Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Moving your Office??

4 years later, wanted to share some industry knowledge on the subject of Moving your Offices. What should I know about this subject you ask? I have over 35 years in the industry and have a considerable amount of experience in the Do's and Do Not's of the Art of Relocating your company.

I have a lot to share but for now I am going to post a little to do list to follow to begin your journey -



Office Relocation Checklist

When you have an office to move it is a full time project to manage on a lot of days and
a constant to do list on days when it is not a full time project. Each office move is
different and requires customization based upon your business needs. We have taken
some of the most common business moving tasks and put them together here for you to
use.

Physical Planning
ı Obtain a floor plan of your current office layout
ı Obtain a blue print of your new office location
ı Create a proposed furniture orientation / office layout using blue print obtained
ı Obtain approval on new layout
ı Obtain quotes on required build out at new location
ı Determine PC and Printer Locations in new space
ı Determine location of shared office equipment (i.e. fax machines)
ı Identify personal printers on the floor plan
ı Identify analog lines on the floor plan
ı Identify data lines on the floor plan
ı Identify jack locations for voice and data
ı If modular furniture is being used identify the network cabling
ı Obtain bids for any work that is required based on current plans
ı Review final space plans and include electrical and furniture placement
ı Begin compiling costs for move budget
ı Evaluate new location to determine if there are any special limitations for movers
ı Assign each new office space with an identification number
ı Record all of the information you have learned

Teams
ı Identify co-workers to be team members on project team
ı Have a back up team member for any one that may not be available
ı Establish a Computer Team – Responsible for all aspects of PC moves
ı Establish a Testing Team – Responsible for testing all work stations
ı Establish a Data Team – Responsible for ensuring all data is backed up
ı Establish a Printer Team – Responsible for installing and configuring all printers
ı Establish a Network Team – Responsible for all network equipment including testing
ı Establish an Employee Team – Responsible for communicating to employees and
making sure all employee related issues are handled during move
ı Establish a Vendor Liaison – This person is responsible for interfacing will all vendors
ı Review all layout plans and jack locations for all equipment with team leaders
ı Create an outline for each team member and vendor as needed

Labeling For Move Day
ı Label all analog lines with ‘A’, digital phone lines ‘V’, and data lines ‘D’
ı All wiring should be labeled with the device ID to which it belongs







Office Relocation Checklist

ı All wiring should be labeled with the location it will be moved in the new layout
ı All computer equipment should be labeled with the identification number assigned to
the new space
ı Label all boxes and binders with the identification number of their new home
ı Color code labels for items belonging in network rooms or other common areas. Each
color should correspond to a unique common space in the new location. At the new
location the color should be clearly present on the door or wall space next to the door for
easier unpacking.
ı Place each color on the building layout diagram you have created
ı Ensure all team members are familiar with coding system
ı Communicate color coding system with Bulldog Movers along with a copy of the layout
Wiring / Cabling / Phone / Internet / Etc.
ı Identify the telephone / server room at the new location and label it on the floor plan
ı Ensure that the new server room is centralized to avoid the Ethernet UTP length limit
ı Confirm minimum requirements for server room are met (electrical, cooling,
dimensions, security, etc.)
ı Schedule wiring according to project timeline and obtain outside consultant if required
ı Identify cost and time constraints for wiring work
ı Document cost and time in project plan / project budget
ı Test all network and phone drops as soon as possible so problems can be corrected
ı Use layout of desks to estimate cable size requirements
ı Plan for any future configurations and wire leave additional wiring in each wall
ı Test all back-up batteries for phone switches and servers and take inventory of all
items
ı Contact vendors for 800 numbers and schedule cutover date. Test the new phone
lines several days before the move.
ı Disconnect all paid lines at old location
ı Review the programming and routing on the voice mail system to make sure
everything is working as it should
ı Determine what type of Internet is available at the new location. If a T1 is required 6-8
weeks is often required notice.
ı If the ISP is changed from the current provider identify any changes that may be
required to Company Website
Cleaning
Moving is about the only opportunity you will ever have to completely clean all of the
items that will be in your business. Take advantage of this time.
ı Before electronic items are moved clean them with appropriate cleaner
ı Clean all office furniture prior to move
ı Clean all wall hangings prior to move
ı Clean all break-room / office kitchen items prior to move







Office Relocation Checklist

Equipment
ı Take a complete inventory of all existing equipment
ı Determine what moves and what should be sold or donated
ı Identify any new equipment that may be required
ı Document all cost for project budget along with estimated arrival dates for project plan
ı Have a physical backup (bootable media) for all servers
ı Have spare cables and other parts on hand
ı You should not transport the backup media in the moving truck. Carry that by hand
and if possible have two copies in two separate locations.
ı Review equipment repair orders and identify those items that are likely to have a
problem on move day. Test those items first.

