Managing
the office relation is a process. It may
seem difficult and if it is broken down into series simple tasks, it can be
managed effectively. These simple tasks
are formed as a Step-by-Step Check-list and by following these steps; you can
ensure your office move is on time, to budget and hassle free.
1.
Analyse the current situation
Analyse
the office space and the utilisation depending on the need. Consider the following points while analysing:
-
1. Office space requirement
2. Lease agreement and planned growth plan
3. Functionality of the existing facility
4. Merits and de-merits of the present location
5. Possible changes within the existing set-up
6. Need for repair, replacement and maintenance of
the equipment’s
7. Requirement on need based – Customer footfall
8. Business economics
9. Planning for future expansion
10. Show causing
2.
Assess your needs
You
need to be clear about the purpose of your office relocation based on the 10
commandments mentioned above to define your needs and map out the appropriate
office move plan. There are some big decisions that must be agreed upon as the
starting point and which will form the basis of the subsequent planning
process, including the details of the existing lease and notice period and your
current obligations and liabilities.
3.
Be clear about your requirements
A clear understanding at the outset of your basic strategic and operational requirements will make the whole moving office process go more smoothly – and save time. However, you must have an overall idea and consensus from the decision makers about the key drivers of the office move including:
- Where you want to move to?
- How much space you need?
- When you need to be in by?
- What key features you need
your new office to have?
- What are your planned
business objectives (including growth plan) the move needs to satisfy? And
- Type and length of lease
you want
4. Build the right office move project team
An
office move is a collaborative effort of all the functional departments which is
needed for a successful outcome. Putting together the right project team is
critical and should include people who will help facilitate all aspects of the
move. It will need to comprise both
internal and external members. A project leader must be put in charge of the
move process as soon as the decision to move office has been made.
5. Project Leader – Move Action:
-
This person must have enough time to devote to the office move project and should; Have the trust of senior management; The authority to act on behalf of the company, Be senior enough to be able to make decisions; Be a good organizer of people and processes; Have experience of setting and working within budgets and be a good communicator.
6.
Start early
There’s a lot to do, so the earlier
you start, the greater the chance of achieving the smooth move your company
expects. It is impossible to plan too far ahead. Once the project leader has
been appointed, work should start. You should start reviewing your options 6 months
prior to your lease expiration regardless of whether you are considering
renewing, renegotiation or relocation. It is vital that you allow enough
lead-time to increase the amount of leverage and competition between the
various options, which can result in substantial savings for you.
7. Create a realistic budget
Creating a realistic office move
budget is a critical planning tool that will help you assess your costs and
manage them throughout the process.
8. Engage the right office move professionals
The whole moving office process can
be complex, stressful and time-consuming. After people costs, property costs
are most company's next biggest expenditure. The decisions you make will have
an impact on your company’s profitability. Working with the right professional
team www.enablerservices.com is the single biggest must-do for any company
thinking of moving office. They will guide you through the process, save you
money in the long run and make sure you don’t make any critical mistakes.
9. Don’t sign any lease documents without getting legal advice
Enabler Support Services will negotiate the detail of the lease documentation to
minimise your exposure to potential liabilities, and subsequently, to advise
you on the implications of the detailed terms in the final documents to ensure
you are aware of your ongoing responsibilities.
10. Communication
Internally, change can be unsettling
for staff, and this can certainly be the case with an office move. At the same
time as the office move process is going on, your company must continue to run
its business and focus on its existing workload and commitments. However,
moving office is a great opportunity to affect positive change management,
improvement in business performance, increased morale and momentum.
Externally, there are many moving
parts to an office move and you need to ensure that everyone involved in the
project is regularly updated, especially if there are any changes. If you keep
the lines of communication open to all interested parties, internal and
external, your office move will have a much greater chance of success.
Remember to keep your statutory compliance authority in terms of Corporate Laws, Labour Laws, and other statutory body duly informed of the changes. Keep copies of the document of information of the change duly acknowledged by each of the statutory body.
11. Take advantage of the opportunity
Clear out old files and purge all storage areas of unneeded items prior to moving. Also consider scanning any documents no longer needed in hard copy (remember to dispose of unwanted files securely). Secure storage and/or archiving of documentation are a flexible, safe and cost-effective solution to free up valuable and more costly office space. It can be accessed at any time by arrangement and provides excellent off-site backup for damage limitation in case of fire or other disaster.
12. Ensure to Insure your Office Property
13. Checklist
When
you have an office to move it is a full-time project to manage on a lot of days
and a constant to do list on days when it is not a full-time project. Each
office move is different and requires customization based upon your business
needs. We have taken some of the most common business moving tasks and put them
together.
Any
office move requires a great deal of planning and careful thought beforehand -
and strong commitment all round, both before and during the move. This
Checklist assumes that your Company has already decided that you are moving
office, rather than renewing your existing lease. Apart from the move itself,
you must also consider how you will run your business operation whilst the move
is being carried out.
