Know the Stepsin Your Office Move Like any complex process, office moves benefit from organized planning that breaks the process down into manageable parts or stages. Use this simplified office move checklist to keep your business relocation organized and on track. Project development and space selection Determine a timeframe and high-level project schedule Conduct an employee census and occupancy review Conduct a site survey and facility review of current and proposed locations Determine desired square footage Create a floor plan for your new space that identifies workstations, equipment centers, offices, conference rooms, fixtures and other support spaces Hire an architect if needed for new construction, upgrades and/or build-outs Create a move budget Conduct complete IT infrastructure assessment of current and proposed locations Inventory all IT assets Evaluate current cabling and network industry best practices Review pending IT upgrades for potential project consolidation

Identify critical business and support applications Evaluate network downtime options versus redundant hardware and applications during cut over Develop desktop relocation support strategy and resources Establish power, AC, ventilation, network and equipment positioning requirements Develop furniture selection criteria and specifications Update or develop complete furniture inventory Consider your furniture options: Resuse your existing furniture Evaluate using new or existing phone system Order new telephone numbers from phone company and/or transfer existing numbers Order new phone/data service (POTS, T-1, ISDN, DSL) if needed Establish a list of employee access levels Identify specialty areas needing additional security Identify areas needing additional fire suppression Determine the type of monitoring required for employees and facility Select new or transfer existing vendor for monitoring security system

Maintain security plan in vacated space until turnover Establish an internal communication plan for employees: Move and packing procedures Network outage and contingency plan Revised telephone and fax numbers Establish an external communication plan for customers, suppliers, service/utility providers and other pertinent vendors (e.g. accountant, attorney, insurance agent, etc.) such as:What Is The Best Car Tyre Foot Pump Change address and phone numberWhere To Buy A Kitten In Kuala Lumpur Order new stationery and business cardsWedding Dress Styles 1984 Update company vehicle signage Change website to reflect new address/phone numbers Revise advertising (including Yellow Pages and other directories)

Determine off-site storage needs Determine on-site storage needs Update filing requirements for employees Assign filing space for departments Schedule recurring document destruction days with vendor Dispose of or archive old files (consider sensitive documents) Select department move coordinators Determine building restrictions for move hours Schedule elevator access at both origin and destination Schedule parking and unloading at new site Obtain any special moving and/or parking permits Identify a member of your IT staff to be on site during the disconnect and reconnect of servers and data centers or consider outside support Arrange to have the following sensitive items packed and moved: Networking equipment and servers Determine packing needs for employees Determine common area packing requirements Develop plan for protection of confidential information Establish a packing schedule; determine what can be packed in advance and what areas are packed last so your business can continue to operate as efficiently as possible with the least amount of interruption

Establish and communicate packing/labeling guidelines; if you use a professional mover, custom packing instructions and labels should be providedbe sure to ask the moving company about crate rental versus corrugated material to save time and money and have less impact on the environment Ensure boxes are properly packed and labeled with office location, importance and content Arrange for protection of floors, walls and elevators Vendors to consider hiring Review your office vendor checklist Network (upgrade, back up, prepare for move) Secure document destruction and removal Hopefully this office relocation checklist, similar to the tools used by our business movers, will get you started on planning or executing your next move. Feel free to contact us if you’d like to hear more about our process or talk about how we can help. 6 secrets of a successful office move Office move checklist: know your vendors The 6 most overlooked parts of an office move

Don’t leave millions on the table. Enjoy moving tips, tips for business leaders, moving checklists and success stories. We’re rethinking the way the world moves. Get a residential relocation quote Talk to a corporate relocation specialist Talk to a workplace consultant Talk to a logistics specialistBusiness Move Checklist and Coordination Tasks Whether you enlist the help of a construction management team or handle your business move in-house, one thing is a must: stay organized. Download our free Business Move Checklist and Business Move Coordination Tasks here to keep organized and make sure your company doesn’t miss a beat when it comes time for this exciting but challenging time in every business’ evolution. When it comes time to make a new home for your company, be sure to have this helpful resource at your finger tips. Select a move committee. This is typically made of representatives from IT, HR, Operations and other interested and qualified people.

