Achieving a goal such as launching, expanding, or remodeling a control center starts with setting a realistic completion date. Without a clear target and supporting milestones, it becomes challenging to stay on track or remain accountable. Your timeline will be as unique as your project, typically ranging from 4 months to 2 years.
Here’s a breakdown of key phases to help you plan effectively:
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Initial Meetings: 1–4 Weeks
This phase involves meeting with furniture solution vendors to discuss your needs, vision, and goals. It’s a chance to explore the latest products, innovations, and vendor approaches while gathering estimated budget figures. If your budget requires approval, this downtime can be used to visit nearby centers that have completed similar projects for inspiration.
Design Process: 3 Weeks–1 Year
Preliminary Design:
Typically delivered 2 weeks after the initial site visit.
Review: Lasts 3 weeks to 1 year, depending on the complexity and responsiveness of stakeholders.
This phase includes reviewing equipment and space needs, selecting workstations, and refining the layout. Most projects require 2–3 revisions to finalize the design and ensure it’s optimized for long-term functionality.
Tip: If building a center from scratch, involve a professional furniture designer early in collaboration with your project manager and architect. This helps ensure adequate square footage and layout planning.
Finish Selection: 1–4 Weeks
Choosing colors and finishes should be straightforward, but it often involves additional decisions, especially if the project includes updates to flooring, window treatments, or paint. Approvals for these updates may take extra time.
Procurement: 1 Week–6 Months
Procurement timelines depend on whether you’re purchasing off a contract or issuing a bid. Contract or sole-source purchasing can significantly reduce time, though this depends on your organization’s agreements and policies.
PO and Sign-Off: 1–4 Weeks
The timeline for submitting purchase orders (PO) and obtaining sign-off depends on your purchasing department. Understanding this process in advance helps prevent delays.
Production: 8 Weeks
Most manufacturers require a standard lead time of approximately 8 weeks for production and installation. This can vary depending on the complexity of the project, so submitting signed orders early ensures smoother planning.
Installation: 2 Days–4 Weeks
Installation time varies with the project’s scope. On average, installation teams can complete 2 workstations per day, though larger projects may require additional crews to expedite the process.
Total Timeline
Adding up these phases, 16 weeks is the minimum timeline for completing a dispatch or control center remodel. However, projects often extend up to 60 weeks (just over a year), depending on internal processes, approvals, and dependencies like flooring or electrical work.
While the process may take time, the payoff is significant: your new consoles or workstations will provide 10–20 years of reliable service, even with 24/7 operation. Investing time upfront ensures a durable and efficient solution that meets your center’s long-term needs.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please let us know!