Michigan Medicine offers SharePoint services to meet you and your team’s Intranet needs.  Within the SharePoint services that Michigan Medicine provides, there are two main SharePoint options; a Team Site (also known as a Collaboration Site) and a Communication Site. This article helps explain the use case(s) that you might take into consideration when selecting between these two options.  In general, the SharePoint service that you request should reflect your team’s use case(s) and needs for team collaboration and/or communication. 

When to Select a Team Site (a.k.a., a Collaboration Site):

• Description:

This SharePoint option provides a “bundle” of M365 services designed for multi-channel communication and advanced collaboration associated with your M365 Group and that are great for facilitating team or project operations.  In addition to a modern SharePoint team site, this option includes a Microsoft Outlook inbox and calendar, Team Channel(s), OneNote notebook, and Microsoft Planner.  This SharePoint option can be requested on a self-service basis as described in our SharePoint - Site Life Cycle Management knowledge article.

• Use Case(s):
  • Your project or operational team needs a comprehensive, multi-channel communication and collaboration solution, including a group-focused SharePoint site.
  • Your team is dynamic, and the majority or all of your team is expected to contribute content to your SharePoint site and/or compile content and team tasks through M365 tools such as chat, video meetings, and file sharing.
    

When to Select a Communication Site:

• Description:

This SharePoint option can also be requested on a self-service basis as described in our SharePoint - Site Life Cycle Management knowledge article. It provides an independent SharePoint site that owners and administrators can configure to fit the communication needs of their target audience.

• Use Case(s):
  • You need a Michigan Medicine web presence with minimal complexity and no need for advanced collaboration tools.
  • You need a centralized SharePoint site for internal department operations, document management, and knowledge sharing.
  • Your site will likely have a small number of admins and editors authoring content and information for the majority of a department or the larger organization to consume.