The physical move is one of the most visible parts of any project. If this aspect of the project is perceived to have failed, the implications can be devastating for any project team.

However, the physical move is also only the tip of the iceberg, 90% of the work lies beneath the surface, and should have been to be undertaken during the planning stages. Neglect this 90% and your project will ultimately face difficulties of Titanic proportions. Irrespective of whether your operation has 24 hour services, customer support lines, patients, research labs, trading floors or complex operations, all organisations have to ask themselves the same question – “how do we achieve zero downtime?”

From the outset, planning a move can feel like looking into a yawning abyss of tasks and activities. A good place to start is by focusing upon the following key areas in order help mitigate the risk of operational downtime and disruption.

1. Build a Strategy – Plan to tackle the project with a strategy. Meet with
key stakeholders and business unit representatives to understand dependencies, adjacencies, workflow, critical business dates and issues. The strategy should at the very least include an outline of key relocation principles, a preliminary move schedule, communications plan, budget and risk management model.
2. Appoint a Move Champion – Dedicate at least one person to planning and managing the move and consider whether or not to employ a specialist relocation consultant.
3. Establish a Working Group – Form a team responsible for all
day to day activity and decision-making. These will usually be representatives from Facilities/Property, IT / Telecoms, HR, Corporate Communications, the Construction/Fit-Out Project Manager and Design Team. The composition of this group will probably change as the physical move approaches.
4. Review Filing and Storage – When it comes to filing and storage, the devil is truly in the detail. Miscalculate volumes or file reduction amounts and your office will be crippled by crates and boxes that cannot be unpacked on day one. Not only will staff be unable to work effectively, but they will also be dicing death each time they pop to the loo. Create a filing reduction programme and chase progress via the Move Champion.
5. Spice up clear out days with bribes – there’s usually a direct correlation between volumes reduced and pizza/donuts consumed. Finally, allocate filing space and ensure that all staff know exactly where their filing and storage items will be accommodated well in advance of the move.
6. Choose a Removalist – One of the biggest mistakes that an organisation can make, is to appoint the removalist far too early. If you appoint the removalist before a detailed scope and schedule has been created, you are increasing the risk of variation costs greatly.
7. Moving IT – Consider whether you would also like to include IT disconnect/ reconnect in the removalists scope or to approach the market for a specialist provider. Using a third party to manage, disconnect and reconnect provides a fast, auditable service and frees your in-house IT resources to focus upon technical issues. This can help mitigate risk surrounding the IT programme at a relatively low cost.
8. Physical Move Logistics – Generally speaking, this is the easy bit. The physical move will flow smoothly if all planning has been undertaken
in a timely, controlled fashion. However, it is inevitable that there will
be challenges during the relocation itself and as such, whenever the removalist is on site, so too should your Move Champion be. Make sure that all security, access, traffic control and loading dock bookings are scheduled in advance of every phase, and that a detailed shift by shift activity schedule is created.
9. A gentle touch – Why not prepare a written guide for staff to show them where the nearest coffee shops and eateries are? Give them all a map of the office so they know where everyone else is sitting. Do something small to personalise their workstation and welcome them to their new home.
10. Stationary – Order everyone’s new business cards and other stationary well in advance of the move. Make sure you have your new phone number allocated and confirmed before you go to print.
11. Celebrate – Don’t forget to celebrate the move. Often a breakfast opening ceremony works better than an evening event. with booze. You don’t want the brand new offices trashed by drunks the first day it opens!