Slides from session at SPS San Diego 2018: http://www.spsevents.org/city/sandiego/sd2018 @TheCloudSherpa

1. Keeping Up with the Joneses
Dealing with Change in the Microsoft Cloud
Max Fritz, Senior Consultant
Now Micro @theCloudSherpa
#SPSSD

2. Max Fritz
Email : max@o365mn.org
Twitter : @TheCloudSherpa
Blog: maxafritz.com
LinkedIn : in/maxafritz
Senior Consultant/Practice Lead
MCSA Office 365, MCSE Productivity
Founder/Leader of Minnesota Office 365 User
Group
Working with Office 365 for over 7 years
Focus in Azure AD, Exchange, and SharePoint
Online
Contact Details

4. Enablement of new features
and capabilities on an
ongoing basis
Client software upgrades,
both Operating System and
applications
Decommissioning retired
systems
IT Change Management
Driving adoption of new
features and capabilities
Guiding users to use the
features and capabilities in a
way that maximizes return on
investment and benefit to the
business
Organizational Change
Management
Moving from upgrade
projects to upgrade processes
in Evergreen
Incident Management
Service Desk processes
Changing Operational
Processes

5. What’s the big deal?

6. • Internal IT used to manage
almost the whole process
• Also kept responsible for all
change impacts
• Frameworks like ITIL could be
used to manage change
control
On Premises Change Management

7. Cloud Change Management
• Higher Frequency of Change
• Less Control over Changes
• IT is still held responsible for
impact of changes
• IT is responsible for making
sure users know what’s coming

8. Change Control
Change Communication

9. So what now?
The job of IT has changed
IT is responsible for making sure users know
what’s coming

10. So how am I supposed to
communicate the change if I’m
not the one making it?

11. 18-36 month releases
can be daunting…
Continuous updates make
the transition easier.
Impact
Impact
Notification
Heavy
Impact
Skipped Update
Office 365 Change Model:
Evergreen Cloud

12. WORLDWIDE
FEATURE
TEAMS
OFFICE 365
TEAM
MICROSOFT FIRST TARGETED
RELEASE
The working prototype matures into a functional product
and is “flighted” through the rings of validation.
Most of the time, you can know about these changes and features from the
start of the cycle. Worst case, it becomes public right before Targeted Release.

13. PREVIEWS FIRST RELEASE STANDARD RELEASE
• Supported per program
• Some public
• Some private
• SLA varies
• Production quality
• Standard support
• Full SLA
• Select users or full
tenant
• Full tenant release
• Default enabled for
apps
TARGETED RELEASE
(formerly first release)
Office 365 Release Terminology

14. And the Microsoft data shows...
• Approximately 25 new features per month
• Flat incident rate despite growth in features and
customers
• Majority of issues identified and resolved in
targeted release ring
• Most issues identified in later rings are single-
tenant

15. Review significant upcoming changes
Track overall excellence and progress
Provide best practice recommendations
Be cautious of end-user communications
Plan for better end-user administration
Plan for a good end-user experience when
admin has disabled functionality
Consider that enterprises may need more
warning for some UI changes
Consider the balance of admin control vs. adoption of
experiences that improve productivity
Planner received ~95% Likes on Message Feedback
What Microsoft does…
Gathering insights on your behalf
Can admin enable/disable new feature and how?
Is an admin action required?
What is the end-user experience if the feature is
disabled?
Will this be on the App Launcher?
How long will this take to deploy?
New questions and best practices added based
upon your feedback
How Microsoft advocates for you…

16. Where to Learn
Office 365 Roadmap

17. All this can be confusing and
overwhelming, but each tool has
its place.
Learn what to use when.

19. 






23. Major Updates - Examples
Changes to daily
productivity such as inbox,
meetings, delegations,
sharing and access.
Changes to the themes,
web parts and other
components that may
impact customizations.
Increases or decreases to
visible capacity such as
storage, number of rules,
items or durations.
Rebranding that may
cause end-user confusion
or result in help desk /
collateral changes or URL
changes.
A new service or
application.
Changes requiring an
admin action (exclusive of
prevent / fix)
Changes to where data is
stored.

