Plans · Operations
Move offices
10 weeks · 5 phases · 29 tasks · 4 milestones · 5 risks
For an office manager or founder moving a team of up to about fifty people. The new internet line is ordered first because it takes longest, the move itself happens over a weekend in week 9, and week 10 is for fixing what's broken and handing back the old space. If your new office needs a real fit-out, add the build time before week 4.
Makes it a program in your harbor, dated from today.
Milestones
- Week 4Furniture and movers booked
- Week 8Internet live at the new office
- Week 9Move weekend
- Week 10Old office handed back
The plan, phase by phase
1. Plan
Weeks 1 to 2. Fix the dates, the budget and who's in charge.
- Week 1Confirm the move date and the date you must leave the old officeCheck the notice period and handback conditions in the old lease.
- Week 1Name one person to run the move
- Week 1Set the move budgetInclude movers, cabling, furniture, overlap rent and handback repairs.
- Week 2Order the internet connection for the new officeBusiness lines can take weeks to install, so order this first.
- Week 2Ask staff what they need in the new space
- Week 2Measure the new office and draw a floor plan
2. New space
Weeks 3 to 6. Get the new office ready to work in before anyone arrives.
- Week 3Lay out desks, meeting rooms and storage on the floor plan
- Week 3Get quotes for any building work
- Week 4Order furnitureConfirm delivery dates in writing; furniture is often the slowest item.
- Week 4Book electricians and network cablingMark every desk and printer position on the plan you give them.
- Week 6Arrange access cards and keys
- Week 6Update insurance for the new address
3. Movers and IT
Weeks 3 to 8. Book the people who carry things and plan the switch-over of everything that plugs in.
- Week 3Get three quotes from moversAsk each one to visit; quotes made from a phone call change later.
- Week 4Book the movers
- Week 5Plan the IT cutover: network, printers and phonesList what has to work at 9am on the first Monday.
- Week 7Label every desk and room on the plan
- Week 8Test the internet and Wi-Fi at the new office
4. People and admin
Weeks 4 to 9. Tell everyone who needs to know, and move less by clearing out first.
- Week 4Tell staff the date and what's expected of themSay what each person packs, by when, and when they can't work.
- Week 5List everyone who needs the new addressBank, suppliers, customers, tax office, payroll and any licences.
- Week 7Clear out and archive old files and equipmentMoving less is the cheapest saving in the plan.
- Week 7Order packing crates
- Week 8Arrange mail forwarding
- Week 9Update the website, email signatures and printed materials
5. Move and close out
Weeks 9 to 10. Move over a weekend, fix what's broken, and hand back the old office.
- Week 9Pack desks and personal items
- Week 9Run the move over a weekendHave someone at each end to tell the movers where things go.
- Week 10Check every desk works on the first morningWalk the floor at 8am with a list and a spare cable box.
- Week 10Ask staff what's still missing or broken
- Week 10Clean and repair the old office
- Week 10Hand back the keys and get the handback signedPhotograph every room as you leave.
What usually goes wrong
Internet isn't ready at the new office
Nobody can work, and installers' dates are hard to move.
What helps: Order the line in week 2 and chase the install date weekly. Have mobile hotspots ready as a fallback for the first days.
Likelihood 3 of 5 · impact 5 of 5
Handback costs more than expected
Leases often require the space returned to its original state, which can mean repairs and repainting.
What helps: Read the handback clause in week 1, ask the landlord for a walk-through early, and budget for the work.
Likelihood 3 of 5 · impact 3 of 5
Furniture arrives after the move
People arrive to rooms they can't work in.
What helps: Order in week 4 with delivery dates in writing, and plan to move existing desks if the new ones are late.
Likelihood 3 of 5 · impact 3 of 5
Paying rent on two offices for longer than planned
Any slip in the new space keeps you in the old one past its end date.
What helps: Agree a few weeks of overlap in the new lease and don't give notice on the old office until the move date is firm.
Likelihood 3 of 5 · impact 3 of 5
Equipment is lost or damaged
Laptops, screens and files get mixed up when everything is moved at once.
What helps: Label every crate with a desk number, back up shared drives before the move, and check the movers' insurance.
Likelihood 2 of 5 · impact 3 of 5
Using it
Copy what fits and cut what doesn’t: no real project matches a template. In Harbor the plan becomes a program with these milestones, one project holding every task with its due date, and these risks in the register, all yours until you hand them out. The first phase starts in To do and the rest wait in the backlog.
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