The move plan in full
All 21 tasks below, with finish weeks calculated. Read the last two rows before you read the rest.
| Workstream | Task | Owner | Start week | Duration (wks) | Finish week | Status | Budget (Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property | Lease signed, fit-out manual received and read | Admin lead | 1 | 1 | 1 | Done | 0 |
| Property | Landlord drawing submission and approval | Design | 2 | 3 | 4 | Done | 0 |
| Property | Fit-out deposit, insurance and contractor indemnity lodged | Finance | 2 | 1 | 2 | Done | 350000 |
| Design | Base build survey and measured drawings | Design | 1 | 1 | 1 | Done | 60000 |
| Design | Test fit, headcount plan and department adjacency | Design | 2 | 2 | 3 | Done | 145000 |
| Design | Reflected ceiling plan and MEP coordination | Design | 4 | 2 | 5 | In progress | 120000 |
| Fit-out | Partitions, glazing and ceiling | Contractor | 6 | 4 | 9 | Not started | 2850000 |
| Fit-out | Electrical, data and lighting installation | Contractor | 7 | 4 | 10 | Not started | 1940000 |
| Fit-out | HVAC modification, balancing and commissioning | MEP | 8 | 3 | 10 | Not started | 1260000 |
| Fit-out | Flooring, painting and joinery | Contractor | 10 | 3 | 12 | Not started | 1480000 |
| Statutory | Fire NOC coordination and detector relocation sign-off | Consultant | 9 | 3 | 11 | Not started | 185000 |
| IT | Rack, patching, switch install and Wi-Fi survey | IT | 12 | 2 | 13 | Not started | 960000 |
| IT | Circuit provisioning and cutover rehearsal | IT | 13 | 2 | 14 | Not started | 240000 |
| Furniture | Workstation and chair order placed against the approved plan | Admin lead | 6 | 1 | 6 | Not started | 2150000 |
| Furniture | Delivery, build and cleaning | Vendor | 13 | 2 | 14 | Not started | 0 |
| Move | Asset tagging and crate allocation at the old office | Admin lead | 14 | 1 | 14 | Not started | 85000 |
| Move | Building permissions, lift booking and security passes | Admin lead | 14 | 1 | 14 | Not started | 45000 |
| Move | Physical move over a weekend, IT last out and first in | Vendor | 15 | 1 | 15 | Not started | 320000 |
| People | Floor plan, seating allocation and induction communication | HR | 14 | 2 | 15 | Not started | 0 |
| Closeout | Snagging, O&M handover and defects register opened | Design | 16 | 1 | 16 | Not started | 0 |
| Closeout | Old premises reinstatement and deposit recovery | Admin lead | 16 | 2 | 17 | Not started | 480000 |
Finish week is a live formula. Budget totals carry an 18 per cent GST row and a grand total.
How to run the plan
- Assign a single owner per task. Shared ownership on a move plan means nobody chases the landlord in week three.
- Submit landlord drawings in week two. Approval turnaround is outside your control and is the most common source of slippage.
- Rehearse the IT cutover. One week 13 rehearsal is worth more than any amount of week 15 planning.
- Budget reinstatement of the old premises from day one. It is due at lease end whether or not anyone planned for it.
Three things that derail office moves
- Landlord approval treated as a formality. It is a three-week line item on most Mumbai buildings.
- Furniture ordered late. Lead times of six to eight weeks mean the order belongs in week six, not week twelve.
- Reinstatement discovered at handback. Rs 180 to 420 per sq ft, payable, unbudgeted.
Download the template (XLSX) →
Pair it with the office fit-out checklist and see rates on the office cost page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an office move take to plan?+
Sixteen weeks from lease signature to first working day for a mid-size floor, of which ten to fourteen are the fit-out. Compressing below twelve weeks is possible only with a warm shell, fast landlord approval and furniture ordered before the design is finished, which carries its own risks.
Who should own the move plan?+
One named person on the tenant side, usually an admin or facilities lead, with the design and fit-out lines owned by the contractor. Splitting overall ownership between IT and admin is the most common way a move loses a fortnight in the middle.
When should furniture be ordered?+
Week six, against the approved test fit, because lead times run six to eight weeks for most commercial furniture in India and longer for imported chairs. Ordering in week twelve means furniture arriving after the IT migration, which is the wrong order.
What is an IT cutover rehearsal?+
A dry run of the circuit switchover, patching and critical-system access at the new floor, done a week before the move with a small group. It finds the DNS entry nobody updated and the printer that was never mapped, at a point where fixing it is an afternoon rather than a crisis.
What does reinstatement cost?+
Rs 180 to 420 per sq ft in Mumbai, depending on how much of the fit-out has to come out. Read the obligation in your old lease before you plan the move budget. On a 5,000 sq ft floor it can be Rs 10 to 20 lakh, which is not a rounding error.