When it comes to planning an office redesign, the choice of materials, the need for specialists and licenses, and the overall scope of the project will impact cost. And so naturally, adjusting any of these variables will either increase or reduce the final price.
However, there is another, somewhat less obvious piece of the office redesign puzzle that plays a major role in keeping costs down: adhering to a strict timeline. Below, we highlight the 3 key reasons why:
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Minimizes Downtime
Arguably the most important question that you need to ask when planning your office redesign isn’t “how much will this cost?”, but rather “how long – if at all – will we need to shut down?”
A strict office redesign timeline answers this question, and what’s more, minimizes (if not in some cases eliminates) the need to suspend operations while work is being done. Indeed, a project that runs over schedule can trigger tens of thousands of dollars in wasted salary costs, building maintenance costs (e.g. utilities, security, etc.) – not to mention the damage it can to do customer relationships and business reputation.
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Prevents Schedule Overruns
A major threat to any office renovation project also happens to be on that is deceptively difficult to detect: schedule overruns. This happens when seemingly minor duration adjustments or decisions are made to one part of a project, which eventually force changes unwanted and costly schedule changes in another.
A strict office redesign timeline significantly lowers the risk of schedule overruns, because it effectively gives project managers much more control on a daily basis. Activities and tasks are taking longer than they should can be investigated and resolved BEFORE they negatively impact the critical path and overall schedule.
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Keeps Contractors and Trades Focused
A strict office redesign timeline keeps contractors and trades focused on finishing their tasks and activities on time, and proactively escalating any concerns that might otherwise force them to deviate from the plan. Without this constant daily focus, slippage can start to creep in, and milestones soon become targets rather than expectations.
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Prevents Scope Creep
In project management, scope and schedule are integrated – because changes to the former often directly impact the latter.
A strict office redesign timeline helps prevent scope creep, which (similar to schedule changes) occurs when small, yet significant changes or decisions are made to one aspect of the project that may seem harmless or even beneficial, yet have an overall negative impact on schedule, cost, risk or other factors.
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Simply put, a strict office redesign timeline is essential – because it minimizes downtime, keeps contractors and trades focused, and prevents overruns and scope creep.
