Because office moves are often complicated and overwhelming for one office manager to handle, it’s a good idea to create an overall checklist to keep track of the over 200 steps involved in the process. Below you’ll find the main areas you want to focus on to keep your move on track and within budget!
Commercial Real Estate
Analyze your current space and where it can improve. Could you cut down overhead spending with a smaller office space? Could you move your office closer to prospective clients? Could you find a building or location that better reflects your business’s values? Once you have a list of what your business needs to continue to grow and improve, start looking for real estate that matches your needs. Office Moving In Edmonton You may also want to start consulting an architect during this stage as well because they may have some easy design solutions for the real estate issues you face. Start this analysis and search one to two years before your office move.
Office Design
You can reduce costs through smart office design as well. Find a space planner who can work with your architect to create the most efficient space possible, using the least amount of square footage. Also consider investing in a more innovative design that will inspire employees and boost their creativity. The happier your employees, the more productive they will become. As soon as you know how you want your company to develop in the new space, contact an architect and space planner. This step should also occur one to two years before the move.
Construction and Build-out
With a finalized design, your office move checklist will move into the construction and build-out phase. Any physical alterations that need to be done in the new office space will be done here with the guidance of your architect and several contractors. Meet with all of the contractors and architects before any construction begins to ensure that their projected time frame and budget matches yours and adjust accordingly. Depending on the size of your project, build-out could begin three to six months before your move.
IT Relocation
Moving your IT network to a new space takes plenty of careful planning and testing. Hire an IT relocation expert to plan the transfer of servers and equipment and set the data backups. These backups should be tested multiple times before the office move to ensure that data successfully restores in the new office. Give yourself six months prior to the office move to plan this stage.
Business Moving Company
The last major stage of your office moving checklist is hiring the office moving company and overseeing the actual move. It may seem simple, but because it takes place at the end of a move, it’s easy for some crucial facts to be overlooked. Make sure your mover specializes in commercial moves and has the budget that they need to be successful. With too small a budget or inexperience, major delays and expenses could occur right when you are running out of time. Start looking for a top commercial mover one to three months before the move.
