A commercial fit-out has two owners of the same programme: the landlord delivering the shell, and the tenant fitting it out. Most lost time happens at the seams between them.
Define the handover precisely
What exactly is the landlord delivering, and by when? Base build condition, services to the premises, ceiling heights, floor tolerance — each of these needs a date and a standard written down, or the tenant crew arrives to a space that is not ready for them.
Order long-lead items early
Commercial fit-outs are often compressed, and the equipment and finishes with long delivery times are ordered too late. The programme should be built backwards from the opening date, not forwards from the start.
Keep one point of coordination
When disputes arise between landlord and tenant scopes, somebody has to resolve them quickly. Agreeing in advance who that is saves more time than any amount of site pressure.
— Asif Memon