Doug

I'm a confirmed decentraliser - after all, with most documents starting
their life as records electronically, how can you possibly centralise,
even if you are all in one building (let alone 35 like I've got)?

However, I did set up a highly centralised document centre containing 30
tonnes of files for a large accounting firm a few years ago. The driver
was financial - the business wanted more seats, and seats means chargeable
hours which means more money in partners pockets.

The justification for centralisation though was very specific. The 30
floor building was lightweight - concrete slabs sitting on steel beams,
not ferro cement floors, so to rationalise lots of little compactuses,
filing cabinets etc across seven or eight floors, and free up space for
more desks, exceeded floor loadings throughout all the highrise areas. I
got the decided feeling that if we all rushed over one side the building
would have quietly tipped over!

The only available  floor capable of handling the loadings was the first
floor, and the sums worked out that one big document centre was more cost
effective than several decentralised ones, which would have been my
preference from a service level viewpoint.

But other than that, in 20 odd years I've done nothing but decentralise.
Way to go!


Glenn

Glenn Sanders MRMA
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These views are mine alone. They may or may not be those of any
previous or present employers or clients. I don't know. If I'd asked
and they'd agreed, I would have signed it "Bloggs and Co and
Glenn". Or whatever. But I haven't, so I didn't.

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