About This Course
In today's data-driven environment, organisations face mounting pressure to manage records accurately, securely, and in full compliance with regulatory requirements. Paper-based and siloed digital filing systems are no longer adequate for the volume, velocity, and variety of information that modern enterprises generate daily. Microsoft SharePoint and Office 365 offer a powerful, integrated platform for implementing enterprise-grade digital records management — but only when properly configured, governed, and aligned to organisational policy.
This ten-day programme, Digital Records Management Implementation with SharePoint and Office 365, provides a comprehensive, hands-on journey through every stage of a records management implementation lifecycle. From foundational principles and information architecture design through to automated retention scheduling, compliance configuration, and end-user adoption, participants gain both the conceptual grounding and the practical technical skills needed to lead a successful deployment.
The course is built around real-world scenarios drawn from public sector, financial services, healthcare, and NGO environments — reflecting the diverse contexts in which records governance challenges arise. Participants will work directly within SharePoint Online and the Microsoft 365 compliance centre, configuring document libraries, metadata schemas, retention labels, sensitivity labels, content types, and automated workflows. They will also explore Microsoft Purview, eDiscovery tools, and audit logging capabilities that underpin legal defensibility and regulatory reporting.
By the close of the programme, participants will be equipped to serve as records management system owners, SharePoint administrators, or digital transformation leads within their organisations — capable of designing governance frameworks, training colleagues, and sustaining compliance over time. TrainingComplex delivers this programme with experienced facilitators who combine deep Microsoft 365 technical expertise with practical records management and information governance knowledge.
Who Should Attend
- Records managers and information officers seeking to modernise their records systems
- SharePoint administrators and Microsoft 365 system administrators
- IT officers responsible for document and content management platforms
- Compliance officers and data protection officers overseeing information governance
- Archivists and knowledge management professionals transitioning to digital environments
- Government and public sector officials implementing electronic records management systems
- Project managers leading digital transformation or records digitisation initiatives
- Internal auditors requiring an understanding of digital records trails and audit logs
Learning Objectives
- Explain core records management principles, terminology, and international standards including ISO 15489 and ISO 23081
- Design an information architecture for SharePoint that supports compliant records classification and retrieval
- Build and configure SharePoint document libraries, content types, site columns, and metadata schemas aligned to a file plan
- Configure and publish retention labels and retention policies using Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal
- Implement sensitivity labels and information protection settings to safeguard confidential records
- Develop and deploy automated workflows using Power Automate to support records lifecycle processes
- Configure disposition review processes and manage the end-of-life stage of digital records
- Utilise Microsoft 365 eDiscovery and audit tools to support legal holds, investigations, and regulatory requests
- Design and implement a records governance framework including roles, responsibilities, policies, and training plans
- Monitor records system health using compliance dashboards, audit logs, and reporting tools
- Plan and execute user adoption strategies including change management and end-user training
- Manage records migration from legacy systems and shared drives into SharePoint Online
- Evaluate and continuously improve a live records management system post-implementation
Course Modules
Module 1: Foundations of Digital Records Management
- Defining records, documents, and information: key distinctions and implications
- The records lifecycle: creation, capture, classification, retention, and disposition
- International standards overview: ISO 15489, ISO 23081, and MoReq2010
- Legal and regulatory drivers for records management across sectors and jurisdictions
- Consequences of poor records management: compliance failures, litigation risk, and reputational damage
- The business case for implementing a digital records management system
Module 2: Introduction to SharePoint and Microsoft 365 for Records Management
- Microsoft 365 ecosystem overview: SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Teams, and Purview
- SharePoint architecture: tenants, site collections, sites, libraries, and lists
- How SharePoint supports records management: built-in features and compliance capabilities
- Navigating the Microsoft 365 admin centre and SharePoint admin centre
- Licensing considerations for compliance and records management features
- Configuring tenant-level settings relevant to records and information governance
Module 3: Designing a Records Classification Scheme and File Plan
- Principles of records classification and functional classification schemes
- Developing a file plan: structure, hierarchy, and naming conventions
- Mapping business functions and activities to record series
- Using ISO 23081 metadata standards to support classification design
- Workshop: drafting a file plan for a simulated government or corporate entity
- Validating the file plan against regulatory requirements and organisational policy
Module 4: Information Architecture in SharePoint
- Designing site structures and document library hierarchies to reflect the file plan
- Creating and managing content types at the hub and site collection level
