Before departments start packing
Choose one business coordinator and a receiving contact. Inventory equipment by department, photograph desk layouts and give each work area a destination code. Identify what must remain available until the final working day.
| Task | Owner to appoint |
|---|---|
| Building reservations | Facilities lead: dock, elevator, security and permitted hours |
| IT cutover | IT lead: backup, shutdown, transport requirements and reconnection |
| Records and access | Authorized records owner: secure handling and chain of custody |
| Furniture placement | Department contact: floor plan and workstation labels |
During the move
Use the agreed sequence for departments and priority equipment. Keep a list of items that are not moving. Do not leave confidential files or active access badges in unlabelled open cartons. Confirm specialized handling requirements with the appropriate provider before transport.
Before staff return
Check desks, walkways and exits, then have the IT owner verify network, phone and equipment functionality. Reconcile inventory and report visible issues. Keep the service contacts available through the first working day rather than closing the project when the last carton arrives.
Create a move register with named owners
Separate the office move into workstreams: furniture, IT, files, employee belongings and building access. Give each an owner, a deadline and a sign-off condition. “IT ready” should mean someone has verified the new connection and knows who will reconnect each device, not simply that computers are boxed. Keep the register available to the move coordinator so a missing decision does not hold the entire floor.
Label for the destination floor plan
Give desks and cartons a destination code such as Floor 2 / Finance / Desk 04. Put matching codes on a floor plan approved before loading. Mark shared equipment and items going to storage separately. Employees should photograph their connections and keep personal essentials with them. Use an authorised internal process for confidential records; a general room label should not expose sensitive contents to everyone walking through the loading area.
What makes an office ready to reopen?
Furniture placement, working systems and named owners must come together before the first business morning.
Rehearse the first business morning
Work backwards from what must function when staff return: entry badges, internet, essential workstations, meeting equipment and reception. Decide which systems can wait and who tests the critical ones. Reserve time for unpacking and troubleshooting instead of treating unloading as the end of the project. A short trial with one workstation can reveal missing cables or furniture placement problems before they affect every employee.
Build the office inventory around work, not furniture
Walk the office by department and separate what must be available immediately from what can be unpacked later. Record desks, chairs, monitors and shared equipment by destination zone, then identify archives, spare supplies and items being retired. Ask department owners to check their own lists before consolidation. A purchasing list and a shipment inventory serve different purposes: the first describes what the new workplace still needs; the second describes what is actually leaving the old one. Keep them separate so a missing newly ordered chair is not mistaken for a lost shipment item. Photograph complex workstation arrangements before disconnecting anything. For leased equipment, ask the supplier about preparation and authorised handling rather than letting a general moving team improvise. Mark anything requiring an IT or service technician as a separate dependency with a completion date.
Create a realistic cutover sequence
Choose the functions that must remain available during the change: customer calls, order processing, payment access or a small working team. Decide how each will operate while desks and equipment are in transit. That may mean a temporary remote arrangement or retaining a limited station until a defined cutoff. Put the cutoff in the move register and give the affected staff a clear explanation. Avoid a schedule where every department is told to pack simultaneously while reception is still expected to operate normally. Ask the mover which loading sequence supports the destination priorities. The first furniture delivered is not necessarily the first business function restored, especially when network setup depends on another contractor. Reserve time for functional testing and an agreed fallback if a critical system is not ready. A continuity plan should specify a responsible person and a usable alternative, not simply the phrase “minimal downtime.”
Communicate the move without exposing sensitive information
Prepare separate notices for staff, clients, suppliers and building contacts. Staff need practical instructions about packing deadlines, labels, personal belongings and where to report questions. Clients may need the new address, service availability and updated contact arrangements; they do not need the internal floor plan or security procedure. Check the website, business listings, stationery and supplier records through the person who normally owns those channels. Keep a register of requested changes and confirm which have actually taken effect. Do not include access codes or confidential records in a widely distributed move announcement. Use the company’s authorised IT and records processes for backups, data disposal and file transfers. The move coordinator should know that the task has been completed without taking custody of every password or sensitive document. This division makes the checklist usable while preserving the organisation’s existing access controls.
Use a first-morning acceptance test
Before declaring the office ready, test a representative workstation, the shared printer, an incoming call and any system essential to your operation. Confirm that staff can enter the building and find the correct working zones. Check accessible routes, clear exits and the agreed placement of furniture. Record unresolved tasks with a named owner and a next update time. Keep non-essential cartons in designated areas so unpacking does not obstruct the functioning workplace. Reconcile the move inventory separately from the technology test: a complete furniture count does not prove the phones work, and a working phone does not prove every archive carton arrived. Close the project only after the agreed transport tasks and your internal reopening tasks have each been reviewed. Retain the register, plans and completion notes; they become a useful reference if the organisation later moves another department or changes the layout.
Office relocation decision sheet
Assign an owner and attach evidence before approving each decision.
| Decision | Evidence to gather | Approval question |
|---|---|---|
| Move date | Lease dates, access windows and operational deadlines. | Can both buildings accommodate the proposed schedule? |
| New layout | Measured plan showing teams, shared equipment and circulation. | Has every department approved its assigned space? |
| Business continuity | Essential services, backup workspace and downtime tolerance. | Who decides whether to pause or resume operations? |
| IT readiness | Connection tests, equipment labels and backup confirmation. | Can priority staff work at the destination? |
| Records handling | Retention decisions, sealed containers and custody contacts. | Is responsibility clear at every handoff? |
| Staff communication | Packing instructions, closure notice and first-day directions. | Has everyone received the same current instructions? |
| Property condition | Photos, removal obligations and inspection appointment. | Who signs off on each location? |
| Budget approval | Written scope, optional services and contingency owner. | Which changes require approval before spending? |