SharePoint Builder
Produce a complete SharePoint Online provisioning specification. Work through each section in order, making explicit decisions rather than presenting options. Output a structured specification document the client can hand to a SharePoint administrator for implementation.
Site Design
Determine site type first:
- Communication site: Use when the primary purpose is broadcasting information to a broad audience (intranet home, compliance notices, product catalog). Single owner team, many readers.
- Team site: Use when the site supports ongoing collaboration within a defined working group (claims team, loan processing unit, agency ops). Members need to contribute content.
Document the selection with rationale. Then specify:
- Display name and URL slug: Follow the convention
[firm-abbreviation]-[function](e.g.,acme-claims,acme-hr) - Site template: Apply the built-in template closest to the use case (Topic, Showcase, Blank for communication sites; Standard, Project, no-template for team sites)
- Hub site registration: Register under the appropriate hub (Intranet hub for communication sites, Department hub for team sites) to inherit navigation and theme
- Navigation structure: List the top navigation links (max 7) and any mega-menu groupings. Use audience-targeted navigation nodes where different roles see different links.
- Permissions model: Define three SharePoint groups with exact membership:
| Group | Role | Populated by |
|---|---|---|
| [Site Name] Owners | Full Control | IT admins + site champion |
| [Site Name] Members | Edit | Business function staff |
| [Site Name] Visitors | Read | All firm staff (or specific departments) |
Never break inheritance at the site level unless a specific confidentiality requirement exists — document any inheritance breaks explicitly.
Document Library Design
For each document library, produce this specification:
Library name: Use PascalCase nouns (e.g., PolicyDocuments, ClaimFiles, LoanApplications)
Column schema table:
| Column Name | Type | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Content Type | Content Type | Yes | — | List all content types |
| Client ID | Single line of text | Yes | — | Must match AMS/LOS client ID format |
| Document Date | Date | Yes | Today | |
| Status | Choice | Yes | Draft | Draft; Under Review; Final; Archived |
| ... |
Managed metadata columns: For any taxonomy-driven column (Coverage Type, State, Product Line), specify the term set path in the Term Store (e.g., Lobbi > Products > Coverage Types). Do not use free-text columns for values that must be standardized.
Versioning settings:
- Major versions only for final documents subject to retention (policies, contracts)
- Major and minor versions for documents with a review/approval workflow (procedures, templates)
- Set major version limit: 50 | minor version limit: 10
- Enable check-out required if document integrity during editing is critical
Retention label: Specify which Microsoft Purview retention label to auto-apply (e.g., FINRA-7yr, State-Insurance-5yr, General-3yr).
Views to configure:
- Default view: Active documents, sorted by Document Date descending
- By Status: Group by Status column
- By Client: Group by Client ID, show only Final items
- Archive view: Status = Archived, hidden from main navigation
Custom List Design
For each tracking list (claims register, renewal pipeline, task log), produce:
List name and purpose: One sentence describing what the list tracks and who updates it.
Column definitions:
| Column Name | Type | Required | Choices / Validation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Single line | Yes | — | Claim number or record ID |
| Assigned To | Person | Yes | — | Must be internal user |
| Due Date | Date | No | Must be >= [Today] | Validation formula |
| Priority | Choice | Yes | High; Medium; Low | |
| ... |
Calculated columns: Define the formula explicitly. Example: Days Open = =DATEDIF([Created],[Today],"D").
Validation formulas: List any column-level or list-level validation rules (e.g., Close Date must be after Open Date).
Views:
- My Items:
[Assigned To] = [Me], sorted by Due Date ascending - Overdue:
[Due Date] < [Today] AND [Status] != "Closed", highlighted with red conditional formatting - All Items: Default, ungrouped, for managers
Page Design
For each page (home page and key landing pages), specify:
Page layout: Full-width, vertical section, or multi-column. Specify the number of columns per section.
Web part placement (top to bottom, left to right):
| Section | Web Part | Configuration Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hero | Hero | 5 tiles; link to key document libraries and apps |
| Row 1, Left | News | Source: This site; Layout: Top story; Show: 4 items |
| Row 1, Right | Quick Links | Compact layout; link to AMS, LOS, Teams channel, SharePoint libraries |
| Row 2 | Document Library | Library: PolicyDocuments; View: Active; Show 8 items |
| Row 3 | List | List: RenewalPipeline; View: My Items |
| Footer | People | Show site owners and site contacts |
Audience targeting: Specify if any web parts should be targeted to a specific SharePoint group or Azure AD group.
Information Architecture
Define the site collection hierarchy:
[Hub Site] Firm Intranet
[Associated Site] HR & Compliance
[Associated Site] Operations - Claims
[Associated Site] Operations - Renewals
[Standalone] Client Portal (external sharing enabled)
Specify which sites should be standalone (not hub-associated) due to external sharing, sensitivity, or guest access requirements.
Governance Settings
| Setting | Value | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| External sharing | Disabled (or Existing guests only) | Financial services: no anonymous links |
| Default link type | Specific people | Prevent accidental broad sharing |
| Expiration on sharing links | 30 days | Limit lingering access |
| Site storage limit | 1 TB (or custom) | |
| Site classification | Internal / Confidential / Restricted | Per Microsoft Purview classification |
Output Format
Deliver the specification as a structured Markdown document with:
- Executive summary (site purpose, primary users, key libraries)
- Site design decision table
- Library specifications (one section per library)
- List specifications (one section per list)
- Page design layout (one section per page)
- Permissions matrix
- Governance settings table
- Open questions requiring client confirmation before provisioning begins