Building a Centralised Data Governance Platform in Microsoft 365 for an Aged Care Provider

A large aged-care and community-services provider engaged FiveP to design and build a Data Governance Platform on its existing Microsoft 365 environment.

Like many organisations with a mature Microsoft 365 environment, governance processes had evolved over time. Governance information was spread across multiple locations, data ownership was not clearly defined, and compliance checks against internal policies were largely manual, with no central place to record evidence or track responses from application owners.

The organisation wanted a single, governed system of record for its application register, data domains, and evidence and compliance activities. The goal was to bring governance information together with clear ownership and a consistent, centralised approach to tracking policy compliance.

FiveP delivered this using the Microsoft 365 platform already in place. The implementation includes:

• A central application register linked to defined data domains and sub-domains, with named owners and delegates
• A governed Evidence Library for policies, procedures and supporting artefacts
• Automated policy compliance self-attestation surveys, with responses captured and tracked through the platform
• A structured approach to capturing indicative remediation cost ranges where compliance gaps are identified

The platform was implemented within the organisation’s existing Microsoft 365 environment using SharePoint Online, Power Automate and Power Apps.

The result is a more connected and transparent governance model. By bringing governance information into a single platform, the organisation now has clearer visibility of ownership, a more consistent approach to compliance activities, and a foundation that can scale as the environment continues to evolve.

FiveP’s Perspective

Having worked with not-for-profit organisations for many years, we’ve seen how carefully technology investments need to be made. Every dollar spent on another platform, licence or system is a dollar that cannot be invested elsewhere in the organisation’s mission.

One of the things we value about Microsoft 365 is the breadth of capability already available within the platform. In many cases, organisations can solve complex governance and business challenges without introducing another application. The opportunity is often to make better use of the technology they already own.

This project demonstrates that approach. By building on SharePoint, Power Automate and Power Apps, the organisation was able to create a governance platform tailored to its requirements while continuing to maximise the value of its Microsoft investment.