Move Logistics
One plan, one command center, no assumptions. Everyone on site should know where to go, who's in charge, and what to do if something changes.
Move Logistics
What this is
The actual move — getting people, furniture, and equipment from the old space (or storage, or vendors) into the new one, on one coordinated day. It runs on a single plan, not a pile of assumptions.
Why it matters
Move day is when every other workstream comes due at once, in a few hours, with a crew on the clock. The goal is simple and unforgiving: every person on site knows where to go, who’s in charge, and what to do if something changes. One plan and one decision maker is what keeps that day from unraveling.
Who owns it
The workplace lead, working closely with the mover’s foreman and the property manager.
First 48-hour questions
- Is the mover confirmed, with scope and a valid certificate of insurance (COI)?
- What moves, stays, ships, or gets disposed of?
- Are the loading dock and freight elevator reserved?
- Who’s on the day-of contact tree, and who’s the single decision maker?
What to confirm / set up
With the mover: date/time · origin and destination · dock and freight reserved · COI approved by the building · foreman name and cell · crew size · floor and wall protection · packing/crates · labeling system · trash/debris removal · furniture assembly/disassembly · IT-equipment handling · insurance/damage process · completion sign-off.
The command center — assign one name to each: workplace lead (runs the day), property-manager contact, mover foreman, IT lead, internal-communications owner, and an escalation decision maker.
Run it all from the Move Day Run of Show.
Opening-critical vs. can-wait
Opening-critical: the move itself, building/freight access, protected routes, and getting day-one furniture and IT in and placed. Can wait: moving archival storage, “phase two” items, and anything destined for a space that isn’t ready — stage or store it rather than forcing it in.
Common misses
- The mover is denied access for a missing or wrong COI.
- The freight elevator wasn’t reserved and a loaded truck waits on the street.
- There’s no single plan or decision maker, so five problems hit at once with no triage.
- Damage isn’t documented at completion, so claims fall apart later.
From open to great
A move is a one-time event, but it sets the tone for the new space:
- People arrive to a ready desk, not a pile of boxes — labeling and a seating plan that let them land and work.
- A calm, well-run move day is the first thing people experience about the new office — make it feel handled.
Worth getting right: you can’t re-do a first day, and a chaotic move sours an otherwise great office. See Aim to Open Great.
Tools for this workstream
- Move Day Run of Show — roles, mover checklist, timeline.
- Vendor Directory — the contact tree.
- Open-Item Tracker — the single issue log for the day.