Office Relocation Project Management
The prospect of moving into a new office can be both exciting and daunting.
Relocating to a new office space signifies a fresh start. Some of the benefits of transferring to a new office include a more comfortable and visually appealing space, improved productivity, better location and possibly easier commute for the workers.
According to a surveys, office relocation generally brings a positive effect on the employees and the company. So it’s an investment that’s bound to reward you in the long run.
Learn more about office relocation project management.
How do you plan a major move?
Just as exciting as it is to move, it can be overwhelming too when you realise that it involves a lot of work and requirements. And if you’re tasked to project manage the office relocation, you know you have your hands full.
You have to consider the time, budget and possible impact on your business, like temporary work disruption, as you relocate. There will be plenty of moving parts, literally and figuratively, that you have to project manage.
But with sound planning and with the right team, handling your office relocation should be a smooth process.
Below, we’ll give you some key guidelines that will help you effectively plan and project manage your move to a new office.
How do I plan an office relocation?
The key to a successful transfer is having a thorough office relocation project plan. There are several critical factors in office relocation project management that you should consider. Among them include:
Your Budget
Before even making any plans, you should know how much money the company is willing to spend for the entire moving process. Your office relocation checklist should include the budget for external hires like the moving team or interior designers if needed.
You should also know their preferred price range for the rent of the new building or office. Once you know the financial requirements, you can proceed with the next set of steps.
Employee Needs and Wants
Your employees are the lifeblood of your company. Studies show that happy employees tend to be more productive.
One of the ways to make them happy is to value their input. Jot down your employees’ insights in your moving offices checklist. This includes asking them about their needs and wants as you move to a new office.
You may ask each employee to fill up an assessment form to know what they like and don’t like about your current office setup. You can also do a survey to know their needs, special requests and suggestions for the new office.
You can then incorporate their responses in your plans for the new office. Throughout the office relocation process, it’s vital to involve employees and make them feel like this is a team effort.
Your Ideal Office Space
Another thing that you have to plan with company management is your ideal office space.
With the given budget and set of inputs from employees, decide the kind of building or office space you’re looking for, including floor plans, layouts and even designs.
It’s worth mentioning that office designs also help increase productivity, so it’s something that you should take into great consideration as you make your office relocation project plan.
Timeline
As with any goal-setting endeavours, it’s essential to include specific schedules in your office move checklist. You have to know certain crucial dates like current lease termination and the new lease signing.
Based on the knowledge of those dates, you can set an estimate on when you can start building your new office, a completion date and finally your target move date.
Outside Opinion
You may also solicit the opinions of peers from other companies who have undergone a successful office move. You can ask their management for suggestions and recommendations about hiring professionals to help with the office relocation checklist and process.
You can also learn from their experience on what they did and didn’t do for an efficient relocation.
A well-crafted plan is crucial to avoid any issues that may arise in your move. It can be costly for your business if you don’t plan with precision, so take your time. Make sure to leave no stones unturned in the planning stage.
How do you project manage an office move?
Now that you’ve mapped out your relocation plans and figured out all your requirements, it’s time to set things in motion.
Build a Team
When managing a project as critical as an office move, you need to assemble a key group of people that will help facilitate every aspect of the office relocation checklist and process.
You should break down all the necessary steps in relocation and delegate as much as possible.
For instance, you may assign a group to handle announcement and communication matters with clients and everyone in the company. You may designate another group to liaise with the moving company. And you can charge yet another group to look for the office space that will fit your agreed-upon specifications.
It would also be wise to have representatives from each department be involved. This kind of management makes it easier to divide other necessary tasks such as cleaning up and packing office equipment.
Create an Office Relocation Checklist
An office moving checklist includes all the essential tasks you need to do during the planning stage, on moving day itself and after the relocation.
Moving to a new office is challenging. It’s not easy to keep track of all the tasks that need to be done. For a successful move, you and your team can look to your checklist for guidance.
Hire a Professional Office Removals Company
The process of transferring to a new office location will need the assistance of external professionals, not just your staff. And finding the right office removals company will be vital to your relocation.
The right moving company will help you meticulously plan your relocation. You’ll get expert service from the packing of materials to the installation of equipment. You can even do the relocation during weekends to minimise business disruption.
With a professional office removals company, you’ll receive assistance in every step of the way. Moving to a new space isn’t something that you do every day, so it’s not unusual for any company to face difficulties in the process. That’s why we can never overstate the importance of hiring professionals to help you with your business’ relocation.
Remember, it’s crucial to make the actual transfer as fast and as efficient as possible. Any downtime can cause a potential loss in income or customer satisfaction. To help avoid this and achieve a successful relocation, professional movers are there to help your business.
How do you communicate with an office move?
Communication is a critical process of your move. So, make sure to take advantage of technology that makes it easy to get in touch with everyone.
As a project manager, ensure that you keep the company stakeholders in the loop throughout the moving process. The people who are invested in your business have the right to know all the possible expenses and the financial impact of the move.
Depending on the nature of your business, you should also consider informing your clients about your relocation. Let your clients know of the address of your new office and when you plan to move. They may also be affected in the possible temporary disruption of your business, so see to it that your clients know.
Most importantly, you have to communicate regularly with your employees throughout the whole process. Your staff members are the ones that will be affected the most by the move, after all.
Announcing the move beforehand to your staff would allow them to prepare, especially since it will almost certainly affect the way they travel to work daily. It would also generate excitement among them and would encourage volunteers to help in the relocation process.
Your announcement to your employees should be comprehensive. It should include all the details that they need to know. Moving to a new place may be unsettling for some, so providing your staff with as much information as possible should help alleviate whatever concerns they may have.
As a project manager, you should have a complete list of your business’ stakeholders to ease the process of communication. You may also assign one of your team members to handle all the communication tasks.
Office Relocation: Worth Your Effort/Resources
Moving to a new office will take a lot of effort, time and resources. It’s never going to be cheap. In the end, though, it will be a good investment and should all be worth it.
A fresh start in a new environment should only help set the right mood and invigorate your staff, leading to a productive and successful office.
Make sure that you stick to your office relocation project plan. With the right team involved and the services of professionals, the entire transition should be smooth and efficient. As a result of all this thorough preparation, your business should be up and running in your new location in no time.