With a few simple best practices, you can keep your Microsoft Teams organisation tidy, structured, and a real asset for productivity. One of the most common challenges we see is Microsoft Teams becoming cluttered, confusing, and frustrating for staff. At Commercial Networks, we help businesses across Staffordshire and Cheshire get the most out of Microsoft 365.
In this blog, we’ll show you how to organise Teams using channels, tabs, and permissions, so your staff spend less time searching and more time collaborating.
Using Microsoft Teams Channels
Think of a Team as a department or project, and channels as the sub-topics within it. For example, your Marketing Team might have channels for:
- Campaigns
- Social Media
- Events
- General
💡 Tip: Avoid creating too many Teams. It’s usually better to have one Team per department/project, then break things down into channels. This keeps conversations centralised and prevents duplication.
Using Tabs for Microsoft Teams organisation
Tabs sit at the top of each channel and are one of the most underused features in Microsoft Teams. They let you pin important apps, files, or websites directly into the channel.
Some useful examples include:
- A Planner board for task management
- An Excel budget spreadsheet
- A SharePoint document library
- A frequently used website or app
💡 Tip: Tabs mean no more digging through chat history for the latest version of a file—everything your team needs is pinned and ready.
Managing Permissions Effectively
Not every member of staff needs access to every conversation or document. That’s where permissions come in. Microsoft Teams allows you to control:
- Team membership – who can join, who can invite others
- Channel access – create private channels for sensitive projects
- Guest access – allow external partners in, but restrict what they can see
💡 Tip: Use role-based permissions. For example, only managers can access HR or finance-related channels, while project teams see just the files relevant to their work.
Best Practices for Keeping Teams Tidy
- Set naming conventions – agree on clear names for Teams and channels (e.g. “Finance – Payroll” rather than “Payroll chat”).
- Archive old Teams – when a project finishes, archive the Team to keep things clean.
- Use moderation – restrict who can post in announcement channels to avoid clutter.
- Train staff – a short session on how to use Teams properly saves hours of frustration later.
Why Organisation Matters
An organised Teams environment isn’t just about neatness. It directly improves:
- Productivity – less time wasted searching for files or messages
- Security – clear permissions reduce the risk of accidental data leaks
- Collaboration – staff know exactly where to go for the right conversations
At Commercial Networks, we work with SMEs to configure Microsoft Teams so it supports business goals instead of slowing things down. From setting up Teams and SharePoint properly to training staff, we make sure your digital workplace runs smoothly.
📞 Call us on 0333 444 3455
📧 Or email sales@cnltd.co.uk to find out how we can help you get the most out of Microsoft Teams.
Further Reading
1. Channel Organisation & Naming
- “10 Best Practices for Microsoft Teams Channel Organization” – nBold App spills the tea on keeping channels lean and tidy, with tips like using clear channel names, limiting channels, writing channel descriptions, using tabs wisely, pruning old channels, managing notifications, and encouraging tidy habits (orchestry.com, nBold).
2. Governance & Responsibilities
- “Microsoft Teams Organisation – Best Practices for Structure” – Solutions2Share recommends defining roles (who creates or archives teams?), structuring channels for workflow, consistent folder naming, formatted announcements, and regular audits (Solutions2Share).
3. Admin-Level Tweaks
- “Manage large teams in Microsoft Teams – best practices” – Microsoft docs walk you through admin controls: turn off channel creation, favourite channels, app restrictions, moderation, and mention settings – because chaos is so last season (Microsoft Learn).
4. Channel Types & Use Cases
- “Mastering Microsoft Teams Channels: A Comprehensive Guide” – Learn about the magical world of Standard, Private, and Shared channels, plus how tabs, bots, and SharePoint folders play in each scenario (easylife365.cloud).
5. Permissions & Security
- “Microsoft Teams Governance: Best Practices” – CoreView delves into content organization, SharePoint metadata, sensitivity labels, permission sync across Teams/SharePoint, private/shared channels, and the all-important audit game (coreview.com).
6. Tabs & App Control
- “Microsoft Teams TAB management” – Microsoft answers the burning question: who can add/remove tabs? Get the scoop straight from the Settings menu in “Manage team” (Microsoft Learn).