24. New app or service updates that match the
“major update” criteria will generate a series of
change awareness notifications.
They convey how this update will affect you and
what type of action will be required.
You can expect notifications at key feature
milestones.
Announcement
Available in
Targeted Release
General
Availability

25. Microsoft has focused on highlighting major updates at a glance – making it easier to
track significant updates at different stages of release.

26. When a major update hits
Targeted Release, the feature
will remain there for at least 30
days before it proceeds to GA.
Many development teams will
choose to stay longer for major
features.
Announcement
Available in
Targeted Release
General
Availability

27. When a major update exits Targeted Release and is being
exposed to all customers, Microsoft initiates a final
communication.
Announcement
Available in
First Release
General Availability

28. You can opt-out of notifications for major updates & follow
them in the Admin Center / Message center only.

29. Enrollment in Targeted Release is necessary to evaluate
major updates.

30. Message Center to Planner

31. Message Center to Teams

32. Office 365 Admin App

33. Office 365 Admin App

35. Roadmap Site Operations:
Customers want earlier insights,
consistency, ability to quickly find info
 Improved search and included new filters
 Publishing weekly
 Improving accuracy on Roadmap status changes
• In-development  launched
• Features may not move through all Roadmap statuses
 Items move from “Launched” to “Previously
Launched” after 30 days
NEW:
 Export to Excel
 First Added / Last Modified tags
 Feature IDs to tie Roadmap to Message Center
Office 365 Roadmap

36. Service
Health Email
notifications
• Easily monitor the
service
• Find out about issues
right when they
happen
• In preview, rolling out
broadly in 2018
Sign up for the preview: send an email with your tenant ID to:
shdpreviewsignup@service.microsoft.com

37. New Admin
Training
• Enhance your skills:
• LinkedIn Learning courses
• TechAdacemy
techacademy.microsoft.com
• Train your users:
Office Training Center

38. What Microsoft heard What Microsoft did
• Weekly digest email summary
• Roadmap updates more frequently
• Consistent Feature IDs
• Roadmap export to spreadsheet
• First Added / Last Modified dates
• New app documentation template
• Coming soon: MC admin role
(estimated Q1 2018)
• Deliver communications in email
• Maintain roadmap accuracy
• Tie roadmap to communications
• Allow greater flexibility with data
• Clarify what has changed and when
• Standardize information at release
• Non-admin Message Center access

39. Community Resources & Events
•SharePoint
Conference
Twitter Microsoft MVPs
Microsoft Ignite
SharePoint
Saturdays
Other
Community
Events

40. Controlling Change
• Never enable for the entire tenant
• Enrol users selectively
• If possible, users outside of IT too
• Test changes out, gather feedback
•Office 365 First
Release
• Sometimes helps when features are not supported by
selective First Release
• Test changes thoroughly
• See how changes could break and how to fix
Test Tenant
• Roll them out on your own timeline
• Not always possible
• Sometimes only possible after the change has been rolled out
Turning features
off

41. The most important step:
Communicating
changes to end users

42. Cool, I’ll just send an email.
Didn’t you get the memo?
Office Space (1999), 20th Century Fox

43. Get the word out the right way

44. Get the word out the right way
Identify your
target audience.
Define your key
message.
Choose the best
channels.
Outline any risks,
dependencies,
and known issues.
Identify your
desired outcomes
and goals.

45. Get the word out the right way
Build your
communication and
readiness plan.
1.Create your detailed
communications
schedule.
1.Produce content
and creative
deliverables suited for
your sparks.
1.Manage your
campaign execution.
1.Generate and
review campaign
reports, so you can
see progress against
your goals.

46. Get the word out the right way
Achieve sustainable
business outcomes.
1.Drive cultural
change within your
company.
1.Establish social
norms that encourage
taking quick action.
1.Draw people in to
act and connect in
new ways.

