🚀 M365 Migration Planner¶
Live at: aguidetocloud.com/migration-planner/ Built: April 2026 | V3 shipped: April 2026 Cost: $0 — 100% client-side JavaScript, zero API calls Accent colour: Indigo
#6366F1CSS namespace:.migplan-*Body class:page-migration-planner
What It Does¶
An interactive M365 Migration Planning tool that helps IT admins, consultants, and project managers plan Microsoft 365 migrations. Answer a few questions about your scenario, get a personalised migration plan with workload assessments, timeline, risk analysis, tool recommendations, and an executive summary — all in the browser, no sign-up required.
Think of it like a migration architect in your pocket — it asks the right questions, identifies the risks you'd miss, and generates the plan document that usually costs $10k+ from a consulting firm.
Why This Tool Exists¶
The Problem¶
Every IT admin facing a Microsoft 365 migration deals with the same pain points:
- No single source of truth — migration guidance is scattered across 50+ Microsoft Learn articles, vendor blogs, and community posts
- Existing tools require tenant access — BridgeTenant, PnP Assessment Tool all need read permissions to your tenant before they'll help
- Consulting firms gate everything — "Download our checklist" = give us your email for a sales call
- One-size-fits-all checklists — a 10-user cutover migration doesn't need the same plan as a 50,000-user M&A tenant merge
- No interactive planning — existing tools are static PDFs/docs, not dynamic tools that adapt to YOUR scenario
- Tool selection is confusing — native tools vs Quest vs BitTitan vs Cloudiway? Nobody compares them objectively
- Timeline estimation is guesswork — "it depends" is the standard answer, but admins need something better for stakeholder buy-in
- Risk blind spots — admins don't know what they don't know (legal holds, custom connectors, Power Apps dependencies)
Our Differentiator¶
| Feature | Existing Tools | Ours |
|---|---|---|
| Access required | ✅ Tenant access / sign-up | ❌ Zero access — works instantly |
| Migration scenarios | 📝 Usually one type only | ✅ ALL 5 scenarios in one tool |
| Personalisation | ❌ Same checklist for everyone | ✅ Adapts to your answers |
| Workload granularity | 📝 Generic "email + files" | ✅ 8 workloads scored individually |
| Timeline estimation | ❌ "It depends" | ✅ Data volume-based realistic timeline |
| Risk identification | 📝 Generic risk lists | ✅ Scenario-specific risks with mitigations |
| Tool recommendations | ❌ Vendor-biased | ✅ Objective native vs 3rd-party comparison |
| Cost estimation | ❌ Hidden behind sales | ✅ Transparent licensing + tooling + labour |
| Compliance checks | ❌ Separate process | ✅ Built-in data residency + retention checks |
| Output quality | 📝 Checklist PDF | ✅ Executive-ready summary with visuals |
| Cross-tool links | ❌ Standalone | ✅ Links to our Licensing, Readiness, Deprecation tools |
| Cost to user | 💰 $0-$5000+ | ✅ Free forever |
Competitive Landscape Research¶
What Exists Today¶
| Tool | Type | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft FastTrack | Guided service | Official, free for 150+ licences | Gated behind licence count, slow, no self-service planning |
| BridgeTenant | SaaS assessment | Interactive, CIS benchmarks | Requires tenant read access, 7-day trial only |
| PnP Assessment Tool | CLI tool | Deep SharePoint analysis | CLI-only, requires installation + permissions |
| CoreView Checklists | Downloadable docs | Comprehensive lists | Static PDFs, email-gated |
| Quest On Demand | Migration suite | Full E2E migration tool | Enterprise pricing ($$$), overkill for planning |
| BitTitan MigrationWiz | Migration tool | Well-known, reliable | Paid per-mailbox, tool not planner |
| ShareGate | Migration tool | Good SharePoint coverage | Paid, focus on execution not planning |
