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The Fundamentals Of Office Furniture Project Management

The result of successful office furniture project management is a project completed on time and on budget. If you are the person responsible for a office furniture project at your company, this information should be helpful to you. I remember when office furniture project management was easily defined; a Project Manager had valuable skills and specific responsibilities. In my experience, that is no longer always the case. Since my experience in this industry was in NYC, these problems may not be valid in your area.

Let me say that there are furniture dealerships that are extremely reputable and have capable staff members. With that said, there are also dealerships with inexperienced, unqualified staff members. Not all dealerships have the same internal structures. Here are several viable staff structures — all of which are effective with the right personnel:
At some dealerships, the Designer or Product Specifier may also function as the Project Manager. By the way, this situation works very well.

In some situations, the Sales Representative may assume some of office furniture project management responsibilities; such as suggesting the best products within your budget that meets your needs.

Another procedure is that the Project Manager doesn’t get involved until the delivery and installation phase. In this case, you need to find out who is responsible prior to that time.

Dealerships that own their own warehouses will have Foremen on staff. An experienced Foreman can be invaluable, and his responsibilities may overlap with those of the Project Manager.

Below is a list of tasks which may be the responsibility of the project manager.

act as the primary contact for all questions and decisions regarding the furniture for this particular project
attend “kickoff” or original planning meeting
evaluate any existing furniture to be reused
confirm field measurements of the space
collect data regarding the function and needs of your staff as well as discussing the projected growth of your company
attend construction or project meetings as needed
develop a furniture project schedule including delivery and installation dates that will meet your move-in date
prepare status reports with necessary updates
provide building manager with Certificate Of Insurance
review CAD drawings and product specifications
perform final walk through with client and compile punch list (if an architect or outside design firm is involved in the furniture, you will want them to be in charge of this walk through and punch list)
oversee all punch list work and get a sign off from the client when all work is completed to their satisfaction

In most cases your furniture dealership will be responsible for these tasks at no additional cost. However, there are times when it is valid that there are additional charges for some tasks.

Before finalizing your agreement and placing any orders with the dealership, you should discuss exactly what is included in the office furniture project management services you will receive. If this is your first experience with a particular dealership, you may want to ask that this be noted on your proposal or quote.

You should also find out when the PM will become involved in your project. It is not an unreasonable request to meet this person and discuss his or her experience and background.

About the Author: Janet Vogel, who is retired from the office furniture industry, is now the owner of Homemade Gift Basket Ideas which she created to supplement her retirement income

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