The Modern Way to Collaborate in Microsoft 365

If you’ve been using Microsoft 365 for a while, you’ve probably had at least one of these moments:

You open a document and wonder why it’s in three different places.
Someone has created another version of the same file.
Your team is still emailing attachments even though everyone “knows” they shouldn’t.

These are not technology problems—they are workflow problems.

And this is exactly why I created The Microsoft 365 Collaboration Workflow Cards, now available here:
https://shop.simplysharepoint.com/products/microsoft-365-collaboration-workflow-cards

They simplify collaboration into clear, visual steps so your team can co-author, share, and organise content properly—no training session required.

This article builds on my previous guide about how collaboration works across Microsoft 365, but goes deeper into what practical collaboration looks like day-to-day, and how teams can avoid the hurdles that create chaos.

Why Collaboration Fails (Even With All the Right Tools)

Microsoft 365 gives us everything we need for high-quality collaboration:

• Real-time co-authoring
• Version history
• Comments and @mentions
• Metadata
• Approval workflows
• Shared workspaces
• Loop components

But most people use these features inconsistently—or not at all. Why? Because they don’t have a standard way of working.

One person uses Track Changes. Another rewrites the document. Someone else emails a copy. Someone else locks the file.

This creates duplication, conflict, and confusion.

A clear workflow fixes this. Every card in the deck is designed around the same principle:
One way of doing things, consistently.

The Three-Stage Collaboration Lifecycle

The simplest way to understand collaboration in Microsoft 365 is to look at the lifecycle of a document—not the apps.

1. Drafting (Private Work)

Tool: OneDrive
When you’re shaping ideas, drafting early versions, or building something not ready for the team, OneDrive is the safest space.
You own it.
Nobody else edits it.
You decide when it’s ready to move.

Relevant cards:

• Seeing Important Documents
• Restore Previous Versions
• Working Offline

2. Active Collaboration

Tool: Teams
Teams is where collaboration actually happens.
Files are shared, edited, discussed, reviewed, and improved—together and in real time.

Use Teams when you need:

• co-authoring
• comments
• brainstorming
• whiteboarding
• real-time review
• meeting-based co-editing
• rapid iteration

Relevant cards:

• Co-author Word/Excel/PowerPoint
• Collect Feedback
• Co-edit During a Meeting
• Use Loop Components
• Whiteboarding
• Mention Someone

3. Long-Term Storage and Structure

Tool: SharePoint
SharePoint is where finalised content lives.
This is where structure, metadata, templates, and governance matter.

Use SharePoint when:

• the document is final or near final
• permissions matter
• templates must be managed centrally
• external sharing requires control
• content needs long-term visibility
• approval workflows are required

Relevant cards:

• Create a Shared Workspace
• Organising Team Files
• Document Templates
• Request Sign-Off
• External Collaboration

This lifecycle alone solves one of the biggest sources of collaboration confusion:
you’re not choosing between apps—you’re moving through them.

The Collaboration Behaviours Every Team Needs

Regardless of role or technical skill level, there are three behaviours the most effective teams share.

1. They always work in one live file

No duplicates.
No email attachments.
No renamed versions.

This prevents version conflicts before they happen.

Relevant cards:

• Avoid Version Conflicts
• Share the Link
• See Who’s Editing

2. They use comments—not rewrites

Rewriting someone’s work creates unnecessary friction.
Comments keep revision clean and collaborative.

Relevant cards:

• Leave Comments
• Resolve Comments
• Mention Someone

3. They finalise properly

Finalisation is not a copy/paste job—it’s a deliberate handover:

• Approvals
• Version review
• Metadata
• Templates
• Long-term storage

Relevant cards:

• Track Changes
• Accept/Reject
• Compare Versions
• Request Sign-Off
• Version History

The Missing Link: Visual Workflows

Most teams know what collaboration should look like.
But they’ve never seen it visualised.

That’s why the Collaboration Workflow Cards exist.

Teams can quickly flip to:

• “How do I co-author in PowerPoint?”
• “How do I get feedback from multiple people?”
• “How do I share this with an external partner securely?”
• “How do I run a live editing session in a meeting?”

One card per workflow.
Front and back.
No guessing.

You can grab the full deck here:
https://shop.simplysharepoint.com/products/microsoft-365-collaboration-workflow-cards

Final Thoughts

Modern collaboration in Microsoft 365 is not about learning every feature.
It’s about choosing one clear way to work—and sticking to it.

The right workflows:

• eliminate duplication
• remove version conflict
• simplify feedback loops
• speed up project delivery
• make governance simple
• align the whole team

And once your team has one shared way of working, everything becomes easier.