| Consulting firms | Custom plans | Tailored to your org | $5k-$50k+ for a migration plan |
What NOBODY is Doing¶
- ⭐ Free interactive scenario-based wizard — no existing tool asks "what are you migrating?" and adapts
- ⭐ Multi-scenario in one tool — every tool focuses on one migration type
- ⭐ Workload-by-workload complexity scoring — quantified, not qualitative
- ⭐ Objective tool recommendations — comparing native + 3rd party without vendor bias
- ⭐ Data volume → timeline estimation — nobody gives realistic timelines based on actual data sizes
- ⭐ Built-in coexistence planning — what needs to work side-by-side during phased migrations
- ⭐ Change management integration — comms templates + training timeline in the migration plan
- ⭐ Compliance-aware planning — data residency, retention, eDiscovery woven into the plan
- ⭐ Cross-linking to licensing + readiness tools — ecosystem advantage only we have
Migration Scenarios Covered¶
5 Primary Scenarios¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ M365 MIGRATION PLANNER │
├─────────────┬───────────────┬───────────────────────────┤
│ SCENARIO │ SOURCE │ TARGET │
├─────────────┼───────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ 1. On-Prem │ Exchange/SP │ → M365 Cloud │
│ → Cloud │ File Servers │ Exchange Online │
│ │ AD DS │ SharePoint Online │
│ │ │ OneDrive / Teams │
├─────────────┼───────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ 2. Tenant │ M365 Tenant A │ → M365 Tenant B │
│ → Tenant │ (M&A / Split) │ (All workloads) │
├─────────────┼───────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ 3. Google │ Google W'space│ → M365 Cloud │
│ → M365 │ Gmail / Drive │ Exchange / OneDrive │
│ │ G Groups │ M365 Groups │
├─────────────┼───────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ 4. Hybrid │ On-Premises + │ → Coexistence │
│ Setup │ Some Cloud │ Phased migration │
├─────────────┼───────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│ 5. Other │ Lotus Notes │ → M365 Cloud │
│ Sources │ Zimbra, etc. │ (Email + Files) │
└─────────────┴───────────────┴───────────────────────────┘
8 Workloads Assessed¶
| # | Workload | What's Assessed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exchange / Email | Mailboxes, calendars, contacts, public folders, shared mailboxes, mail-enabled groups, rules, archives |
| 2 | SharePoint | Sites, document libraries, lists, custom pages, workflows, InfoPath, web parts, permissions |
| 3 | OneDrive | Personal files, sync clients, sharing links, storage quotas |
| 4 | Teams | Teams/channels, chat history, tabs, apps, bots, policies, meetings data |
| 5 | Identity (Entra ID) | Users, groups, licences, MFA, conditional access, B2B/B2C, custom roles |
| 6 | Power Platform | Power Apps, Power Automate flows, Power BI reports, custom connectors, environments |
| 7 | Security & Compliance | DLP policies, retention labels, eDiscovery cases, sensitivity labels, legal holds, audit logs |
| 8 | Other Services | Yammer/Viva Engage, Planner, Bookings, Forms, Stream, Project |
Tool Architecture¶
Tabs (8 tabs)¶
┌──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┐
│ Migration│ Workload │ Timeline │ Risk │ Tool │ Cost │Compliance│ Executive│
│ Wizard │Assessment│ Planner │ Matrix │Recommender│Estimator │ Check │ Summary │
└──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┴──────────┘
Tab 1: Migration Wizard 🧙♂️¶
"Tell us about your migration — we'll build your plan"
A guided questionnaire (12-15 questions) that determines: - Migration scenario (which of the 5 types) - Organisation size (users, data volume) - Which workloads are in scope - Timeline constraints (deadline? regulatory?) - Complexity factors (custom apps, compliance needs, multi-geo) - Current environment details
Output: A personalised migration plan card showing scenario, recommended approach (cutover/staged/hybrid/phased), estimated complexity score (0-100), and key considerations.