- Building site columns and managed metadata term stores for consistent classification
- Configuring content type hubs for enterprise-wide deployment
- Applying views, filters, and search configuration to support record retrieval
- Lab: constructing a SharePoint information architecture from a provided file plan
Module 5: Metadata Management and Records Capture
- The role of metadata in records management: findability, context, and authenticity
- Designing mandatory and optional metadata fields aligned to the file plan
- Configuring managed metadata columns with term store hierarchies
- Automating metadata population using default values, inheritance, and content type rules
- Implementing document upload policies and capture procedures for end users
- Lab: configuring a metadata schema and testing record capture in a live SharePoint environment
Module 6: Retention Policies and Retention Labels in Microsoft Purview
- Records retention fundamentals: legal, operational, and historical retention categories
- Developing a retention schedule aligned to regulatory and organisational requirements
- Creating and publishing retention labels in the Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal
- Configuring event-based retention triggers for records tied to business events
- Applying auto-labelling policies using keyword, sensitive information type, and trainable classifier conditions
- Lab: building and deploying a complete retention label framework for a sample organisation
Module 7: Sensitivity Labels and Information Protection
- Understanding sensitivity labels and their role in protecting confidential records
- Designing a sensitivity label taxonomy aligned to data classification policy
- Configuring label policies, encryption settings, and access restrictions
- Applying sensitivity labels manually and automatically across SharePoint and Office 365
- Integrating sensitivity labels with conditional access and data loss prevention policies
- Lab: configuring and testing sensitivity labels in a Microsoft 365 training environment
Module 8: Automating Records Processes with Power Automate
- Introduction to Power Automate and its integration with SharePoint records workflows
- Designing automated flows for record capture, approval, and classification
- Building a retention trigger workflow linked to business events (e.g. contract expiry, employee departure)
- Configuring notifications and escalation flows for disposition review
- Error handling, flow monitoring, and maintaining automated workflows over time
- Lab: building a multi-step Power Automate flow for a records approval and archiving process
Module 9: Disposition Management and End-of-Life Records Handling
- Legal and policy requirements governing records disposal and destruction
- Configuring disposition review workflows in Microsoft Purview
- Managing disposition approvals: roles, responsibilities, and audit trails
- Permanent deletion, archiving, and transfer to a national archive or third-party repository
- Documenting disposition decisions for legal defensibility
- Lab: completing a simulated disposition review cycle from review trigger to confirmed destruction
Module 10: eDiscovery, Legal Holds, and Audit Logging
- Overview of eDiscovery and its application in litigation, investigations, and regulatory response
- Placing legal holds on content in SharePoint, OneDrive, and Exchange using Compliance Portal
- Using Microsoft Purview eDiscovery (Standard and Premium) to search, collect, and export records
- Configuring and interpreting the Microsoft 365 unified audit log
- Generating compliance reports and producing records evidence packages
- Lab: executing a simulated eDiscovery investigation and producing an audit trail report
Module 11: Records Governance Frameworks and Policy Development
- Core components of a records governance framework: policy, roles, standards, and procedures
- Drafting a records management policy aligned to ISO 15489 and organisational context
- Defining roles and responsibilities: records manager, system owner, information stewards, and end users
- Developing a records management procedures manual for SharePoint-based systems
- Establishing a records governance committee: terms of reference and review cycles
- Workshop: drafting governance policy documentation for a participant's own organisation
Module 12: Migration Planning and Legacy Records Integration
- Assessing legacy records: shared drives, file servers, email archives, and physical records
- Developing a migration strategy: scope, prioritisation, and risk management
- Using Microsoft SharePoint Migration Tool and Migration Manager for bulk content transfers
- Cleansing and normalising metadata during migration from legacy systems
- Managing records integrity and chain of custody throughout the migration process
- Lab: executing a structured test migration from a simulated shared drive into SharePoint Online
Module 13: User Adoption, Change Management, and Continuous Improvement
- Barriers to records management system adoption and strategies to overcome them
- Designing role-based end-user training programmes for SharePoint records systems
- Communication planning: engaging stakeholders before, during, and after go-live
- Using compliance dashboards and adoption analytics in Microsoft 365 to monitor system health
- Establishing a continuous improvement cycle: post-implementation reviews and iterative enhancements
- Capstone project presentations: participants present their records management implementation plans for peer and facilitator feedback
Requirements & Prerequisites
Participants should have a working knowledge of Microsoft 365 applications, particularly SharePoint and OneDrive, at a user level. Familiarity with basic records management or document management concepts is recommended, though a full grounding in records principles is provided during the programme. Prior experience with SharePoint site administration or Microsoft 365 administration is an advantage but is not a strict prerequisite.
