Typical office fit out timeline: start to finish
A good programme reads as a story with clear chapters. Everyone may use different labels, but the underlying sequence is familiar: understand the need, design something buildable, get permission to build it, procure and coordinate the work, prove it works, then hand it over cleanly.
When clients and contractors share the same map, conversations about time and risk become much easier — because you are arguing about facts on a schedule, not assumptions in a meeting.
Phase 1: Discovery and brief
Time here is never wasted. Workshops, surveys, and test-fits turn vague goals into measurable requirements: headcount, meeting mix, focus vs collaboration ratio, IT constraints, brand needs, and budget bands. Outputs should be written down — not left as verbal understanding.
Phase 2: Design and coordination
Concept becomes spatial layout, then technical design. M&E, structure (where relevant), acoustics, and landlord requirements are threaded together. Long-lead items — specialist glazing, certain plant, bespoke joinery — should be flagged for early procurement even before site starts.
Phase 3: Approvals and procurement
Landlord submissions, statutory notifications, and insurance approvals can run in parallel with tender or package finalisation — but only if someone owns the tracker. Slippage here is one of the most common reasons site start dates move.
Phase 4: Build, test, handover
Site works follow a logical order: containment and first fix, then second fix and finishes, then commissioning — proving lighting, power, fire, and environmental systems behave as designed. Snagging closes the gap between “built” and “ready for people.” Handover should include documentation and training where systems need it.
What “done” should mean
Practical completion is not just keys — it is a space that meets the agreed quality, passes relevant tests, and has a managed defects process for the snagging period. That definition protects both sides.