Question flow (adaptive — questions change based on previous answers):
| # | Question | Options | Affects |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What's your migration scenario? | On-prem→Cloud / Tenant→Tenant / Google→M365 / Hybrid / Other | All downstream |
| 2 | Why are you migrating? | M&A / Divestiture / Modernisation / Compliance / Cost / Consolidation | Risk + compliance tabs |
| 3 | How many users? | <50 / 50-500 / 500-5000 / 5000-50000 / 50000+ | Timeline + approach |
| 4 | Which workloads? | Multi-select: Exchange, SPO, OD, Teams, Power, Identity, Security, Other | Workload tab |
| 5 | Total data volume estimate? | <100GB / 100GB-1TB / 1-10TB / 10-50TB / 50TB+ | Timeline |
| 6 | Largest mailbox size? | <2GB / 2-10GB / 10-50GB / 50-100GB / 100GB+ | Approach + risk |
| 7 | Do you have custom apps/integrations? | None / Few (<10) / Many (10-50) / Complex (50+) | Risk + timeline |
| 8 | Compliance requirements? | None / Basic (DLP) / Advanced (legal hold, eDiscovery) / Regulated industry | Compliance tab |
| 9 | Deadline? | No deadline / 1 month / 3 months / 6 months / 12 months | Timeline feasibility |
| 10 | Multi-geo? | Single region / Multiple regions / Data residency requirements | Compliance + risk |
| 11 | Current directory? | On-prem AD only / Hybrid AD + Entra / Cloud-only Entra / Google directory | Identity workload |
| 12 | Migration experience? | First time / Done one before / Experienced | Change mgmt recommendations |
Complexity Score Formula:
Base Score = Scenario Complexity (0-20)
+ User Scale Factor (0-20)
+ Data Volume Factor (0-15)
+ Workload Count Factor (0-15)
+ Custom Apps Factor (0-10)
+ Compliance Factor (0-10)
+ Multi-Geo Factor (0-5)
+ Deadline Pressure (0-5)
Score Tiers:
🟢 Simple (0-25) → "Straightforward migration, minimal risk"
🟡 Moderate (26-50) → "Standard project, needs solid planning"
🟠 Complex (51-75) → "Significant complexity, consider specialist help"
🔴 Critical (76-100) → "High-risk migration, engage experienced partner"
Tab 2: Workload Assessment 📊¶
"How ready is each workload for migration?"
Per-workload readiness cards showing: - Readiness score (0-100) based on wizard answers - Key items to assess (with expandable detail) - Common blockers specific to that workload - "What migrates" vs "What doesn't migrate" comparison - Pre-migration actions needed
Example card — Exchange:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 📧 Exchange / Email Score: 72 │
│ ████████████████████░░░░░ Ready │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ✅ Standard mailboxes │
│ ✅ Calendars & contacts │
│ ⚠️ Shared mailboxes (need remapping) │
│ ⚠️ Public folders (assess volume) │
│ ❌ Mail-enabled security groups │
│ ❌ Transport rules (manual recreate) │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ PRE-MIGRATION ACTIONS: │
│ • Audit mailbox sizes (>50GB need plan) │
│ • Document mail flow rules │
│ • Test autodiscover for hybrid coex │
│ • Plan shared mailbox delegation │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
Tab 3: Timeline Planner 📅¶
"How long will your migration take?"
A visual phase-based timeline showing:
5 phases with estimated durations:
| Phase | Activities | Duration Factors |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Discovery & Assessment | Inventory, audits, stakeholder alignment | Org size + workload count |
| 2. Planning & Preparation | Tenant config, tool setup, pilot plan | Complexity score |
| 3. Pilot Migration | 5-10% of users, validate approach | 2-4 weeks fixed |
| 4. Production Migration | Waves of users + data | Data volume + user count |
| 5. Post-Migration | Validation, decommission, training | 2-4 weeks fixed |
Timeline display: - Horizontal bar chart showing phases - Each phase expandable with key milestones - Total estimated duration prominently displayed - "Deadline feasibility" indicator (green/yellow/red) - Adjustable: drag phase durations to create your own timeline
Duration estimation formula (based on Microsoft's published data):
Exchange migration throughput: ~10-15 GB/hour (MRS)
SharePoint migration: ~1-10 GB/hour (SPMT, depends on file count)
OneDrive: ~5-15 GB/hour (Migration Manager)
Total data time = Σ(workload_data / throughput_rate)
Buffer = Total data time × 1.5 (for errors, retries, throttling)
Discovery = 2-6 weeks (scaled by org size)
Planning = 2-8 weeks (scaled by complexity)
Pilot = 2-4 weeks (fixed)
Post = 2-4 weeks (fixed)
Tab 4: Risk Matrix ⚠️¶
"What could go wrong — and how to prevent it"
Risk cards categorised by severity:
| Severity | Colour | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 🔴 Critical | Red | Will cause migration failure if not addressed |
| 🟠 High | Orange | Significant impact on timeline or quality |
| 🟡 Medium | Yellow | Manageable but needs attention |
| 🟢 Low | Green | Minor, easily handled |
Risk categories (dynamically populated based on wizard answers):
- Data Risks: Data loss, corruption, incomplete migration, version history loss
- Identity Risks: Authentication failures, SSO breaks, MFA disruption, B2B access loss
- Application Risks: Custom app breaks, connector failures, workflow disruptions
- Compliance Risks: Legal hold gaps, retention policy conflicts, data residency violations
- User Experience Risks: Disrupted workflows, lost bookmarks/settings, retraining needs
- Timeline Risks: Throttling, unexpected data volumes, dependency delays
- Security Risks: Permission escalation, open sharing links, external access changes
Each risk card shows: - Risk description - Likelihood (based on scenario) - Impact level - Mitigation strategy - Link to relevant Microsoft Learn doc
Tab 5: Tool Recommender 🔧¶
"Which tools should you use?"