Establish a preliminary relocation budget. Determine whether the move warrants hiring a third-party move management consultant. If so, interview and hire third-party partner. Coordinate moving of servers with IT provider/support. Contact telecommunications/data provider to schedule a cut-over date. Contact telephone provider to get new numbers or move existing. Order data circuits and/or specialty circuits (check for lead times). Order phone lines for elevator, security and any other item that may require a phone line. Confirm your long distance carrier or change it. Determine if any equipment requires specialized or approved vendors to move it. This could include copiers, lab equipment, certain electronics or manufacturing equipment. Check existing lease for restoration requirements/conditions for returning current space to landlord. Reserve the building elevator (existing for move out, new for move in). Order keys from the building.

Contact the building to confirm locations of signage. Hire signage vendor to plan, get approval for, and install new signage. Obtain a qualified mover by interviewing 2-4 companies, depending on the size of job. Order new letterhead, business cards, forms, and other printed marketing materials. Coordinate updates to your website, email signatures, and any place else where your address appears so they can be implemented on the day of your move. Notify your clients of change of address. Contact the post office for change of address. Contact your bank for change of address. Notify vendors of change of address (coffee service, vending machines, etc.). Contact the IRS for change of address. Change address with any publications that are delivered to office. Notify insurance carrier of change of address and new office’s requirements. Obtain certificates of insurance for the landlord, and any entities required by the lease. Contact the Franchise Tax Board for change of address.

Contact the Employment Development Department for change of address. Contact the Secretary of State for change of address. 2 Months Prior to Move: Coordinate with IT on server move, desktop, and PBX timelines. Assemble ‘Move Team’ with each department having a ‘Move Liaison’. Schedule weekly move coordination meetings – prepare and distribute weekly minutes & schedules. Review & define areas of responsibility Collect all furniture layout plans from employees for their new spaces. Common areas (coffee/break rooms, copy rooms, etc.) De-installation & installation responsibilities – coordination of timing Prepare lab equipment ID matrix of all equipment moving (if applicable) – check/review special equipment installation compatibility/requirements (coordinate with users). Develop preliminary move schedule. 1 Month Prior to Move: Assign move numbers/labeling/tagging scheme – prepare floor plans/layouts. Create employee move packets and instructions on how to move.

Prepare agenda for employee move orientation meeting. Create public relations campaign with press releases to highlight new location and/or office-warming party. Secure off-site storage location for old files Discuss and agree on move insurance needs with company. Modify new space to meet equipment demands as necessary (coordinate with users). Determine security procedures for the move. Coordinate to add your listing to lobby directory at new site Fine tune move schedule. 2 Weeks Prior to Move: Hold employee move orientation meeting. Distribute employee move packets. Schedule packing material and label delivery. Prepare employee welcome packet to the new space (restrooms, gyms, break rooms, copy rooms, etc.). Move team preparation for move – channels for communication, change requests, etc. Schedule move day on site help. Create a list of emergency contacts, cell phone numbers, and vendors that includes moving company, building management, utilities, telecommunications, etc.

Identify ‘lost and found’ at both origin and destination. Identify move command central – for mover and employee inquiries. Select cleaning vendor for post-move. Schedule additional packing material and label delivery. Tag and label destination site – room numbering and equipment IDs. Mount ‘You are here’ floor plans and color-coding instructions. Schedule training for all emergency procedures at new location. Review and finalize all move sequences/schedules – distribute to move team. Prep building for move – surface protection, corner guards, etc. Distribute new security ID cardkey entry badges. As close as possible to moving day – change locks and access codes at new location. Assign origin and destination move liaisons. On site help to coordinate move related questions, etc. Complete job walk each day of move of schedule/completion/damage, etc. Allocate keys and/or access cards for new location.