NORTH STAR | MICROSOFT 365 AND GOOGLE WORKSPACE MIGRATION DECISION WORKSHEET

BLANK PLANNING TEMPLATE - NOT EVIDENCE OF TESTS OR MIGRATION RESULTS
Use with the existing migration checklist in either direction. This template
does not establish tool compatibility, supported content or a successful move.
Leave evidence, results and approvals blank until verified. Record unknowns
explicitly during review; an unanswered field is not approval to proceed.
Complete locally and keep completed copies private. Do not include passwords,
access tokens, private customer data or copies of production content. Reference
evidence held in an approved private system instead. This file submits nothing,
performs no checks and contains no tracking.

1. DECISION CONTEXT
Business / migration decision owner:
Review date:
Current platform / intended platform:
Approximate users / data volumes:
Required workloads / exclusions:
Preferred timing / blackout dates / acceptable disruption:
Retention and residency requirements to resolve:
Domain / DNS / tenant ownership contacts (no credentials):
Licence, tool, overlap, backup, training and support budget / owner:
Temporary migration access approval / removal owner:

2. WORKLOAD MAPPINGS
For each block, name the source collection and intended destination. Record
move, archive, rebuild, retain, exclude or undecided as the proposed treatment.
Confirm the actual method and its limits; the headings below promise no
particular content or permission will transfer. Duplicate blocks as needed.

Email: active and shared mailboxes, aliases, groups and service accounts
Source collection / inventory reference / size:
Intended destination / account or group mapping:
Proposed treatment / method / confirmation reference:
Unsupported items / permission changes / separate work:
Business owner / unresolved question / follow-up date:

Calendars and contacts: include shared resources and meeting workflows
Source collection / inventory reference / size:
Intended destination / account or group mapping:
Proposed treatment / method / confirmation reference:
Unsupported items / permission changes / separate work:
Business owner / unresolved question / follow-up date:

Files: shared drives, personal files and retained departed-staff data
Source collection / inventory reference / size:
Intended destination / account or group mapping:
Proposed treatment / method / confirmation reference:
Unsupported items / conversion limits / separate work:
Business owner / unresolved question / follow-up date:

Collaboration: external sharing, shared links, file versions and chat history
Source collection / current collaborators and permissions:
Intended destination / collaborators and permissions:
Proposed treatment / method / confirmation reference:
Unsupported items / changed links or permissions / separate work:
Business owner / unresolved question / follow-up date:

Connected workflows: forms, scanners, CRM, bookings, macros and approvals
Source workflow / inventory reference / current dependency:
Intended destination / integration or rebuild requirement:
Proposed treatment / method / confirmation reference:
Unsupported behaviour / changed access / separate work:
Business owner / unresolved question / follow-up date:

3. REPRESENTATIVE PILOT EVIDENCE
Duplicate this record for shared-calendar, spreadsheet, mobile and external-
sharing users and other important workflows identified in the inventory.
Workload mapping / representative user role / test owner:
Acceptance criteria agreed before testing:
Source sample reference / destination sample reference (no content copies):
Sign-in, mail delivery, meetings, sharing or workflow checks to perform:
Permissions expected / permissions observed with actual users:
Test date / observed result / private evidence reference:
Business-owner acceptance or required follow-up / date:
Related exception IDs:
A completed transfer job alone does not establish business acceptance.

4. EXCEPTIONS AND OPEN DECISIONS
Duplicate this record for every failed, skipped, unsupported or unverified item.
Exception ID / affected workload or workflow:
Observed issue or unknown / evidence reference:
Business impact / acceptance criterion not yet met:
Resolution or separate work required:
Responsible owner / follow-up date:
Effect on cutover or retirement readiness:
Resolution evidence or decision to accept the exception:
Business approver / decision date:

5. CUTOVER PROCEED / PAUSE AUTHORITY
Approved change window / time zone / acceptable disruption:
Person authorised to proceed / contact:
Person authorised to pause or reschedule / contact:
DNS owner / final synchronisation owner:
Domain verification, client setup and email-authentication dependencies:
Pilot and readiness evidence to review / outstanding exception IDs:
User communications / support contacts / coverage period:
Required conditions before proceeding:
Proceed, pause or reschedule decision / rationale:
Decision-maker / decision date and time:
Leave the decision blank until the authorised person reviews readiness.

6. FALLBACK TRIGGERS AND DECISIONS
Condition that would pause or reverse the cutover:
How the condition will be detected / evidence required:
Person authorised to invoke fallback / contact:
Fallback steps supported by the selected method / limitations:
How new data created after cutover will be handled:
Fallback test / observed result / evidence reference:
Decision taken / responsible person / date and time:
User communication and support actions:
Rollback is a plan to test, not a guarantee of an instant or lossless reversal.

7. VALIDATION, HANDOFF AND SOURCE RETIREMENT APPROVAL
Incoming and outgoing mail / calendar invitation checks and evidence:
Shared resources / mobile clients / key integration checks and evidence:
Access review / temporary migration-access removal evidence:
Backup or recovery procedures / responsible owner:
Ownership records / recovery instructions / known limitations handed over:
Support owner / contact / agreed support end date:
Open exception IDs / owners / accepted limitations:
Business acceptance evidence / approver / date:
Retention requirements addressed / supporting reference:
Source subscription cancellation scope / proposed date:
Old-data deletion scope / proposed date:
Person authorised to approve source retirement:
Retirement approval or hold / rationale / date:
Do not cancel the source subscription or delete old data before business
acceptance and retention requirements are addressed. Blank approval is a hold.

Guide: https://northstarit.ca/blog/microsoft-365-vs-google-workspace-2026/