Objective comparison of migration tools per workload:
| Workload | Native Tool(s) | 3rd Party Options | Recommendation Logic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exchange | Cross-tenant MRS, Migration endpoint | BitTitan, Quest, Cloudiway | Native if simple, 3rd party if coexistence needed |
| SharePoint | SPMT, Migration Manager | ShareGate, Quest, Cloudiway | Native for modern sites, 3rd party for complex permissions |
| OneDrive | Migration Manager | BitTitan, Quest | Native for most scenarios |
| Teams | Cross-tenant Teams migration | BitTitan, Quest | Native if available, 3rd party for chat history |
| Identity | Entra Cross-tenant Sync, B2B | Quest, ADMT | Native for cloud, ADMT for on-prem |
| Power Platform | Manual export/import | None mature yet | Manual process with documentation |
| Security/Compliance | Manual policy recreation | CoreView audit | Semi-manual with audit tools |
For each recommended tool: - Pros / Cons - Cost model (free / per-user / per-GB) - Best for scenario (small/medium/large/enterprise) - Link to vendor page - Link to Microsoft Learn setup guide
Tab 6: Cost Estimator 💰¶
"What will this migration cost?"
3 cost categories:
- Licensing Costs
- Source tenant licences (retention period)
- Target tenant licences (new purchases)
- Coexistence period overlap costs
-
Cross-link to our Licensing Simplifier
-
Tooling Costs
- Native tools (free)
- 3rd party tools (per-user/per-GB pricing)
-
Estimated cost based on user count + data volume
-
Labour / Professional Services
- Internal IT hours (configurable hourly rate)
- External consultant estimates
- Change management effort
- Training costs
Output: Total estimated migration cost with per-user breakdown
Tab 7: Compliance Check ✅¶
"Will your migration stay compliant?"
Interactive checklist for compliance areas:
| Area | Check Items |
|---|---|
| Data Residency | Where is data stored? Multi-geo needed? GDPR/sovereignty requirements? |
| Retention | Active retention policies? Labels applied? Archive mailboxes? |
| eDiscovery | Active cases? Legal holds? Content search scope changes? |
| DLP | DLP policies to recreate? Sensitive info types? Custom rules? |
| Audit | Audit log continuity? Unified audit log enabled? |
| Encryption | Customer keys? Service encryption? Certificate migration? |
| External Sharing | SharePoint external sharing settings? Guest access policies? |
Scored as: ✅ Ready / ⚠️ Needs Action / ❌ Blocker
Tab 8: Executive Summary 📄¶
"Print this. Hand it to your CIO."
