What to Consider When Hiring a SharePoint Developer

Hiring the wrong SharePoint resource can quietly derail your collaboration strategy, delay projects, and create long-term technical debt. Many IT leaders rush the decision only to realize later they needed an architect, not just a coder. If you plan to hire SharePoint developers, this guide will help you make a strategic, informed choice that supports long-term scalability and governance.

Define What You Actually Need First

Before you hire SharePoint developers, you need clarity on the type of SharePoint expertise your organization truly requires. Many hiring mistakes happen because leaders post a generic “SharePoint developer” role without defining scope, architecture, or integration needs.

SharePoint Online vs. On-Prem

Is your organization fully in Microsoft 365, hybrid, or still running on-premises SharePoint? SharePoint Online development often requires strong SPFx skills and Microsoft 365 integration knowledge, while on-prem environments may require legacy farm configuration expertise. The environment drastically changes the skill set required.

Custom Development vs. Configuration

Some organizations need heavy custom solutions, while others only require advanced configuration and governance tuning. If you’re simply building document libraries, permissions models, and structured intranets, you may not need deep custom coding. But if you’re building applications inside SharePoint, you’ll need stronger development expertise.

Workflow Automation vs. Full Custom Apps

Are you modernizing legacy workflows? Or are you building enterprise-grade applications? Workflow automation using Power Platform integration is very different from developing a complex SharePoint-hosted solution with Azure services and external APIs.

Integration Needs

SharePoint rarely lives alone in enterprise environments. If your use case involves Dynamics, Azure, or Microsoft 365 integration, you need someone who understands cross-platform architecture, not just SharePoint lists and libraries. When organizations hire SharePoint developers without integration experience, they create isolated solutions that struggle to scale.

Core Skills to Look For in a SharePoint Developer

Once you’ve defined scope, you can evaluate skills more effectively. When you hire SharePoint developers, technical depth must be balanced with strategic thinking.

Technical Skills

• SPFx (SharePoint Framework): Modern SharePoint customization relies heavily on SPFx. Any developer you hire should demonstrate experience building web parts and extensions using current frameworks, not outdated methods.
• Power Platform Integration: Many enterprise SharePoint solutions require Power Platform integration, particularly for workflows and automation. A capable developer should understand Power Automate, Power Apps, and how they extend SharePoint functionality.
• REST APIs and Microsoft Graph: Integration with Microsoft Graph and REST APIs enables scalable, connected solutions. If your SharePoint system interacts with Teams, Outlook, or external systems, API knowledge is essential.
• Azure Services: Enterprise-grade SharePoint development often includes Azure integration, Functions, Logic Apps, storage accounts, or identity services. Developers must understand how SharePoint fits into the broader Azure ecosystem.
• Security and Permissions Modeling: Security misconfiguration is one of the most common enterprise SharePoint failures. A strong candidate understands role-based access, inheritance structures, and secure architecture.

Strategic Skills

• Governance Awareness: When you hire SharePoint developers, they must understand governance. Poorly governed customizations create long-term chaos.
• Scalability Thinking: Enterprise environments evolve. A developer must anticipate growth, version changes, and Microsoft roadmap updates.
• Documentation and Maintainability: Code without documentation creates future risk. Sustainable SharePoint development services require clean architecture and thorough documentation.

Developer vs. Consultant vs Architect

Many organizations use these terms interchangeably, but they are not the same.

• A SharePoint developer builds features and custom components.
• A SharePoint consultant advises on best practices, optimization, and configuration strategy.
• A SharePoint architect designs enterprise-level structures, integrations, and long-term governance models.

If you hire SharePoint developers for a complex enterprise intranet redesign without architectural oversight, you risk fragmented solutions. Enterprise environments often require an architect to define structure before developers build on top of it.

Understanding this distinction prevents costly misalignment.

In-House Hire vs. SharePoint Development Partner

When organizations hire SharePoint developers, they often debate whether to build internal capacity or partner with an external team.

In-House Pros and Cons

• Direct Control: You gain immediate oversight and embedded knowledge within your organization.
• Limited Breadth: One developer rarely has deep expertise across SPFx, Power Platform integration, Azure, and governance.
• Risk if They Leave: Knowledge concentration in one employee creates long-term risk.

Agency or Partner Pros and Cons

• Broader Expertise: A SharePoint development partner brings cross-industry experience and structured methodology.
• Faster Scaling: Agencies can scale resources quickly when project scope expands.
• Structured Governance Approach: Partners often include architects and governance specialists, not just developers.

For many enterprise organizations, working with an experienced firm like i3solutions offers more strategic continuity than relying on a single hire.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring

If you plan to hire SharePoint developers, structured evaluation questions are critical.

• What SharePoint environments have you worked in (Online, Hybrid, On-Prem)?
• How do you approach governance planning?
• How do you future-proof customizations against Microsoft roadmap changes?
• How do you handle security and permissions modeling?
• Can you provide architecture examples from enterprise environments?

The answers reveal whether a candidate thinks beyond immediate feature delivery.

Common Mistakes When Hiring SharePoint Developers

Organizations that hire SharePoint developers without a structured evaluation process often encounter the same issues.

Hiring Based Only on Cost

Low-cost developers may lack enterprise experience. Cheap customization can become expensive remediation later.

Overlooking Governance Expertise

Ignoring governance creates sprawl, permission chaos, and inconsistent site architecture.

Ignoring Microsoft Roadmap Alignment

SharePoint evolves rapidly. Developers must understand modern Microsoft 365 integration trends to avoid building deprecated solutions.

Choosing Someone Without Enterprise-Scale Experience

Enterprise environments differ drastically from small deployments. Scale introduces complexity in performance, permissions, and integration.

Not Planning for Documentation and Support

Projects fail when documentation is neglected. Long-term sustainability requires structured handoff processes.

When you hire SharePoint developers without considering these factors, technical debt accumulates quickly.

When It Makes Sense to Work With a SharePoint Partner

While internal hiring works for some scenarios, enterprise projects often demand broader expertise.

• Large migrations from on-prem to SharePoint Online.
• Cross-platform integration involving Power Platform integration and Azure.
• Complex security requirements across departments.
• Enterprise intranet redesigns impacting thousands of users.
• Limited internal bandwidth within IT teams.

In these situations, structured SharePoint development services from a partner like i3solutions can reduce risk and accelerate delivery.

The Strategic View: Hiring for Today vs. Building for Tomorrow

Too often, companies hire SharePoint developers to solve an immediate pain point. But enterprise environments require long-term thinking. Custom workflows, Microsoft 365 integration, and cross-platform automation demand architectural alignment.

SharePoint should not become another silo. It should function as a collaborative layer integrated across your Microsoft ecosystem.

That requires developers who understand governance, scalability, and integration, not just configuration.

Partner with i3solutions for Strategic SharePoint Success

Choosing to hire SharePoint developers is not just a staffing decision, it’s a strategic investment in your collaboration infrastructure. The right expertise can modernize workflows, strengthen security, and support seamless Microsoft 365 integration across your organization. The wrong choice can introduce governance gaps and long-term technical debt.

At i3solutions, we provide enterprise-focused SharePoint development services designed for scalability, governance, and integration. Whether you need architectural planning, Power Platform integration, or full Microsoft 365 integration support, our team helps you build SharePoint solutions that last.

When you’re ready to hire SharePoint developers the right way, start with a partner who understands enterprise complexity.