Relocation Services for Business and Technology

Technology Strategists can assist firms with planning and project management services that can make the difference between a scheduled disaster and a seamless move. 

Best Practices for Critical Moves

• Critical business services and supporting technology such as trading floors and data centers can be relocated seamlessly if properly planned. Planning for complex relocations, especially where there is construction, may easily take a year or more. Planning schedules can be compressed, but with significantly increased uncertainty and exponentially  increasing costs.
• The key is understanding dependencies and allowing sufficient time for planning and long lead-time items such as telecommunications services.
• Risk identification and management is critical for all phases of the project.
• Moves can represent hidden opportunities for other changes, which can also help to reduce overall risk.
• Relocations are 'bet-the-business' activities, so strong leadership is critical.
• Management commitment to success is reflected in clear and adequate capital budgets with realistic allowances for contingency. 
• Relocation preparations need to include testing and certification of the new site prior to the move to minimize startup difficulties.
• The actual move should be planned in great detail like a military operation.
• Vendors should be kept informed to ensure that support can be provided when needed.
• The actual move should be closely managed to ensure that unanticipated problems can be resolved quickly and contingencies invoked when unavoidable.
• Be aware that the physical act of moving offers many more opportunities for damage -- ensure that contingency plans have been thought through for potential transit losses.
• Ensure that additional support resources are available to relocated staff after the move -- expect more than the usual problems, some issues will be real.
• Recognize the move team and affected staff, celebrate successes publicly and assess failures privately. 

How Technology Strategists can help

Technology Strategists can provide risk assessments, develop risk mitigation strategies, assist with relocation project planning, assess or monitor the relocation process and build out of the destination site. Technology Strategists can also provide project management services to assist line management throughout the project. In addition, Technology Strategists can also supplement relocation support staff during and after the move -- providing problem management and prioritization guidance to smooth the settling in process..