Did you know that it takes approximately 225 planning and project management hours to pull off a successful relocation project? Commercial transitions involve way more than just simply moving a business from point A to point B. This means you need a skilled & trustworthy project manager for business relocation projects.
While a moving company can help with packing boxes and transporting materials, that’s only a small fraction of the work that goes into a company’s transition strategy. Your project manager will handle everything from budget assessment to project coordination.
Here are the steps you should take to vet your project manager for business relocation before actually hiring one.
Collect Recommendations
Start your search by taking in recommendations from other businesses in your area. You’ll want to collect names from other companies similar in size to your own to ensure the project manager is experienced and ready to handle the needs of your specific project.
If you don’t have contacts at other local businesses, Yelp and Google My Business are great resources to see what other clients have to say about their project managers.
Conduct Phone Interviews
Picking up the phone and giving someone a call is more efficient than sending emails back and forth for weeks. This conversation will give you a good idea of what the project manager is all about. Make sure to ask questions, like:
- Are they used to managing projects your size?
- Are they willing to provide references?
- Can they give you a list of previous clients?
- What time frame do they typically work off of?
- How many projects would they have going on at the same time?
- Do they have a list of trusted vendors?
- How long have they been working in the industry?
These answers will either immediately inspire a sense of trust or send you out on the hunt for someone else.
Get a Quote
Of course, when the dust settles, you really want to know exactly how much you’ll be spending and what you’ll be paying for. There’s a broad range of expenses your PM will need to calculate, and it should all depend on the size and distance of the relocation.
If you’re simply moving uptown into a similarly sized office, you can expect a lower quote. However, if you’re leaving the country and need to decommission your current site, you may be looking at a longer project, thus a more expensive relocation.
Start Planning
If all these steps have left you feeling confident and comfortable with your project manager, it’s time to get to work. Relocation projects can take up to six months and require meticulous planning and strategy.
Understanding the day-to-day operations and individual department functions are key in knowing how best to plan for an office shut down, move, and re-opening. Finding a project manager you can trust will ensure every aspect of your new location is in order and ready for business immediately.
