The scary part of this is that when the public software item runs, if any Microsoft Office app is open during installation, that app will be corrupted and rendered unusable until it is reinstalled. Most of our users close their apps every now and then, which gives the policier (Addigy's tool used for these sorts of installations) time to run the app-specific updates prior to our scoping the newest full installer package. This ensured that most Macs would update their apps one at a time completely silently, and if users never closed their apps, they'd get enforced updates only rarely. Two weeks into the month, I would update the automatic installer package from the public software library to the newest version. I would add the new MS updates in Addigy's interface and have them begin auto-installing on client Macs. Updates processed via Addigy's Microsoft Office Updates functionality, always using the "Ignore update if application is in use" option.
On-demand installation of the app via a custom software installer that includes a GUI for users to see how the process is going. Automatic installation of the app via Addigy's public software item. 
Our initial deployment workflow for Microsoft Office was a very simple one:
Using MAU makes you forfeit the ability to vet updates before deploying them, while releasing you from the need to track and deploy updates manually via the Addigy interface. Managing software updates via Microsoft AutoUpdate (MAU) allows you to leverage some interesting and useful controls to offer your users a smoother experience. Installing the Office suite on devices via a "deployer" custom software eliminates this risk. Running the Microsoft Office suite installer package while a Microsoft Office app is running can render those apps unusable. After some research, we found two root causes: how Addigy's public software items for Microsoft Office are triggered, and how those update packages are published by Microsoft. We were presented with a unique challenge - our users were reaching out to the support desk with Microsoft Office apps that were unable to open. How you handle initial installation, patching, and uninstallation can be elegant and invisible, or it can be a source of regular friction between you and your users. The app deployment lifecycle is a core element of managing any Apple fleet.
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