How To Plan A Premises Move
Moving your business into new premises is usually a big milestone. It marks the growth of your business or a new strategy. Despite this, a lot of people don’t realize just how disruptive and time-consuming a big move like this can be. The key to a successful move is careful planning and good communication with everyone involved.
In order for your move to be a success, you should start planning at least six months in advance if you can. Your top priorities to get planned should be involving your employees and keeping your customers happy during the change. With some advance planning, this should be easy to do.
Draw Up An Outline Program
Include a timetable for the main planning and implementation stages.
Some tasks will have longer lead times than you might think. For example, check how long you need to alert directory entries, arrange leased phone lines, and hire a removal contractor. Don’t forget specialist things, like moving your IT, or buying a pump cart to move your sanitation system.
Try to plan your move for during a quieter work period for minimal disruption.
Set the planned moving day as the deadline, and set each task a completion date such as D-2 (two weeks before moving day) or D+1 (a week after moving day). The date of the move itself could change as time goes by, but deadlines like this can change with the moving date so everything still happens at the right time.
Check That There Are No Legal Problems
Legal problems could prevent you from either quitting your existing premises or moving into the new premises on the planned day. Check all this in advance to avoid nasty surprises.
If your existing lease continues after you have moved, and your old building is empty, you might be eligible for rates relief. Look into this to save some money.
Agree On A Preliminary Budget For The Move
Property costs could include acquiring and fitting out the new premises, upgrading equipment, and disposing of your old premises.
People costs could include relocation and redundancy expenses, recruitment costs, and the cost of working time that is lost during the move.
Sales could suffer from this disruption too, which could have repercussions for your forward pipeline for some time to come. Be prepared for this problem and budget for it.
Put Together A Small Move Team, With One Person In Charge
Your move coordinator can liaise with other employees, the removal company, and any other subcontractors to make sure everyone has the information that they need.
The coordinator can also delegate specific areas of responsibility to individual members of the team. For example, space planning and furniture arrangement, moving IT equipment, telecoms and data, regulations, and health and safety.
Employees can draw up their own list of tasks they need to get down, in order, to meet the completion dates in the outline plan. Make sure each individual has time to carry out the tasks.
Timetable Regular Meetings To Coordinate Progress And Keep The Momentum Going
Plans and costs will need to be agreed upon during these meetings
Take advantage of any help that is on offer from your removal company by bringing the contractors into planning meetings.
