How to Handle a Project Office Move

A project office move is the kind of thing that can unexpectedly throw a spanner in the works of your project.

No matter what the reason for the change is, there are some points to consider that will make the whole thing easier and less stressful.

Plan the Move Well in Advance

Making things up at the last minute is just about the worst thing that you can do when dealing with a project office move. This is almost certain to end in disaster, as you realise that you have forgotten to take something into account.

The best approach is to carefully plan the whole move in advance. Of course, as a PRINCE2 qualified project manager this should be right up your street.

Don’t Neglect the Usual Project Office Work

A big potential problem with this sort of task is that it could cause you to neglect other things while you do it. Can you imagine the disaster if you get nicely settled in to your new office only to realise that you have completely forgotten about a milestone, a meeting or some other job?

While the project office move is important, you simply can’t afford to treat it as a higher priority than your other work. Ideally, you will arrange it at a fairly quiet time when you aren’t too busy on your projects. 

Do It at the Weekend

The weekend is usually a great time to carry out an office move like this. This is when the task is least likely to disrupt your normal business to any great degree.

It is also less likely that you have meetings planned or visitors on the premises during the weekend. If you plan it well then everyone will go in to work on Monday and just pick up exactly where they left off on Friday.

Your job as a PRINCE2 project manager will be a lot easier if you know that this move isn’t going to cause your work to fall way behind as a result.

Assign Roles

A great way to make your move to a new project office go more smoothly is to assign roles to everyone involved in it. This will ensure that there is no confusion over who should be doing what and that no tasks are left unattended to.

All of this should be dealt when you write a good plan, so there is no need to rush around on the day of the move trying to work out who should be doing what.

If you handle it right then a move to a new project office should be smooth and seamless for everyone concerned.