47. Where to Communicate
• Not good enough
on its own
• Good for
major/impactful
changes
• Reserve for
actionable items
•Email
• Great resource for
sharing company
announcements
• Seen as less
“spammy”
• Good for all changes
Yammer
• Announcements
• Provide learning
resources ad
documentation
• Communication
Sites & News
• Good for all changes
SharePoint
• Sometimes changes
need the personal
touch
• Company meetings
• Trainings
• Good for major/
impactful changes
In Person

48. What to Communicate
•When is the
change coming
How does this
change impact
users daily
Why is it
happening
(not “because Microsoft”)
“What’s in it for
me?”
How to get
support
What the end
user needs to
do

49. Email
•Keep it clear and concise
Avoid long paragraphs
Include pictures/
screenshots if applicable
Multiple emails are often necessary

50. BAD
GOOD
BEST

51. Communication Templates
Standardize your communication
(https://www.microsoft.com/itshowcase/readiness)
AwarenessAction General

53. But wait!
You’re not done yet;
Time to support the changes

54. Providing Support
• Ensure your support staff or helpdesk gets communication
on the change
• Develop a support plan
• Put together support documentation or find support
documentation provided by Microsoft
– support.office.com
– azure.microsoft.com/documentation
– Use these resources to learn how to administer
new features too

55. What Makes a Champion? Assemble your Team

56. Champions

58. 5
6
7
Train
and empower
Champions
Assemble
a team of
volunteers
Develop
the program
1
4
2
3

59. 75% Defined a vision and identified how Office 365 will be used
Obtained proactive support from senior leadership to encourage use of Office 36575%
Provided training for end users32%
Raised awareness through email, Intranet announcements, posters, teaser videos, newsletters31%

60. Program Best Practices
Centrally planned; locally managed and executed
Attract volunteers who have an interest in technology and driving
efficiency
Attract volunteers rather than forcing people to join
Pair senior leaders with Champions to enable “reverse mentoring” by
those who know product
Reinvigorate program regularly with new content from Microsoft and
new Champions
Incentivize Champions with recognition
Centrally
managed
Program
Regional
Champion
Sponsor

61. Overview
Key Benefits
Nominate ChampionsMicrosoft led
Office 365 Champions Program
Internal Champions Programs

62. Next Steps
Nominate Champions
aka.ms/office365champion
Build your Internal Champions Program
2
1
Resources
Build Champions Program Guide
Champions Program flyer
Register for Microsoft led program

64. What they don’t tell you

65. Feedback to Microsoft

66. Feedback to Microsoft
• Engage with your Microsoft account
reps
• Engage with local Microsoft Partners
• Engage on the Microsoft Tech Community site
• Message Center
• UserVoice
• Portal Feedback
• Office Software feedback

68. We love when you give us verbatim
feedback to use.

71. 2017 Message Center Insights/Examples
Admins “like” new features
• By volume: Copy files and folders from OneDrive to SharePoint
• By percent: Exchange Online Remove-CalendarEvents
Admins “dislike” feature deprecations posts
• By volume: Removing the Office 2013 version of Office 365 ProPlus
• By percent: Access Web Apps are being retired from SharePoint
Microsoft uses your feedback
• Improve clarity of communications
• Don’t create groups for our managers

72. But Max, I don’t have admin
access? What can I do?
There’s still tons of great
ways to be involved!

73. Get involved as an end user
• Provide feedback through your Office Web Apps or Office Pro
Plus!
• Get involved as an Office 365 Champion
• Provide constructive feedback to your IT department
• Take time to learn new things
• Office Blogs & Tech Community
• Events like these!

75. Call to Action
Build a Change Champions program
Configure admins, IT pros, and power users for Targeted Release
Find a way to absorb and communicate Message Center content
Install Admin Mobile App
Check out the new Microsoft internal IT white paper
•“From systems to people: Rethinking service management”
•https://aka.ms/MSITservers2services

76. Resources
• aka.ms/o365adminmobileManage Office 365 from anywhere
• techcommunity.microsoft.comManage Office 365 more effectively
with the admin help center
• aka.ms/office365networkJoin the Office 365 tech community
to connect with peers
• blogs.office.comRead Office 365 news and
announcements
• roadmap.office.comPlan for Office 365 functionality
coming in the future

77. Questions

78. Thank You to Our Sponsors
PLATINUM
GOLD
SILVER BRONZE

79. Join us right after at The Urge
Socialize and unwind after our day of learning.
Urge Gastropub & Common House
(practically across the street)
255 Redel Road, San Marcos, CA 92078
https://sm.urgegastropub.com/
Thank you for joining us today!
Don’t Forget SharePint

80. Thank you!
Email : max@o356mn.org
Twitter : @TheCloudSherpa
Website/Blog: maxafritz.com
LinkedIn : in/maxafritz
Stay in touch!
Come ask me questions!