Let's look at a couple of competencies in more detail, starting with collaboration maturity levels.

The initial level of collaboration competency is characterized by using the out-of-the-box SharePoint site, with on-premises folder structures migrated to the cloud as is. Little or no thought is given to folder naming conventions, and collaboration involves sharing documents via email as attachments. Document versioning is achieved by saving the document with a new name. Shared tasks and activities are managed through emails giving no visibility of anyone's status. There is no formal training, and staff muddle through picking up bad habits. Level 100 can often feel like hard work, where the effort to comply is not worth it, and the staff sees systems as an added burden.

At level 200, Collaboration is still via documents, but now links are emailed instead of attachments, and documents are stored in content-specific libraries. Collaboration utilizes co-authoring and automatic versioning. Some groups and teams define their own document library structures and naming conventions, but these aren't standardized across the organization. External access is implemented but uses the default settings and is uncontrolled. Some groups start to use status indicators. While training is haphazard and inconsistent, it is acknowledged that collaboration is a good thing and that staff can see its value.

At Level 300, collaboration goes beyond document sharing. Naming conventions, structure, formatting, and terminology are standardized across the organization. There is a move away from out-of-the-box solutions, with templates used to address specific needs. External access is now proactively managed and audited. When no longer required, external access is removed. Mobile access is now a consideration. Task management includes shared ownership, with a task or activities status easily viewed. Where possible automated progress reporting is enabled. The organization begins to see how they will realize a return on their Microsoft 365 investment. Most users feel comfortable and confident collaborating using the appropriate tools.

Level 400 collaboration is defined as being integrated with line of business software and systems. Compliance and governance standards are enforced through sharing security, both internally and with external parties, to prevent data leakage. A full content collaboration history is maintained for auditing purposes, and content duplication is discouraged to enforce "one version of the truth." Diaries are safely shared, and documents, tasks, and activities have statuses such as work in progress, approved, and finalized. At level 400, staff fully adopt collaboration and is seen as an enabling technology that is trusted and enhances the work experience.

At level 500, you have reached the pinnacle, where collaboration is baked into an organization's systems and is second nature to users. At this level, policies ranging from governance to template use are enforced. Security and data access is enforced via roles and data sensitivity labels. Interaction with third parties is actively monitored, and external partners are encouraged to adopt best collaboration practices. There is a high level of integration between systems, and process automation is enabled where possible. Auditing and system metrics are automatically gathered and reported to highlight pain points and provide opportunities for further optimization. Level 500 is where best practice has, for all intents and purposes, been implemented, and ROI is maximized. From this point, the organization is in a state of continuous improvement.