Eight to ten weeks out: order the internet circuit. Du and Etisalat lead times are the longest item on the plan and nothing else can be tested without it. Confirm the comms room location with the fit-out team before the ceiling closes.
Six weeks out: survey complete, cabling drawing agreed, data point count confirmed against the furniture plan, not the floor plan. Access point positions set from a heat map. Order switches, firewall, access points and the rack.
Three to four weeks out: cabling installed and certified while the ceiling is open. Rack built, power and cooling confirmed. Firewall and switches staged and configured off site.
One week out: network live on the new circuit. Wireless validated by walking the floor. Printers, meeting rooms and door access connected and tested. Old office backed up and verified.
Move weekend: devices moved, reconnected and checked user by user. Monday morning: engineer on site until lunch. Nobody should discover a problem for the first time by calling the helpdesk.
We run this as a project, quoted in advance, and most clients then keep the environment under a managed agreement because it is already documented and clean.