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It's an
understatement
to say
that "everything has to fit" when moving into, changing, or planning a facility or space. If it doesn't, it can be an inefficient, costly
disaster. A little precise Planning can help.
This involves the production of layouts of spaces and
contents, drawn to scale.
For components that move, swivel or expand - "swing arcs" show the rotational space
that must be accommodated for anything from Personnel to Swivel Chairs, Equipment, and
Vehicles.
A
layout of
proposed space, drawn to scale, can save you money. Here is
one example:
OFFICE
LAYOUT.
Problem.
The Facilities Manager (FM) of a new T-21 customer contacted
us with
a concern. She said that her company
was building new office space in four phases; Phase-1 was just
completed and occupied. "Almost everyone is unhappy with
it," she noted.
The company had approved
blueprints of the office space, without considering the
actual furniture and equipment as part of the plan.
Consequently, they had to purchase furniture and equipment to accommodate the new space.
"Moving day was a nightmare;" she said, "nothing
fit; I looked really bad." So she wanted to avoid this problem in subsequent phases.
Action. The
Team Manager (TM) suggested that T-21 make
layouts of the proposed spaces and contents, drawn to scale.
She agreed, and sent blueprints of Phase-2
(with each space having a
designated number) and a list of components
(furniture and equipment, sizes, and swing-arcs), keyed to each office.
A Graphics Team converted the plans and equipment lists into
precise drawings for content planning.
Each office and other space was accurately represented, with all components in place;
notes were made when components did not fit the proposed space and where
swing arcs posed problems.
To help resolve the problems, the FM requested paper Templates of a number of components,
drawn to scale, and a new "3-D" drawing of the main Meeting Room, from 4 viewing angles.
The FM and staff made changes to accommodate the problems we found.
When they finished, the company sent back the diagrams, with notations on room modifications and component changes.
The
T-21 Team modified the diagrams and moved the components, then returned the final drawings to the FM.
She took the changes to the architect and
then started Phase 2 building.
Results. Months
later, on a routine follow-up call, the Team Manager spoke
with her about the project. She said, "We're in!
Everything went well. One unplanned bonus of using your scaled layouts was
that it helped our communication, tremendously. We copied the
drawings and sent out a copy of each space to the people who would
occupy
it, so they
knew what to expect and plan for."
She went on, "We posted a drawing of each
space's content layout in each new room, for the movers to use; each component was tagged with the new Room Number,
as well. When we completed the facility, the move took place
over a weekend and everything dropped right into place, just like
the diagrams showed. Even
the placement of the electrical and computer network connections
were exactly where they had to be."
Then the FM summarized, "On Monday morning,
everyone showed up, went right into their offices and
started work. It amazed my bosses - especially after the
horrendous Phase-1 move. When I showed them that your cost was a fraction of what the architect would
have charged for the component layouts, I got a lot of 'attaboys.'
Tell your people there that we think this was terrific! Now,
we've got to get to work with you
on Phase-3."
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