HR wants a distribution list for each manager based on its org chart, but that chart doesn't match the reporting relationships in AD. The chart is currently a PDF.
I've suggested a custom attribute for the business structure, maintained from HR data. Is there a better way to handle this at scale?
Start by settling what each list is supposed to represent. A reporting hierarchy and a business function can be different things, so a manager attribute alone won't necessarily give HR the membership it wants.
If the HR system has the business structure in usable fields, feed those into the directory and build the lists from that data. If it doesn't, someone on the business side needs to own and update the missing information. IT can automate the feed, but can't infer changes from an unannounced reorganization.
The custom attribute is reasonable if it represents a separate business hierarchy. Use a stable identifier for the function rather than a display name that might change, and agree on who maintains the mapping.
Work out the hierarchy before applying the list filters. A single head-of-function value may identify members of one function, but it doesn't by itself describe every level of a nested org chart. You'll need a way to calculate which functions or people roll up to each manager and keep that calculation current.
3k!foldspanner_492:
Also decide what happens when a field is missing or a function changes. A list silently losing members is a lot harder to spot than a failed update.
If the PDF is all HR can provide right now, ask for a structured export instead. A CSV with unique person identifiers and the relevant business hierarchy would at least give you something repeatable to process.
That can be an interim feed into the attributes used by Exchange Online. It still needs an owner and a regular update process, though. Converting a chart once doesn't solve the next promotion or reorganization.
There's another question here: are these really rule-based lists? If HR wants exceptions that don't follow either the reporting hierarchy or a defined business structure, give designated owners a way to maintain membership directly instead of pretending the rules will cover everything.
A manager-owned team with a restricted posting channel might be an option if the goal is announcements, although that changes the communication method from a distribution list.
Get your department head involved if ownership is the sticking point. Frame it as a data dependency: IT can build and operate the automation, but HR needs to provide the membership rules and keep the underlying structure current.
Agree on how changes get submitted and checked, including exceptions. Otherwise every mismatch becomes an argument about whether the chart, directory, or someone's expectation was supposed to win.
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Nervor.8q:
We already sync fields like manager and job title from HR, but those don't describe the structure they want for these lists.