A clean, printable summary page containing: - Migration scenario overview - Complexity score with visual gauge - Workload readiness snapshot (8 mini bars) - Recommended approach + timeline - Top 5 risks with mitigations - Estimated cost breakdown - Tool recommendations - Compliance status - Next steps checklist - Assumptions + disclaimers
Features: - Copy to clipboard (Markdown format) - Print-optimised CSS - Shareable URL with all parameters encoded
Technical Architecture¶
Stack¶
| Component | Technology |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 100% client-side JavaScript (zero API calls) |
| Data | TOML data files loaded via Hugo templates |
| Layout | Hugo template: layouts/migration-planner/list.html |
| Styling | static/css/migration-planner.css (indigo #6366F1) |
| Logic | static/js/migration-planner.js |
| Content | content/migration-planner/_index.md |
| Schema | JSON-LD: WebApplication + FAQPage |
Data Files (data/migration-planner/)¶
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
scenarios.toml |
5 migration scenarios with complexity bases, descriptions, approaches |
workloads.toml |
8 workloads with assessment items, blockers, what-migrates/what-doesn't |
risks.toml |
50+ risks categorised by scenario, workload, severity, with mitigations |
tools.toml |
Migration tools (native + 3rd party) with pros/cons/pricing/links |
timeline.toml |
Phase templates with duration formulas, milestones |
compliance.toml |
Compliance check items by category with guidance links |
faq.toml |
6-8 SEO-targeted FAQ questions + answers |
State Management¶
// Shared state object (same pattern as ROI Calculator)
const S = {
// Wizard answers
scenario: null, // 'onprem-cloud' | 'tenant-tenant' | 'google-m365' | 'hybrid' | 'other'
reason: null, // 'merger' | 'divestiture' | 'modernise' | 'compliance' | 'cost' | 'consolidate'
userCount: null, // number or range key
workloads: [], // ['exchange', 'sharepoint', 'onedrive', 'teams', 'power', 'identity', 'security', 'other']
dataVolume: null, // range key
largestMailbox: null, // range key
customApps: null, // 'none' | 'few' | 'many' | 'complex'
compliance: null, // 'none' | 'basic' | 'advanced' | 'regulated'
deadline: null, // 'none' | '1m' | '3m' | '6m' | '12m'
multiGeo: null, // 'single' | 'multi' | 'residency'
directory: null, // 'onprem-ad' | 'hybrid' | 'cloud-entra' | 'google'
experience: null, // 'first' | 'done-one' | 'experienced'
// Computed
complexityScore: 0,
complexityTier: '',
approach: '', // 'cutover' | 'staged' | 'hybrid' | 'phased'
workloadScores: {},
risks: [],
timeline: {},
costEstimate: {},
// UI state
currentTab: 'wizard',
wizardStep: 0,
};
URL State (shareable)¶
/migration-planner/?scenario=tenant-tenant&users=5000&workloads=exchange,sharepoint,teams&complexity=67&tab=summary
localStorage¶
- Save last 5 migration plans
- Resume where you left off
- Compare historical plans
SEO Strategy¶
Target Keywords¶
| Priority | Keyword | Monthly Volume (Est.) | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🔴 Primary | M365 migration planner | Medium | Low (no free interactive tool!) |
| 🔴 Primary | Microsoft 365 migration checklist | High | Medium |
| 🔴 Primary | tenant-to-tenant migration tool | Medium | Low |
| 🟠 Secondary | M365 migration readiness assessment | Medium | Low |
| 🟠 Secondary | Exchange to Microsoft 365 migration plan | Medium | Medium |
| 🟠 Secondary | Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration | High | Medium |
| 🟠 Secondary | SharePoint migration planning tool | Medium | Low |
| 🟡 Long-tail | how long does M365 migration take | Low | Very Low |
| 🟡 Long-tail | M365 migration risk assessment | Low | Very Low |
| 🟡 Long-tail | migration tool comparison native vs third party | Low | Very Low |
| 🟡 Long-tail | M365 migration cost estimator free | Low | Very Low |
SEO Implementation¶
- Page title: "Free M365 Migration Planner | Interactive Microsoft 365 Migration Tool"
- Meta description: "Plan your Microsoft 365 migration for free. Interactive wizard covers on-premises, tenant-to-tenant, and Google Workspace scenarios. Get personalised timelines, risk assessments, and tool recommendations — no sign-up required."
- H1: "M365 Migration Planner"
- JSON-LD: WebApplication schema + FAQPage schema (6-8 questions)
- FAQ questions (target featured snippets):
- "How long does a Microsoft 365 migration take?"
- "What tools do I need for tenant-to-tenant migration?"
- "How much does M365 migration cost?"
- "What are the risks of Microsoft 365 migration?"
- "Can I migrate from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365?"
- "What is the best approach for M365 migration?"
