The Space | Installment #5: Putting the Moving Pieces in Place

Have you ever done a massive jigsaw puzzle? 1,000 pieces? 3,000 pieces? The picture on the cover of the box looks so attainable, and the thought of sitting back when it’s done to admire your ambition, problem-solving skills, patience, and resolve for getting every last piece in its place is enough to convince you to buy it. But then...then you dump the contents of the box out onto a giant table, spread them around, and think: huh, now what? How is there any chance I am going to end up with something that looks like the picture on the cover of this box? I like the idea of putting this thing together, and I still want the complete picture, but, what was I thinking? Where do I even start?  

We’ve spent some time over the past weeks discussing what most people consider to be the more interesting and compelling elements of relocation design - planning for how you are going to use your new office space and branding your environment - but, what we need to talk about (and this is where most people tune out or just don’t really want to know, I get it) is how to ensure that all components of the physical move are executed in-full and on-time. Maybe we can convince you here that it’s far more exciting that you probably realize! Or maybe not. But, what we can tell you is that there’s a certain art to it; to balancing the many demands you will face while transitioning from the longview planning phase to the day-of, well, chaos. 

The trick is to make sure when you get to moving day you are confident and ready for it; that you have left no stone unturned in your preparation and there’s no potential hiccup that you can’t handle. You’ve got this. While we’ve put together some pretty comprehensive checklists for partners to help them through this process and know there are lots of terrific resources out there ready-made for large and small businesses to help you think through your office move preparations, for the purpose of this post, we’re going to focus on a couple of big picture essentials. Call them guiding principles. What we’ve learned, and like we’ve spoken about in our previous Space Installment installments, keeping the purpose for your move, what it means for your organization and how you can capitalize on the excitement to refresh and reinvigorate your identity, front of mind at all times will help carry you through those moments when all of the pieces are on the table and you feel overwhelmed. 

Keeping Your Staff Engaged: Setting Expectations and Critical Milestones

Moving is a massive undertaking, and the one thing that cannot happen is to allow for any part of the process to become a disruption for staff members or to interfere with ongoing priorities and obligations. That’s ultimately the goal of everything at the most fundamental level - minimize the headache.

Work backwards from moving day, draft a thorough scope of work, list all major tasks that need to be completed, identify an owner for each, establish critical milestones and regular check-ins with vendors/partners/committee members, and then, before you get started, communicate the big picture plan with your staff and schedule regular progress updates. This will set expectations that everyone will be held to the same deadlines and that you need all hands on deck to make this work. It will also afford your team some peace of mind knowing that they can remain focused on their daily responsibilities, receiving the information and materials they need to have when they need to have them.

Navigating the Move Management Landscape 

Like we noted above, there are lots of resources available to large and small organizations alike when it comes to planning for a move. LOTS. Even so, sourcing, selecting, and securing vendors in any business is time-consuming and comes with its fair share of headaches. It helps to know the right questions to ask and to place a premium on responsiveness when looking for a moving company. Conduct walk-throughs of your existing office space with at least three before you get price quotes and get to know each one of them a little bit. Talking to companies in person before selecting one will go a long way in helping you determine whether you feel like you’ve found a dependable partner in this process. That’s what you need. Someone you feel like you can trust to get the job done so you’re not alone. Time well-spent upfront establishing a relationship will likely translate to anxiety saved later on.  

Moving Days (Plural)

Unless you absolutely have no choice, don’t try to move in one day. Why do that to yourself? Give yourself at least a couple of days to prep, paint, touch-up, set up, organize, rearrange, etc. the new space before officially opening it for business. I know we just said the ultimate goal is to minimize disruptions, but giving your team a couple of days to work remotely while you make certain that everything is set up the way you envisioned will, in the end, work in your favor toward that end. Especially if you’re adding some environmental graphics and design components; you need to allow time for those to be installed. Have your team walk into a finished product on their first day in the new office, and not a partially finished, slightly chaotic one. One day, generally, is not enough time to ensure that can happen.

Keeping Your Why in Mind

We hear a lot these days about the critical importance of businesses and organizations being able to articulate their why - it’s what drives the what and determines the how. Well, here it’s vitally important to note that the process of moving is simply the what, and, when you’re in the thick of what feels like complete and total disarray all around you at certain points of your relocation, don’t lose sight of the why. We mentioned it above but feel it’s worth repeating: remember what got you and your team excited about the new space, and what it means for your organization at this stage in its evolution. Don’t forget about that enticing picture on the front of the jigsaw puzzle box - that’s the goal, and you’ll get there, one tiny puzzle piece at a time.

Let’s talk about how we can help you with the what and how of your organization’s relocation design project.