For many businesses, either looking to survive or adjusting to an emerging new normal, there is a need to drive rapid and effective decision making around business and corporate real estate. At Director Group we are being challenged by clients to provide support with initial sensitivity planning around the alignment of business to future occupation, culture and costs.

As ever, our key starting point is producing good data:

1. Understanding What You Have Empowers You

It may seem obvious but the key to effective decision making is the application of good data within
businesses. So herein lies the challenge:

• Do you know what you have?
• Where it is?
• What it does?
• What it costs per day, per person, per £ or $ or revenue?
• How long you have it for?
• Does it work well for your business?

We help clients understand what they have and how it works to support good decisions.

No two clients need the same data or look at outputs in the same way. Driving to the core of how real estate works, how adaptable it could be and what the impact of change or no change is, underpins good decision making now more than ever.

2. Clarifying Opportunities for Change

Whether you operate in the tech sector, support services, biotech, fintech manufacturing or on-line you will have inevitable demands for change through 2020 and beyond.

You might want to identify:

• Where your low-hanging fruit lie
• What opportunities exist from landlord and supply chain engagement  Opportunities for internal re-organisation
• Adaptive use of space across the business  Business partners and wider stakeholders for joint enterprise value
• Targeted spend for best return
• Medium term planning

It is only once you have good data that you can consider these and other opportunities.

3. Maximising “Soft-Change” Options

Whilst cost or efficiency demands may drive the need for new, lesser or greater space – disruption to your business at this of all times may be the last thing any organisation wants.
Let the data lead you to “Soft-Change”.

“Soft-Change” is defined by opportunity to drive improvements that bring minimum disruption to business as usual. i.e. Seeking better use of what you have.

Examples of Soft-Change could be:

• Internal re-organisation
• Space Cost Sharing
• Re-structuring of lease commitments
• Negotiation of different landlord and supply chain service levels.

With good data you can maximise soft-change impact.

4. Implementing Cultural and Sustainable Change

No-one knows the culture of your business other than you. However, 2020 is seeing the potential for
tectonic plates to shift within society, business sectors and organisations.

We are talking with clients of issues such as:

• The impact of home working
• Concerns over the future use of flex and collaboration space
• Diversification of location
• Integration/expansion of IT/Comms infrastructure
• Reduced need for fixed space.

With good data and understanding there is much that can be scoped and considered both for short term recovery and longer-term adaption of culture and business.

Good Data supports effective and timely decision making and thus underpins essential business recovery and future growth for all our shared benefit.

If you would like to talk to us about Good Data or indeed any other corporate real estate issues you have email enquiries@director-group.com