Freelance – Microsoft 365 / Word Expert (Document Performance)

Project overview

For a client, we are looking for a Microsoft 365 expert with a focus on Word and SharePoint Online, starting immediately. In October 2026, they will analyze the work with very large Word documents and provide a robust recommendation for action.

Key Data

Initial Situation

A team of 5 to 10 people can no longer work normally with their central Word documents: Opening a document takes about 13 minutes.

The documents are stored in SharePoint Online (Teams team site) and are edited using the Word desktop app. They contain tables of contents, tables, formulas, images, cross-references, and custom styles. These are compliance-relevant documents.

• Size: currently 80 to 315 pages per document, the structure must support up to 500 pages.
• Review: Track Changes and comments are an integral part of the process, with about 50 comments or more per document.
• Current workaround: Download document, edit locally, copy back.
• Word in the browser: loads faster, but does not display formats and formulas correctly and is therefore not an alternative.
• External colleagues: partially work with it and are severely limited by loading times, at full daily rate.
• Framework: There is neither a blueprint nor a test environment. It is open whether a uniform OneDrive/Sync structure can be enforced for all participants.

Responsibilities

The expert will find the cause of the loading times and assess which of the two solution paths is suitable for the client.

Expected Results

At the end of the assignment, the client will have a professional assessment and a clear recommendation to make a decision.

Required Profile

We are looking for a hands-on professional who knows Word technically in depth and understands the M365 storage behind it.

Must-haves

Nice-to-haves

• Analyze documents: Examine the structure, styles, fields, references, embedded objects, change history, and comment load of the affected files.
• Record working methods: Shadowing sessions with users, including external colleagues. The process from opening via SharePoint, Teams, or OneDrive sync to review will be considered.
• Narrow down causes: Separate document content, styles, co-authoring, synchronization, and client settings from each other and check the assumption about the older style sheet.
• Evaluate Solution Path A – Optimize files: Cleanup and define limits for page count, comments, and open changes.
• Evaluate Solution Path B – Rebuild workflow: New document and storage structure, splitting documents, clear review process.
• Provide recommendation: Compare both paths regarding effort, risk, and impact, and coordinate with stakeholders.
• Establish best practices: Formulate binding work rules for internal and external users.
• Cause analysis with findings for each document examined
• Comparison of the two solution paths with effort, risk, and expected impact
• Recommendation for action with concrete next steps
• Best practice guide for working with large Word documents in SharePoint Online, Teams, and OneDrive
• Recommended limits so that documents up to 500 pages remain workable
• Several years of project experience with Microsoft 365, focusing on Word Desktop, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and Teams
• Very deep Word knowledge for large, complex documents: styles, tables of contents, fields, cross-references, formulas, tables, images
• Experience with Track Changes, comments, and review processes in collaboratively edited documents
• Experience in analyzing performance issues with Office documents, co-authoring, and synchronization
• Experience in document and data management: storage structures, versioning, permissions
• Demonstrable creation of best practices, guides, or document templates
• Confident demeanor towards business departments and stakeholders, structured written recommendation
• Short-term availability in October 2026
• Experience with compliance or regulatory documentation
• Experience with collaboration of external users in M365 (guest access, sync)
• Knowledge of M365 administration or VBA/macros for document analysis
• Experience in user training or change management support

Project details

• Start: ab sofort
• Remote: remote
• Location: Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland, DE
• Languages: German