Domain Governance Reflection Resource

Portfolio Rationalisation Worksheet

Use this worksheet to decide which domains should be kept, consolidated, retired or investigated. Retiring a domain is a governance decision, not merely a cost decision.

Portfolio owner
Review date
Source inventory
Next review

Portfolio review table

Classify each domain by purpose and governance intent. Keep unknowns visible rather than forcing a decision.

Domain / subdomain Purpose Business owner Technical operator Type Dependent services Email sending? Renewal owner Decision Retirement risk Next action
Active / defensive / legacy / campaign / unknownYes / No / UnknownKeep / consolidate / retire / investigate

Decision guardrails

Keep when
Consolidate when
Retire only when
Investigate when

Retirement checklist

  • The domain has a named business owner approving retirement.
  • Dependent web, email, identity, API and supplier services have been checked.
  • Redirects, customer communications and search implications have been considered.
  • Email sending and inbound mail dependencies have been confirmed.
  • The risk of third-party re-registration and impersonation has been assessed.
  • Retention, redirection or defensive holding has been considered before lapse.
The aim is a deliberate portfolio decision. A domain should not be forgotten into expiry.