You guys, moving makes me tired.
Nope! Wrong. I couldn't have been more wrong.
While the actual process of moving is the same as residential shifts (packing, loading, & unpacking), there were a lot of other fun little tasks associated with an office move that popped up to get in my way.
I'm going to share with you some of my take-aways from what has been one doozie of a move.
Checking a box off of a list gives me a true jolt of happiness. Check! Job well done, me!
I had a couple of checklists going. Pre and post-move checklists, accounts to be changed, and of course a checklist of purchases to make.
If you don't use some form of organizational software for major life events, I highly recommend checking out Trello. Trello allowed me to house my checklists, tasks to be done, and documentation all in one spot. It's a glorious tool that allows you to organize your life. Ok, plug over, moving on.
I had our internet and alarm installs booked for the day after the move so the office could be up and running within 24 hours of the move. At a digital agency, not having internet for even one day is a huge obstacle.
One thing I missed out on was being able to get new carpeting installed. This was a decision I should have made sooner. The process of quoting and actually doing any remodeling takes a LONG time. I missed the boat on that one. We'll have old carpet for a while, lesson learned.
I love a plan. A plan makes me feel like I have control over situations where there are a lot of variables. I knew that in order to get this move done on time and at a reasonable budget, I would have to have a solid plan with specific dates.
I started with the last day we had to occupy our old office and worked backwards. To give you some idea how long this process took, I started planning in December for a March move.
I used my trusty Google calendar to keep all my install dates and other tasks happening in a timely manner.
I used Trello to keep track of my progress.
Moving your house makes actually living in it next to impossible. The same could be said for moving a business, but the difference is when moving your business, you have to avoid interrupting the daily flow of your team. Client work still needs to be done. Stranding your team without their resources for an extended period of time isn't an option.
Keep your team in the loop. They need to know when significant move events are happening, like the actual moving day or when there won't be any internet available. Are the lights getting shut off at some point? They'll need to know that.
For this purpose, I used our shared Google Calendar and made a calendar that shared important move events. I invited my team so they knew exactly when things were going down so they could plan accordingly.
I won't lie and say I perfectly executed this move. Looking back, there were things I would have done differently. But, here are a list of miscellaneous pro-tips I came away with that may help during you office move:
If you take away one point from this post, I hope it's to give yourself plenty of time.
Don't procrastinate on anything. Once you have your move in date, start working back from that date.
Don't assume everything will go perfectly and happen on time, it probably won't. There are a lot of people involved in moving an office, and although I know you're an efficient planner, you can't expect everyone else to be.
Moving our business was a great learning experience for me. I'm glad it went well, and I'm really glad I don't have to think about it again for another 3 years!
Moved an office before? Share your pro-tips with us!