- Internal linking: From Licensing Simplifier, Copilot Readiness, Deprecation Timeline, blog posts
- Blog post: "The Complete M365 Migration Planning Guide (2026)" — drives organic traffic to the tool
Content Marketing Loop¶
Blog Post → Tool → Executive Summary → Share → Backlinks
↑ |
└──────────────── Social posts ←───────────────┘
V1 vs V2 Scope¶
V1 (Initial Launch)¶
| Tab | Status |
|---|---|
| ✅ Migration Wizard | Full 12-question adaptive wizard |
| ✅ Workload Assessment | 8 workload readiness cards |
| ✅ Timeline Planner | Phase-based visual timeline |
| ✅ Risk Matrix | Scenario-specific risk cards |
| ✅ Tool Recommender | Native + 3rd party comparison |
| ✅ Executive Summary | Printable, shareable, copyable |
| 🔮 Cost Estimator | V2 |
| 🔮 Compliance Check | V2 |
V2 (Enhancement)¶
- Cost Estimator tab (licensing + tools + labour)
- Compliance Check tab (interactive checklist)
- Save/compare multiple migration plans
- PDF export
- Email the plan (client-side mailto link)
- Migration wave planner (drag users into waves)
- Coexistence matrix (what works side-by-side during migration)
- Industry-specific templates (healthcare, education, government, finance)
- PowerShell script generator (pre-migration audit commands)
- Blog + YouTube content integration
Design Mockup¶
Colour System¶
Accent: #6366F1 (Indigo)
Accent Dim: rgba(99, 102, 241, 0.15)
Accent Glow: rgba(99, 102, 241, 0.08)
Background: #141425 (site dark bg)
Complexity tiers:
🟢 Simple: #10B981
🟡 Moderate: #EAB308
🟠 Complex: #F97316
🔴 Critical: #EF4444
Workload colours:
Exchange: #0078D4 (Microsoft blue)
SharePoint: #038387 (teal)
OneDrive: #0078D4
Teams: #6264A7 (purple)
Identity: #00BCF2 (light blue)
Power: #742774 (purple)
Security: #D13438 (red)
Other: #7A7574 (grey)
Wizard UX Flow¶
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ M365 MIGRATION PLANNER │
│ 🚀 Plan your migration in minutes │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Question 3 of 12 ███░░ 25% │
│ │
│ How many users are you migrating? │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ < 50 users │ │ 50 - 500 │ │
│ └─────────────┘ └──────────────┘ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ 500 - 5000 │ │ 5000 - 50k │ │
│ └─────────────┘ └──────────────┘ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ 50,000+ │ │
│ └─────────────┘ │
│ │
│ 💡 Tip: Include service accounts and shared │
│ mailboxes in your count │
│ │
│ ← Back Next → │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Complexity Score Display¶
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ YOUR MIGRATION COMPLEXITY │
│ │
│ ┌─────────┐ │
│ │ 67 │ │
│ │ /100 │ │
│ └─────────┘ │
│ 🟠 Complex Migration │
│ │
│ Scenario: Tenant-to-Tenant (M&A) │
│ Approach: Phased Migration (4 waves) │
│ Users: 5,000 │ Data: ~5 TB │ Workloads: 5 │
│ │
│ "Your migration has significant complexity due │
│ to the large data volume and custom Power Apps │
│ that need remediation. Consider engaging a │
│ specialist partner for the Exchange migration."│
│ │
│ [View Workloads] [View Timeline] [View Risks] │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Files to Create¶
aguidetocloud-revamp/
├── content/
│ └── migration-planner/
│ └── _index.md # Front matter + SEO
├── data/
│ └── migration-planner/
│ ├── scenarios.toml # 5 migration scenarios
│ ├── workloads.toml # 8 workloads with assessment data
│ ├── risks.toml # 50+ risks with mitigations
│ ├── tools.toml # Migration tools comparison
│ ├── timeline.toml # Phase templates + formulas
│ └── faq.toml # SEO FAQ questions
├── layouts/
│ └── migration-planner/
│ └── list.html # Main template (8 tabs)
├── static/
│ ├── css/
│ │ └── migration-planner.css # Indigo accent, .migplan-* namespace
│ └── js/
│ └── migration-planner.js # All client-side logic
└── hugo.toml # Bump cache_version
Integration Points (site-wide changes)¶
| File | Change |
|---|---|
layouts/_default/baseof.html |
Add body class page-migration-planner |
static/css/style.css |
Add nav accent for .page-migration-planner |
layouts/partials/nav.html |
Add to Free Tools dropdown |
layouts/index.html |
Add card to homepage tools grid |
content/free-tools/_index.md or layout |
Add card to Free Tools page |
static/staticwebapp.config.json |
Add cache rules if data files served |
Implementation Checklist¶
Following the Free Tools Design Framework (17-step checklist from reference file)
