Learn the Basics
Learn the Basics
Plain-language glossary and short explainers.
For the moment you hit a word or a concept you don’t know. Everything here is short, plain, and never condescending. The rule from the playbook: when you see a term you don’t know, translate it into a practical question — who needs to do what, by when, and what approval do they need?
Two kinds of page live here: short teaching modules that explain a concept or skill (why certificates of insurance matter, how to run a daily standup), and the glossary — the Office Terminology A–Z page, plus a deeper single page per term. Every page links back to the workstreams where it matters.
Teaching modules
- Property manager vs. landlord The landlord owns the building; the property manager runs it day to day. You'll deal mostly with the property manager.
- Why COIs matter A certificate of insurance (COI) proves a vendor is insured. Buildings require it before anyone works on site — and a missing or wrong one gets your mover turned away.
- What an access request form is The building's form for authorizing people and vendors to enter or work. Usually needs names, dates, certificates of insurance (COIs), and after-hours details — so submit it early.
- Why freight elevator scheduling is a critical-path item One shared elevator, limited windows, everyone's deliveries competing for it. If it's not reserved, your move waits — so book it the moment you have dates.
- Opening-critical, great-by-design, or can-wait The triage you'll run a hundred times — sort every item into must-open, makes-it-great-and-hard-to-add-later, or genuinely can-wait.
- How to run a daily standup Fifteen minutes, every business day, five questions. A short daily reset so surprises don't stay hidden until move day.
- How to write a useful weekly status update One short note a week that answers the only question leadership has — is opening day protected, and where do you need help?
- Reversible vs. irreversible decisions Where to spend your scarce attention in a crunch — the calls you can change cheaply later, versus the ones you're stuck with for years.
- Great by design vs. gold-plating Aiming to open great isn't gilding everything. How to tell an investment that makes the office great from one that just spends time and money.
Glossary
- Office Terminology — A–Z Glossary Every office and move-in term this resource uses, spelled out in plain language — skim it, or jump to the deep page for any entry.
- Certificate of insurance (COI) A one-page proof that a vendor is insured. Buildings require it — with specific language — before anyone works on site.
- Freight elevator The large elevator used for movers, furniture, and big deliveries. Usually shared, time-limited, and reserved in advance.
- Loading dock The building area where movers and vendors unload. Often has its own rules, hours, and a booking process.
- Access date The earliest date you or your vendors can get into the space to start work. One of the two dates that anchor your whole timeline.
- Opening date The date employees are expected to start using the office. The deadline everything else is sequenced backward from.
- Furniture, fixtures & equipment (FF&E) The physical things people use every day — desks, chairs, tables, storage, monitors, whiteboards. Usually the biggest spend and the trickiest logistics.
- Punch list The running list of unfinished or fix-it items left after install or opening. Keep one, with a photo and an owner on every item.
- Work letter / TI (tenant improvement) The part of the deal that spells out the build-out — what gets built, who pays, and what condition the space is delivered in.
- Additional insured Specific wording on a vendor's certificate of insurance (COI) that extends their insurance to cover the building owner and manager. Buildings are picky about the exact language.
- Minimum Viable Opening The standard for "ready" — safe, accessible, clean, powered, connected, furnished enough, meetable, stocked, and clear. Not perfect; usable.
- Day porter An on-site person who handles daytime upkeep — trash, kitchen, restrooms, common areas — while people are in the office.