You
will need a detailed Timetable which will ensure that all aspects of your move
dovetail appropriately – and lead to you moving on time. Each task will need a
completion date, based on a lead time and the time taken to complete it. Some of
your considerations include:
Physical Planning
1. 1. Obtain a floor plan of your current office
layout
2. Obtain a blueprint of your new office location
3. Create a proposed furniture orientation /
office layout using blueprint obtained
4. Obtain approval on new layout
5. Obtain quotes on required build out at new
location
6. Determine PC and Printer Locations in new space
7. Determine location of shared office
equipment
8. Identify personal printers on the floor plan
9. Identify analog lines on the floor plan
10. Identify data lines on the floor plan
11. Identify jack locations for voice and data
12. If modular furniture is being used identify the
network cabling
13. Obtain bids for any work that is required based
on current plans
14. Review final space plans and include electrical
and furniture placement
15. Begin compiling costs for move budget
16. Evaluate new location to determine if there are
any special limitations for movers
17. Assign each new office space with an
identification number
Teams
- Identify co-workers to be team members on project team
- Have a backup team member for any one that may not be available
- Establish a Computer Team – Responsible for all aspects of PC moves
- Establish a Testing Team – Responsible for testing all workstations
- Establish a Data Team – Responsible for ensuring all data is backed up
- Establish a Printer Team – Responsible for installing and configuring all printers
- Establish a Network Team – Responsible for all network equipment including testing
- Establish an Employee Team – Responsible for communicating to employees and making sure all employee related issues are handled during move
- Establish a Vendor Liaison – This person is responsible for interfacing will all vendors
- Review all layout plans and jack locations for all equipment with team lead
- Create an outline for each team member and vendor as needed
Labelling For Move Day
- Label all analog lines with ‘A’, digital phone lines ‘V’, and data lines ‘D’
- All wiring should be labelled with the device ID to which it belongs
- All wiring should be labelled with the location it will be moved in the new layout
- All computer equipment should be labelled with the identification number assigned to the new space
- Label all boxes and binders with the identification number of their new home
- Colour code labels for items belonging in network rooms or other common areas. Each colour should correspond to a unique common space in the new location. At the new location the colour should be clearly present on the door or wall space next to the door for easier unpacking. Place each colour on the building layout diagram you have created
- Ensure all team members are familiar with coding system
- Communicate colour coding system with Bulldog Movers along with a copy of the layout
Wiring / Cabling / Phone / Internet /
Etc.
37. Identify the telephone / server room at the new
location and label it on the floor plan
38. Ensure that the new server room is centralized
to avoid the Ethernet UTP length limit
39. Confirm minimum requirements for server room
are met (electrical, cooling, dimensions, security, etc.)
40. Schedule wiring according to project timeline
and obtain outside consultant if required
41. Identify cost and time constraints for wiring
work
42. Document cost and time in project plan /
project budget
43. Test all network and phone drops as soon as
possible so problems can be corrected
44. Use layout of desks to estimate cable size
requirements
45. Plan for any future configurations and wire
leave additional wiring in each wall
46. Test all back-up batteries for phone switches
and servers and take inventory of all items
47. Contact vendors and schedule cutover date.
48. Test the new phone lines several days before
the move.
49. Disconnect all paid lines at old location
50. Review the programming and routing on the voice
mail system to make sure everything is working as it should
51. Determine what type of Internet is available at
the new location.
52. If the ISP is changed from the current provider
identify any changes that may
Cleaning
53. Moving is about the only opportunity you will
ever have to completely clean all of the items that will be in your business.
Take advantage of this time.
54. Before electronic items are moved clean them
with appropriate cleaner
55. Clean all office furniture prior to move
56. Clean all wall hangings prior to move
57. Clean all breakroom / office kitchen items
prior to move
Equipment
58. Take a complete inventory of all existing
equipment
59. Determine what moves and what should be sold or
donated
60. Identify any new equipment that may be required
61. Document all cost for project budget along with
estimated arrival dates for project plan
62. Have a physical backup (bootable media) for all
servers
63. Have spare cables and other parts on hand
64. You should not transport the backup media in
the moving truck. Carry that by hand
and if possible, have two copies in two
separate locations.
65. Review equipment repair orders and identify
those items that are likely to have a problem on move day. Test those items
first.
Meetings and Communication
66. Create a contact list for move day and include
all key personnel, vendors, etc. on this sheet. Provide copies of this contact
list to all team leads.
67. Local staff contact person should be identified
and on-site for deliveries or vendor access to new location
68. Create a phone number list of all the numbers
being moved. Use this list to test calls come into the correct locations in
addition to making sure calls can go out.
69. Schedule a conference call with telephone
service providers. Review plan for move.
70. Schedule disconnection date for old location.
71. Reconfirm move date with all vendors at least 1
month prior to move. The week before the move makes sure all vendors date
sensitive tasks are complete, and move is still on track.
72. Have a team meeting and confirm timelines are
being met and roles and responsibilities are understood. Ensure everyone knows
who to call if there is a problem.
73. Update all important information with office
security systems and providers.
74. Have users back up all of their files to the
network or to disks before the move.
75. There are more things that you may identify as
critical that can be added below
76. __________________________________________________________
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