- [ ] 1. Create content:
content/migration-planner/_index.md - [ ] 2. Create layout:
layouts/migration-planner/list.html - [ ] 3. Create CSS:
static/css/migration-planner.css(with--tool-accent: #6366F1) - [ ] 4. Use
{{ partial "tool-hero.html" ... }}for hero - [ ] 5. Add
<link rel="stylesheet">in template with cache-busting - [ ] 6. Add body class
page-migration-plannerinbaseof.html - [ ] 7. Add nav accent in
style.css - [ ] 8. Add to nav dropdown in
nav.html - [ ] 9. Add card to homepage
layouts/index.html - [ ] 10. Add card to
/free-tools/landing page - [ ] 11. Add JSON-LD schema (WebApplication + FAQPage)
- [ ] 12. Add route + cache rules to
staticwebapp.config.json - [ ] 13. Implement: search, filters, clear, count, URL state, ARIA, Clarity tracking
- [ ] 14. Add
{{ partial "feedback-cta.html" ... }}before back-nav - [ ] 15. Add
{{ partial "back-nav" ... }}at bottom - [ ] 16. Bump
cache_versioninhugo.toml - [ ] 17. Build, smoke test, deploy
- [ ] 18. Document in
copilot-instructions.mdand reference file
Data Sources & References¶
| Source | URL | Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Learn — Tenant-to-tenant migrations | learn.microsoft.com | Scenario architecture, native tool capabilities |
| Microsoft Learn — Migration best practices | learn.microsoft.com | Throughput data, duration estimates |
| Microsoft Learn — SPMT guide | learn.microsoft.com | SharePoint migration details |
| Microsoft Learn — FastTrack data migration | learn.microsoft.com | What migrates vs what doesn't |
| Microsoft Learn — Cross-tenant mailbox migration | learn.microsoft.com | MRS setup, prerequisites |
| Apps4.Pro migration checklist | blog.apps4.pro | Comprehensive checklist items |
| CoreView migration guide | coreview.com | Best practices, risk factors |
| MSAdvance migration guide | msadvance.com | Tool comparisons, timeline guidance |
| ShareGate planning guide | sharegate.com | Pre-migration best practices |
Cross-Tool Ecosystem¶
┌─────────────────────┐
│ MIGRATION PLANNER │
│ (This Tool) │
└────────┬────────────┘
│
┌───────────────────┼───────────────────┐
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌─────────────────┐ ┌───────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐
│ Licensing │ │ Copilot │ │ Deprecation │
│ Simplifier │ │ Readiness │ │ Timeline │
│ (licence costs) │ │ (post-migrate)│ │ (what's retiring)│
└─────────────────┘ └───────────────┘ └──────────────────┘
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌─────────────────┐ ┌───────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐
│ ROI │ │ Service │ │ Copilot Feature │
│ Calculator │ │ Health │ │ Matrix │
│ (Copilot ROI) │ │ (status check)│ │ (what you get) │
└─────────────────┘ └───────────────┘ └──────────────────┘
Natural cross-links: - "What licences do you need?" → Licensing Simplifier - "Ready for Copilot post-migration?" → Copilot Readiness - "What's being deprecated?" → Deprecation Timeline - "What's the ROI of adding Copilot?" → ROI Calculator - "Check service status" → Service Health Dashboard - "What Copilot features will you get?" → Copilot Feature Matrix
Success Metrics¶
| Metric | Target | How to Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly visits | 500+ within 3 months | Clarity analytics |
| Wizard completion rate | >60% | Clarity event tracking |
| Executive summary generated | >30% of visitors | Clarity event |
| Time on page | >3 minutes | Clarity |
| Shared URLs | Track via URL param presence | Server logs |
| Blog referrals | 20% of traffic from blog posts | Clarity |
| SEO ranking | Top 10 for "M365 migration planner" | Google Search Console |
| Cross-tool navigation | 15% click through to other tools | Clarity |
Open Questions¶
- Should we include a "Migration Calendar" feature? — where users can pick blackout dates and the tool works around them
- PowerShell script generator — generate pre-migration audit scripts? (big differentiator but adds complexity)
- Should the tool save plans server-side? — with a simple link/code system (no auth) for sharing between team members
- Industry templates — pre-filled answers for Healthcare, Education, Government, Finance scenarios?
- Integration with Microsoft Graph? — optional "connect your tenant" for real data? (kills the "no sign-up" USP)
Last updated: April 2026