Unlike the home move, a process which can often be done with just a few people with relatively loose organizational requirements, relocating your office from one place to the next can be a grand challenge: in order to keep the smooth process of business flowing, detailed inventories must be kept, IT equipment and full utilities must be up and running as soon as you open the doors, and there can often be a lot of sensitive, fragile equipment such as computers that must be protected along the journey. Below is a handy checklist of what to expect and what should be addressed in order to let your office hit the ground running before, during and after a move:

1. Assemble an office moving team charged with taking inventory and organizing the process
2. Plan your moving budget
3. Research moving companies that have the skills and expertise in handling office moving to the scale you need, such as Smart People Moving
4. Inform landlord that you will be ending your lease
5. Inform officemates to begin preparing, including collecting personal items and addressing any projects that may be interrupted by the move
6. Inform clientele, contractors and other business associates of the change in address
7. Plan specifically for the move of fragile equipment in advance, including backing up sensitive data
8. Terminate any special office services at current location (gardeners, food trucks, etc) or have them transfer services to the new location if applicable
9. Update company address information, including online such as the company website
10. Collect keys and access cards from your old location, and prepare new onesto provide employees as soon as move is completed
11. Confirm utilities, IT setup, functioning internet and phones at the new location; make sure they’re terminated at the old