An office move that runs into Monday costs far more than the move itself. Here is the plan we use to avoid that.
Ten weeks out: the asset register
Count and tag everything - workstations, chairs, monitors, servers, network gear, storage cabinets, records. This register becomes the labelling scheme, the insurance declaration and the reconciliation sheet at the far end. Skipping it is why offices lose equipment.
Eight weeks: the floor plan
Agree the destination seating plan and assign every seat a zone code. Colour-code zones. On move night the crew is not interpreting names, they are matching a green label to a green zone.
Six weeks: IT planning
Servers and network gear need their own sequence: shutdown order, transport, rack, power up, test. Book your ISP's link activation now - the single most common cause of a Monday failure is a leased line that was ordered too late.
Four weeks: staff briefing
Every employee gets a crate, a label with their zone code, and a clear rule: you pack your own desk, we move it. Personal items and valuables go home with them, not in the crate.
Two weeks: confidential records
Files move in sealed, numbered crates with a chain-of-custody sheet signed at both ends. For regulated industries this is not optional and auditors will ask for it.
Move weekend
Friday 6 PM: staff leave, crates sealed and labelled.
Friday 8 PM: IT shutdown and de-cabling.
Saturday: workstations dismantled, loaded, transported, reassembled by zone.
Saturday evening: servers racked and powered, network tested.
Sunday: crates delivered to desks, monitors and phones connected, snag list worked.
Sunday 4 PM: walkthrough with your facilities lead and sign-off.
Monday
Keep two crew members and one IT engineer on site all day. There is always a monitor that will not wake and a desk phone with the wrong extension. Fixing those in ten minutes is the difference between a successful move and a bad first impression.