Meetings and Communication
ı Create a contact list for move day and include all key personnel, vendors, etc. on this
sheet. Provide copies of this contact list to all team leads.
ı Local staff contact person should be identified and on-site for deliveries or vendor
access to new location
ı Create a phone number list of all of the numbers being moved. Use this list to test calls
come in to the correct locations in addition to making sure calls can go out.
ı Schedule a conference call with telephone service providers. Review plan for move.
Schedule disconnection date for old location.
ı Reconfirm move date with all vendors at least 1 month prior to move. The week before
the move make sure all vendors date sensitive tasks are complete and move is still on
track.
ı Have a team meeting and confirm time lines are being met and roles and
responsibilities are understood. Ensure everyone knows who to call if there is a problem.
ı Update all important information with office security systems and providers.
ı Have users back up all of their files to the network or to disks before the move.

There are more things that you may identify as critical that can be added below
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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Rental Trucks vs Storage Containers vs Moving Company Service

Ok, so your going to move, you have taken a new job in another city and you got to get your stuff there. You have moved yourself since you've been in college and now your considering doing it again. So here's what I would encourage people to do-

Compare the services!!!

Basis for comparison-

Origin Location-
Condo in Cotati, Ca. 94931

Destination Location-
Apt. in Chicago, Il. 90622

Most all moving services use a zipcode to zipcode mileage guide
Mileage 2600 miles

Your shipment consists of a fairly furnished 1 bedroom apt. consisting of the following
1 bedroom set/new queen bed
1 living room set with Flat screen TV/several video games
1 kitchen set and dishes
2 bicycles/ camping equipment in a storage locker
We are talking in the neighborhood of 3500#s of stuff
And 1 fairly new "Green" 4 door sedan automobile

Most all moving services need to know the approximate weight of the shipment to determine the size of the truck or container you need to ship your goods

Time frame-
You have 4 weeks before you move-

So let's start the comparison- this is what we found in calling up reputable companies based on their type of moving service- All services are using the same criteria as stated above


Rental trucks-
One way 18' truck- Flat $2,500.00
8-day time frame for pick-up and drop off
Additional costs to be added
Finding or paying for help to load and unload Pizza and Beer or Cash- $200.00
Rental of pads, handtruck, purchase of rope or bungy cords, to secure load- $200.00
Packing material purchased at the truck store- $125.00
Fuel- 10 miles to the gallon- 2800 miles 1.95 per gallon - due the math- $546.00
Cost for lodging, 4 day cross country trip @ 75.00 per night - $300.00
And let's talk about eating- 25.00 per day 4 days -$100.00
Car tow trailer/ straps / and additional cost of fuel (Miles per gallon will drop) $400.00
Truck Insurance and Cargo Insurance -$125.00
And here's a cost that is often times overlooked- Your time it takes to do this!!!
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Grand Total- $4,496.00 Show me the Money

Storage Container Shipping:

1st month rental(Minimum 30 days)- $488.95
Transportation- $2,601.04
Re-deliver- 65.28
Tax - $252.42
Pads,material,rope, bungy cords- 200.00
Time frame-
drop, load and pick-up origin- 3 days
Transit cross country- 8 days
deliver, unload and pickup -3 days
14 days total
Load and unload the container- Pizza/beer or cash $200.00
You drive car back-
Food/ Lodging /Fuel- $625.00
Don't forget the time involved in this process!!!

Grand Total- $4,432.69 Not Bad

Moving Company-

Loading at origin, transportation to Chicago, unloading at destination -$2,950.00
Pads, straps, bungy cords, handtrucks, ramps, all provided
Labor to load - all included
20,000.00 Replacement value coverage/ $500.00 deductible- $97.00
Packing material - 150.00
Tip if the men do a good job - $100.00
Time Frame- Load to delivery 12-15 days
Car Carrier for your car/ 14 day delivery- $1200.00
Airplane trip- 400.00

Grand Total- $4,897.00
(If you drove your own car cross country and spent 625.00)
New Grand Total $3,922.00 WOW!!


What an interesting comparison, the do it yourself moves are not much cheaper than letting a professional moving company do the work!!!! The convenience factor of not having to do the work, traveling across country could out way the additional cost. Or you can drive back and enjoy a lessor cost with out all the labor-
Any one of these services can have their problems and delays, so nothing is not without some risk of going wrong. You can't rely on what might happen bad, but plan to make sure if it does it does not interfere with your life's schedule.

If any one reads this let me know of your own experiences, cost savings or good advice-
Meanwhile we will be thinking about another pertinent topic in the search for the perfect move!!!!
To learn more about our services go to www.movetopia.com

Good Day-
We have just created this blog site and will be publishing our first article shortly-
Stay Tuned