As you look around your simple office space, planning on putting up new office cubicles, the space seems bare. Trying to make room for your new reception desk or secretary desk. But, what ever the reason, follow these seven steps as you plan this project and you’ll have those cubicles up in no time with little to no headaches.
Get out the Measuring Tape:
Break out your good ol’ reliable measuring tape and step into your empty space. Measure all the dimensions of the area and map it down on a simple drawing. At this point you don’t need to have a fancy drawing, just the basic shape of the space and the distances. However, if there’s any obstructions you need to be aware of, map those down as well for the next step. If you don’t get all the dimensions before you start planning everything out, you could easily end up with too large of cubicles that don’t fit the space, or almost as bad, too small of cubes that leave large empty space between them – for a dingy rag-tag type of look.
Map It Out:
Now you take the first basic map you’ve drawn up with the simple shape and dimensions, sit down at your work desk, and create a detailed map of the space. You should know already how many cubicles you want to fit in this space, but if you don’t you can take this step to do a little experimenting to find out how many fit and what the optimum configuration is. You could go with square cubicles starting as small as 7 ft square and going up to 15 ft square or more. But maybe your space lends itself better to elongated rectangle cubes instead. Take your time to map out the perfect use of the space.
Check Your Network and Power:
Now that you’ve mapped things out, you need to get a hold of any teams or individuals to check on the network, power, and phone line placement. Show them the space, and your drawings and see what they have to say. Are these utilities available to you at these locations? If not, can they be made available, or do you need to adjust your mapping to account for where these lines can be dropped from? Work with these teams, not only at this step for mapping purposes, but also you need to keep them in mind for scheduling their time and budgeting for their services.
Get Input from Others:
You most likely need to report to upper management on this project, and if so, this would be a great time to do so. Show them your map, and how the project sits. Explain any issues that might have arisen from the last step, and get their input. Make sure you’re moving in the direction they seem to think is appropriate. But even if you don’t report to anyone on this project and you’re the top dog, you should still consider sharing the project details to another co-worker, or even employees that will be using the space. By doing so, you’ll again confirm that your moving in the right direction, or maybe they’ll spot issues you didn’t see so you can take care of them before they really pose a problem.
The Project Budget:
Depending on how your company works, you may have started this project out with a budget in mind. If so, document all the expenses associated to the project and see if you’re on track. If you didn’t start with a budget, now is a great time to make one. Again, use all of what you’ve learned and map your budget out. Remember to include things in your budget above and beyond just the purchase of the cubicles themselves. For example, you’ll need to budget services of the previously mention network and maintenance teams for getting those services in place. You’ll probably also have some costs for assembling the cubicles, as well as shipping. You should also remember the extras, like shelves, book ends, extra lights, and pencil holders, file holders, etc. that you might need for a finished project.
Time to Go Shopping:
Ok, so you’ve mapped it all out, talked it over with the people that need to know what’s going on, and even put together a budget. Great, now let’s go shopping. You could just go strait to the internet and google office supplies or office furniture stores. What ever fits your decor, like white office furniture, or maybe you’re more interested in a glass computer desk look, or something that matches your reception desks. But, most likely your company has a relationship with an office supply store. If so, grab a copy of their catalog and start browsing.
Discounts:
Once you’ve picked out what you want, you’ll want to approach the vendor and ask them for a discount. If you’re buying enough cubicles at once, or if you’re planning on doing a lot of these cubicle purchases in the near future, they’ll more than likely be willing to work with you on a bulk discount. So ask for it, it can’t hurt.
So to recap, the steps are; measure, map, check network and power, share the plan and get input, budget everything, go shopping, and finally negotiating a discount. If you’ll follow these seven steps, you’ll sure to have a better end result.
No related posts.
