In briefRun an office move as a business-continuity programme. Freeze requirements, map dependencies, confirm both lease handovers, migrate technology in tested waves, communicate by audience and rehearse the first day. Keep a fallback workspace until critical services pass acceptance.
Move without losing the business
- Protect: Customers, people, data and critical work
- Prove: Access, systems, rooms and support before cutover
- Close: Assets, records, access and lease obligations
Create one integrated move plan
Connect property, design, contractor, furniture, IT, security, records, HR, communications, suppliers and finance on one dependency schedule. Name a decision owner and acceptance evidence for every critical task. A green percentage is meaningless if one network, access or landlord dependency can still stop opening.
Review the old and new leases together: notice, access, alteration, reinstatement, deposits, utilities, insurance and handover evidence. Take qualified legal and technical advice on obligations; operational assumptions should not substitute for contract review.
- Gate: Space ready; Acceptance evidence: Safety, defects, furniture, signage and occupancy route
- Gate: Technology ready; Acceptance evidence: Network, identity, devices, rooms, print, backup and support
- Gate: People ready; Acceptance evidence: Directions, access, seating, policies and first-day help
- Gate: Old site closed; Acceptance evidence: Assets, data, access, reinstatement and signed handover
Move technology and teams in controlled waves
Pilot with a representative group before full cutover. Test ordinary work, authentication, files, calls, meeting booking, visitors, printing and support, not only network speed. Fix the workflow, then repeat it by team with a clear rollback path.
Maintain a temporary serviced office or remote continuity plan for critical people until the new office passes. Insurance against one lost business day can be worth more than the apparent saving from an aggressive cutover.
Communicate by journey and audience
Employees need dates, travel, parking, access, packing, equipment, policy and support. Clients and suppliers need the effective address, meeting instructions and continuity contacts. Build one source of truth and issue updates only when something has changed.
Open with visible support, triage issues and publish daily closure during the first week. Run a 30-day review of attendance, room demand, defects, service and employee feedback; the move ends when the workplace stabilizes, not when the boxes arrive.
FAQ
How long does an office relocation take?
It depends on lease, fit-out, approvals, technology and scale. Build the date from tested dependencies and maintain contingency rather than using a generic duration.
What should move first?
Pilot users and noncritical assets can validate the new environment. Critical functions should move only after access, systems and support pass acceptance.
When is the relocation complete?
When the new office is stable, critical issues are closed, old-site obligations are accepted, access and data are cleared, and ownership transfers to normal operations.