Training Methodology
- Guided hands-on configuration labs in a live Microsoft 365 training tenant, where participants build and test SharePoint records systems step by step
- Case study analysis drawn from real implementations in government, financial services, healthcare, and NGO settings, used to contextualise design decisions
- Facilitated group workshops where teams design file plans, metadata schemas, and governance frameworks for a simulated organisation scenario
- Demonstrations of Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal, Power Automate, and eDiscovery tools followed by supervised participant practice
- Peer review sessions where participants critique each other's information architecture designs and retention schedules against ISO 15489 criteria
- Role-play exercises simulating a regulatory audit or legal hold scenario, requiring participants to retrieve records, produce audit logs, and demonstrate chain of custody
- Templates and toolkits provided for retention schedules, governance policy documents, user training plans, and migration checklists
- Daily reflection journals prompting participants to map each day's learning to a specific challenge or opportunity in their own organisation
- A capstone implementation project completed in the final two days, in which each participant or team designs and partially configures a records management solution for a realistic organisational brief
Organisational Benefits
- Establishes a structured, auditable digital records management system that reduces compliance risk
- Enables organisations to respond rapidly and defensibly to regulatory audits, legal holds, and information requests
- Reduces time spent searching for records through well-designed metadata schemas and classification structures
- Automates retention and disposition schedules, reducing manual administrative burden and human error
- Strengthens data protection practices through sensitivity labelling and access control configuration
- Improves organisational knowledge retention by preventing premature deletion or loss of critical records
- Builds internal capacity to administer and evolve the records system without heavy reliance on external consultants
- Supports digital transformation objectives by replacing paper and legacy digital systems with a governed, scalable platform
- Aligns the organisation's information management practices with ISO 15489, GDPR, and sector-specific regulatory requirements
Where Is Digital Records Management Implementation with SharePoint and Office 365 Training Offered?
This course runs in-person across: Kisumu, Addis Ababa, Pretoria, Arusha, Nairobi, Dubai, Nakuru, Zanzibar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Lagos, Riyadh, Kigali, Cape Town, Naivasha, Mombasa, Accra, Dar es Salaam, Kampala, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.
Upcoming Schedules
| Location | Format | Dates | Price |
|---|
| Live Virtual |
Online |
19 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
KES 160,000 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
24 Oct 2026 – 13 Dec 2026 |
KES 160,000 |
| Kisumu, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
KES 240,000 |
| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
USD 4,800 |
| Pretoria, South Africa |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
USD 6,600 |
| Arusha, Tanzania |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
USD 4,200 |
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
KES 230,000 |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
USD 8,200 |
| Nakuru, Kenya |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
KES 240,000 |
| Zanzibar, Tanzania |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
USD 5,000 |
| Abuja, Nigeria |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 4 Nov 2026 |
USD 5,600 |
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 13 Nov 2026 |
KES 230,000 |
| Nakuru, Kenya |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 11 Nov 2026 |
KES 240,000 |
| Zanzibar, Tanzania |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 11 Nov 2026 |
USD 5,000 |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
In-Person |
2 Nov 2026 – 11 Nov 2026 |
USD 8,200 |
+233 more dates — view live schedule →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be a SharePoint administrator to benefit from this course?
You do not need to hold a formal SharePoint administrator role, but participants should be comfortable using Microsoft 365 applications at a confident user level. The course provides a full grounding in SharePoint administration concepts relevant to records management, and lab exercises are designed to be accessible to motivated non-specialists as well as experienced IT administrators.
Will participants have access to a live Microsoft 365 environment during training?
Yes. TrainingComplex provides access to a dedicated Microsoft 365 training tenant throughout the programme, enabling every participant to complete hands-on configuration labs in a real SharePoint Online and Purview environment. No separate Microsoft licence is required for attendance.
Is this course aligned to any professional certification?
This programme does not lead directly to a vendor certification such as the Microsoft MS-900 or SC-400, but it provides strong preparation for those exams and aligns closely to their content domains. Participants receive a TrainingComplex Certificate of Completion, which is recognised by many employers as evidence of applied digital records management competency.
What sectors is this course most relevant to?
The course is relevant across all sectors that carry records management obligations, including government and public administration, financial services, healthcare, legal, education, and NGOs. Case studies and scenarios throughout the programme are drawn from multiple sector contexts to ensure broad applicability.
Can organisations send a team to attend together and work on a shared implementation project?
Absolutely. TrainingComplex encourages organisations to send teams of two to four participants who can collaborate on the capstone project using their own organisation's file plan and governance requirements. Group attendance significantly accelerates post-training implementation and builds shared organisational capacity.
