid attachments and share links. Invite guests to your space. Add apps and resources. Sync files stored in the cloud to your device.	Publish company relevant information. Engage employees. Have a single source for news policies, and department information. Reduce emails and silos of information. Engage front line employees.
What it replaces	Files in your Desktop, Personal space in network drive, or FTP solutions such as 2big4email or Dropbox.	File servers used to collaborate on short term initiatives (Teams) or long term (SharePoint).	Distribution lists built to distribute information. File servers with company-wide information and resources.

In Closing

If your users are confused and asking the question of what to use when in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, this could be a symptom of lack of governance, poor architecture, or an approach to training that truncates the true meaning of these tools. To address this, understand where the problem lies and tackle it from the most important priority to the next. For example, you cannot solve with training an issue of poor information architecture. Focus on sorting out your information architecture first.

We trust that the resources and the policy template we shared here will be VERY beneficial to you. As always, book time with us if you’d like to jump on a conversation about how these tools should be introduced or reintroduced in your organization.