Do it in style: Organizing your office refurbishment project

Plan to lead your office gracefully through an image change that will reap future benefit for the practice, your staff and patients.

Issue: May 10, 2012

ByCorinne Z. Wohl, MHSA, COE

As an administrator, I cannot calculate the exact cost of a shabby office, but I can be sure that the physical appearance of your office space is an important piece of the complicated economic puzzle that impacts your practice and deserves attention.

The ambience of an office provides an impression and tone that project images including cleanliness, personal and professional caring, the financial status of the practice, and even how up-to-date the patient care you provide seems to be.

As our own office appearance began to look dated, with colors, materials and wear that begged for replacing, we evaluated our goals for the image we wanted to project and the functionality we needed and then committed to a refurbishment project.

Corinne Z. Wohl

Here are the six steps we used to implement a renovation that met our goals with minimal disturbance to ongoing office functioning.

Develop project goals

Setting the project goals is key to being pleased with the outcome. As with any project, written goals focus the team and clarify the steps needed to successfully complete the task. This multi-step process begins with a task force of doctors and an administrator for initial goal setting and then includes department managers and staff for function and implementation goal setting.

Ask your task force to consider the following questions:

What is your capital investment budget? How will you finance the project?
Will your planning include accommodating new services in the future?
Will you improve the overall first impression of your office? Is that goal a basic professional office setting or a high-tech, modern, maybe artsy impression? What feels right for your group?
Are you replacing existing items for a clean, fresh look or going for a complete overhaul?
Do you really need all the space you have or is it time to downsize? Does everyone need their own office, or will cubicles in a shared space work as well or better?
Are you looking for increased productivity and revenue as a result of patient flow changes?
Is increased staff comfort a goal? Often improved morale and overall happiness can result from small changes such as better chairs or staff amenities.
Do you think optical sales will increase if the optical department is renovated or relocated?
If you add additional services, will the anticipated increases in revenue allow you to be more aggressive in your planning and spending right now? Is now the only opportunity in the next few years to make these changes?
Does your plan anticipate decreased office productivity due to disruption during construction, and have you considered the temporary associated decrease in revenue, or will your goal be “business as usual” with a plan to work around the potential disruptions of an ongoing construction project?

The answers to these questions will determine the scope of the goals you ultimately set.

Determine necessary expertise

Be very clear about who is in charge and responsible for the project. Whether a doctor or administrator, the leader is responsible for assigning specific tasks, time line management, communication planning and overseeing all third parties involved in the process.

As much as we may enjoy the thought of engaging in a creative project outside the scope of everyday responsibilities, it is important to remember that refurbishing an office is both an art and a science, and obtaining expert assistance can ultimately save you time and money.

Consider hiring a consultant for more involved projects. The cost for these services is usually more than offset by potential costly errors that often occur during major projects. Who can help? Architects, construction project managers, space planners, interior designers, and patient flow experts. They help you avoid the numerous mistakes that can be made and are usually way more familiar with product materials than we are, given our limited experience.

Another option is to establish a relationship with vendors who can assist you at no additional charge. Often furniture vendors offer their extensive experience for selecting furniture and even free space planning services. This may be all you need.

Secure doctor and staff buy-in

As the project begins, remember that few people love change. If your organization contains many people who do, how lucky you are. It could save you from probably the worst reality of a project, which is unhappy, disrupted staff and doctors. If your organization is like most, this phase is extremely important and may become your biggest continued challenge throughout the project.

Securing “buy-in” of the process by doctors and employees is very important. Ask your managers and staff for ways to improve patient, doctor and employee flow. They watch, they know and they will tell you if you ask. Do not skip this step. It often turns out to be very informative and helpful.

Include as many people or groups in the process as reasonably possible by communicating your plans and providing detailed information about the project. Do this not only as the project begins but throughout the whole process. Daily email blasts are appreciated and often pre-empt concerns and complaints.

Research the options

Once the full scope of the project is determined, the options are practically endless. Establish your own limits to assure a reasonable decision-making process. Here are a few more suggestions to consider as you finalize your planning:

Research shows that certain colors and patterns can impact human behaviors. We changed our décor to a warmer, comforting palate with patterns found in nature to create a welcoming, calming atmosphere.
Workflow design options could positively impact productivity.
Obtain and contact references on all consultants you plan to engage and ensure that your contracts specify deliverables.
Talk to other administrators and doctors about how their offices fared through a recent renovation. This will help you determine things such as whether it is better to pay the contractor additional fees to work nights and weekends instead of daytime (and less expensive) hours, whether it is best to close the office for a week to get the project done or complete it over 6 weeks part time, and what unexpected outcomes they faced and how they suggest avoiding them. Those with experience are often happy to help you, so do not be shy about asking.

Keep on track

Once the initial planning is completed and the renovations begin, the key challenge is keeping all those involved on track. Unplanned, unexpected events occur all the time. Be sure to notify all those potentially affected on a daily basis as to what to expect tomorrow. Brief email updates definitely help alleviate the stress caused by unavoidable, unanticipated events.

Stay cool and use humor when the plan changes or the unexpected happens. Remember these are all shorter-term issues that will be resolved. Set an example of calmness and flexibility in the office. As the leader, your cues will be followed and the days will go more smoothly if you exhibit calmness.

Celebrate the outcome

An office renovation is no small feat. Done well, it will have engaged everyone in your office, including patients who love to give opinions while you are standing in the lobby selecting wall and fabric colors.

Once the project is complete, be sure to acknowledge everyone’s efforts and patience with a celebration, perhaps an office breakfast or luncheon. If appropriate, a community open house or a trunk show can be held as a marketing event that doubles as a subtle announcement of the changes you have made.

Our professional clinical offices are judged daily by our patients. Renovating spaces is time-consuming and stressful but is also a necessary and rewarding activity. Be sure to evaluate your office environment regularly, and when you are ready to take on the project, plan to lead your office gracefully as its change agent and guide the way to a cost-efficient, productive image change that will reap future benefit for the practice, your staff and patients.

The feeling of success you and your office family will experience as you all arrive to work each day in an attractive, comfortable and efficient setting is highly rewarding and is a definitive contribution to the practice and its patients.

For more information:

Corinne Z. Wohl, MHSA, COE, can be reached at Delaware Ophthalmology Consultants; 302-477-2646; email: cwohl@delawareeyes.com.
Disclosure: Ms. Wohl is an administrator at Delaware Ophthalmology Consultants.