Plan Your Office Move Like You Plan a Project
If you have think about moving your office, you are probably overwhelmed with how large of a project it is and how many pieces to the moving puzzle exist. What if I told you there is a simple way to shift how you think about a big move that will make it simpler and easier to organize? Give it a try – I want you to think about your office move like you are managing a specific project. Using this NYC Professional Office Organizer’s project management checklist, let’s apply this strategy to an office move.
PHASE 1: SET-UP
When managing any project, you start by defining a very specific goal and map out the steps you will take to achieve it. The same goes for an office move. By defining your move goals, you will be able to lay out the steps to make it happen. During the set-up stage, you will also identify the project manager, whether it is yourself or you’ve hired an office move manager like The Organizing Zone.
PHASE 2: PLAN
In this phase, you create the timeline of your office move. Ideally you will begin planning several months in advance, but no matter the length of time, mapping it out allows you to set specific goals and deadlines and assign tasks to your team. What types of tasks might you assign during an office move? Based on your specific needs, these tasks may include building out your new office space, sorting through old files to determine what needs to be saved, shredded and discarded, calling and scheduling the internet for your new space, etc.
PHASE 3: IMPLEMENTATION
This is the take action phase! As you and your team start to work on your assigned tasks for the move, make sure that you are clarifying expectations, responsibilities, and procedures. During this phase, questions concerning how to complete a task or addressing team members who aren’t completing their assigned tasks in a timely manner may arise.
PHASE 4: WRAP UP
As the office move comes to an end, you will wrap up any loose ends, such as paying service providers or ending the lease of your previous space. You will take this time to also evaluate the outcome – what worked? What didn’t? Who would you hire again? These are important as you may need to move offices again sometime in the future and you’ll be able to apply what you learned. The most important part of this phase – celebrate your success! Praise your team and enjoy your new workspace.
When you look at an office move like a project you were completing for a client, you will be able to feel more confident as you work through each phase. For more hands-on assistance and strategies for your next office move, reach out to your NYC Professional Office Organizer.