P3P Partners - SharePoint Transformation & Guided Build
How we guided P3P Partners through a complete SharePoint rebuild - 30+ sites and three-tier hub architecture - while transferring skills to their internal team.
P3P Partners - SharePoint Transformation & Guided Build
How we guided P3P Partners through a complete SharePoint rebuild - 30+ sites and three-tier hub architecture - while transferring skills to their internal team.
The Challenge.
P3P Partners is a sustainable energy developer and investor, financing, building, and operating combined heat and power (CHP) sites across the UK. They're the largest single CHP provider to the horticultural sector and also work across commercial, industrial, and vertical farming projects.
The firm had outgrown their document management approach. Staff were relying heavily on OneDrive with years of accumulated data scattered across personal drives and legacy folders. There was no consistent structure, no clear permissions model, and collaboration was fragmented. The firm was also paying for iManage, a system that was adding complexity rather than solving problems.
Leadership wanted a modern SharePoint environment that could scale across departments, but they didn't just want it built for them. They wanted their internal project lead to gain the skills to manage, maintain, and extend the system long-term. With over 30 departmental sites to create and strict data security requirements, the project needed both technical expertise and knowledge transfer built in.
We partnered with P3P's project lead on a guided build, working alongside him rather than delivering a finished product. Every skill required was taught as the project progressed. He would learn, build, return with questions, and learn more. When he hit obstacles, we were always there to support.
Design & Architecture
We designed and implemented a three-tiered Microsoft SharePoint hub structure:
The Parent Hub (Communication Site) serves as the firm-wide landing page. Below that, Departmental Hubs (Communication Sites) group related teams together. At the third level, Team Hubs (Communication Sites) hold department-specific content and resources. Finally, connected Teams channels handle day-to-day collaboration.
This structure gave P3P clear navigation, consistent branding, and logical organisation, while keeping each department's data separate and secure.
Automation for Scale
With 30+ sites to create, manual duplication wasn't practical. We set up Power Automate flows that allowed the project lead to clone pages and site structures from his initial build. He created the template once, then replicated it across the organisation, maintaining consistency without repetitive work.
Permissions & Security
We guided the project lead through SharePoint's permissions model, ensuring each hub and site had the correct access controls. Sensitive departmental data remained visible only to authorised staff, with inheritance and unique permissions applied appropriately across all three tiers.
Discovery & Training
Before building, we ran discovery calls with different departments to understand their needs, workflows, and pain points. This revealed the extent of the OneDrive sprawl and informed how we structured each departmental hub.
Once the new environment was live, we delivered full training for all staff, covering SharePoint navigation, Teams integration, file management best practices, and how the new structure would replace their previous habits. This wasn't a handover; it was a transition, with support throughout.
The Solution.
The Result.
P3P Partners now operates on a modern, scalable SharePoint environment with a clear structure that staff actually use. The migration allowed them to retire iManage entirely, simplifying their tech stack and reducing costs.
More importantly, the firm's internal project lead now has the skills and confidence to manage the environment himself. New sites follow the established pattern. Permissions are understood and maintained correctly. The knowledge didn't leave when we did.
The structured, permission-controlled environment also means P3P is now positioned to adopt Microsoft Copilot effectively, with clean data, clear boundaries, and confidence that AI tools will only access appropriate information.
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