Moving your office is stressful. You must juggle a mind-boggling number of details, and it’s easy for things to get lost in the shuffle. And often, the person in charge of a major office move has never taken on that type of project before.
You don’t have to learn how to best implement an office move by trial and error. The goal of this blog is to help you avoid 7 common moving mistakes by providing strategies and items to consider during this process.
MISTAKE #1: HIRING THE WRONG PARTNERS
The wrong vendors can cause major issues and jeopardize the whole project. A large company move could mean hiring hundreds of vendor partners, like the architect, general contractor, interior designer, electrician, technology integrator, office furniture, and more.
Don’t rely on the lowest price alone to determine which vendors are right for you. Be sure to evaluate the typical size and scope of your potential vendor’s projects to see who best aligns with your move.
References alone aren’t always enough to make this decision, either. Instead of just calling their references, ask to take a tour of one of their comparable customer’s sites. That way, you can evaluate the vendor’s work and their relationship with their clients. This can also give you time to ask smart questions of the clients, like:
Did they show up when promised?
Did they meet all deadlines?
If you had to do this project all over again, would you still select this vendor?
MISTAKE #2: POOR COORDINATION
Poor coordination can result in delays and cost overruns. You should be the coordinator, since you have the highest level and best idea of all aspects of the project. That way you can make sure the project is calm and orderly, and the schedule is followed as closely as possible so that it is not constantly amended.
Sometimes during projects, there can be a gap between construction-related (architect, GC, electrical, plumbing, etc.) and non-construction related (technology, office furniture) projects and vendors. For example, if the GC discovers the flooring you want is back-ordered, the furniture vendor can’t start installing work stations on time. That also then means the cabling integrator and electrician can’t start wiring them on time. So, every small change in the construction schedule potentially impacts non-construction related vendors.
The solution to this is to not let one vendor have unilateral control over changes to the schedule, no matter how minor, until you’ve assessed the impact on all other vendors.
MISTAKE #3: INSUFFICIENT STAFFING
Another common mistake is to have one person manage the whole move entirely by themselves. Details of the move can require specialized knowledge – so there should be a whole team behind the relocation point person.
Think about who in your company might have the right expertise to help with different moving tasks:
The IT Manager could represent your company for moving or implementing computers, networking, cabling, and security.
The Office Manager might have knowledge of furniture, copiers, mail room, and other needed general office equipment.
The HR Manager knows all about communication and can help assist employees throughout the move.
Take time to organize your team and appoint a coordinator for each department. They, then, can report to the relocation point person. For example, the IT Manager can tell you how many cables are needed for all your new workstations. Then, you can communicate this to your cabling integrator – keeping strong coordination while not needing to have specialized knowledge about cabling.
MISTAKE #4: PROCRASTINATION
An office move takes many months, even after a site has been selected. Too many companies push their vendors into a corner by allowing too little time for installation…which leads to mistakes.
Take some time to brainstorm the full list of action items you need to complete, in order, with realistic timelines. This can then be used to help create a realistic move-in goal date.
Here are just a few checklist items you may consider:
Hire architect
Hire broker
Find space
Negotiate/ sign lease
Prepare floorplans
Obtain permits
Hire GC
Hire PM / Owner’s Rep
Establish construction schedule
Select your internal move team
Choose department coordinators
Hire technology partner
Hire the furniture vendor
Plan website updates
Order new business cards
Share moving plans with clients
Once this timeline is established, you can place interrelated events on a list with dates for completion. And as noted earlier, if one item changes, many others may need to change with it, impacting the overall timeline.
MISTAKE #5: COMPRESSING THE SCHEDULE
This brings us to mistake number 5 – compressing the schedule to try to make up for lost time or starting late brought on by procrastination. Even with the best, most trusted vendor partners, rushing them through the planned and agreed upon schedule is dangerous. It can lead to mistakes and too many bodies on the job site at the same time. This is exacerbated especially if no overtime is paid, so the vendors have to take their “A-Team” off the project.
Compressing the schedule sometimes happens when general contractors try to navigate delays in one area by moving ahead in another. For example, if they can’t get the permit to close walls, they will switch to installing ceiling tiles. While this may be the most effective use of their time, it can impact other vendors. In this scenario, for example, the cabling vendor would then have far less time than what the schedule originally said to install cables before the ceiling is closed.
The solution to this problem is to write some provisions into your contracts for how these schedule compressions will be handled. Understand when overtime or weekend work may be needed, and the initial costs. And, again, be mindful when coordinating the project of how one decision can impact other parts of the project.
MISTAKE #6: INADEQUATE BUDGETING
Many companies have no idea what they’ll have to spend on their office move and no firm budget established. Or worse, they establish an arbitrary budget not grounded in real costs that sets them up for sticker shock.
Before deciding to move, first and foremost, understand the costs of your new location: rent, utilities, parking, property taxes, maintenance, and many other items. Then, do some research on costs associated with moving, like hiring professional movers, packing, trash hauling, and other cleanup.
For the rest of the big components of your move, turn to your vendor partners for help with budgeting. Even at early stages, based on similar projects they have done in the past, knowing where you’re moving, and understanding generally what you want to accomplish with the move, they should be able to help you determine an appropriate budget for your project.
MISTAKE #7: POOR COMMUNICATION
Most employers do a good job of keeping their employees in the loop about moving plans. But it’s just important to consider your customers, so they are not confused and don’t leave you in the process.
Also, take some time to think about all the business services you use, and your plan for making sure they are aware of the move. This could include your bank, accounting/payroll services, attorneys, business insurance, health insurance, or even the post office.
And finally, in line with solid coordination, it is important to constantly communicate with all of the vendors on your project. This could mean weekly project status update meetings or emails, or other established ways of making sure everyone is on the same page.
IN CONCLUSION
Overall, your biggest challenge is time. Time to budget, to hire the right people, to coordinate an appropriate schedule, to organize your team, and to carry out the work. Planning early and thoroughly is the true key to making your move as easy as possible.
If you have plans to move your office, Integrated Building Systems is here to help! We emphasize planning technology early – including, for moves, how to integrate what you want to keep from your current office into needs for your new space. Contact us for help!