Introducing desk booking: a project plan in 2 weeks. How do you introduce desk sharing successfully?

A project plan for introducing desk sharing with Seatti in 2 weeks consists of three phases: day 1 kick-off and technical installation, week 1 admin training and office configuration, week 2 user onboarding and go live. This usually works if goals, areas, rules and responsibilities have been clarified beforehand. Coordination with the works council and data protection comes first and depends on the company.

Many companies start from a similar point: attendance fluctuates, on some days there are not enough workstations, on others entire floors are empty, and bookings have so far been handled via lists, word of mouth or email. Facility management needs a roadmap that can be agreed with IT, HR and the works council.

What should be decided on the desk sharing rules before day 1

A desk booking system can usually only be introduced in two weeks if key decisions have been made before the project starts. The following questions serve as a checklist to assess how mature your planning is and to clarify open points systematically.

• Target picture: what is the specific goal of the desk booking project? For example: fewer overbookings on peak days, a more transparent desk sharing concept, a pilot for a specific location or the basis for space decisions with Real Estate?
• Scope: which locations, floors and zones are included in the first rollout? For example: headquarters with two floors and the sales and product areas?
• Workstation types and exceptions: which workstation types are managed via the desk booking software (shared desks, focus workstations, team zones, project areas, special workstations) and which explicit exceptions apply (e.g. reception, trading floor, labs)? The software choice should be guided by users' needs, and booking should be flexible enough to fit the teams' everyday work.
• Basic organisational rules: which desk sharing rules apply to booking, cancellation, no shows and clean desk? Until when on the previous day can a booking be made, and what does the no show rule look like, i.e. how long does an unused desk stay blocked? Is a check-in needed so that employees confirm they are using their booked workstation? What should be cleared from the desk at the end of the day?
• Responsibilities: who takes on project management on the facility side, who is the IT contact, who coordinates the local office coordinators?
• Co-determination: how and when are the works council and staff representatives involved? Who is responsible for preparing the content of a works agreement? A legal review of the agreement is recommended.
• Data protection: which internal data protection requirements apply? Who reviews the new solution? Which questions on data types, retention periods and purpose limitation should be answered in advance? High data protection standards are a basic requirement for a desk booking system.
• IT landscape: what does the existing Microsoft 365 environment look like (Teams, Outlook, Microsoft Entra ID)? What requirements are there for single sign-on, app approvals and permission models?
• Communication: which key messages should go to employees? Why is desk sharing being introduced, what specifically changes, from when is booking mandatory? Through which channels (intranet, information event, team meetings)?

Behind these questions lies the desk sharing concept: desk sharing enables flexible use of workstations without fixed desks, but needs clear rules to avoid conflicts. What should the desk sharing ratio be, i.e. how many workstations are available relative to the number of employees? Do teams work with hot desking and spontaneous choice of seat, or with desk booking and advance reservation? Unlike hot desking, where employees choose a seat spontaneously and without reservation, desk booking follows a plannable booking process with advance reservation, similar to hotelling. Which clean desk rule applies at the end of the day? As an employer, you usually do not set these rules alone, because parts of them can be subject to co-determination. The clearer the concept is before day 1, the faster it can be mapped in the booking system.

Co-determination and the data protection review come before day 1. The effort involved depends heavily on the size of the company and its internal structures and decision paths. Involve the parties early.

Project team and roles

A clearly named project team makes the introduction of desk sharing in two weeks realistic. The team agrees the desk sharing concept together before it is mapped in the system. All parties should be involved in the process early, and the introduction project needs clear responsibilities and work packages. Involving employees early through pilot groups or feedback loops is also important. Without defined responsibilities, the schedule often fails because of coordination loops that drag on for days.

Close cooperation between facility, IT and HR determines whether the project plan is kept. Facility knows the spaces, IT knows the system landscape and HR knows the communication channels.

The project plan in 2 weeks

The roadmap is divided into the three phases mentioned. Start with the defined scope and then expand step by step in an introduction process that works in everyday practice.

Day 1: kick-off and technical installation. In the kick-off meeting, you set the specific implementation plan: who does what by when. The technical installation covers the connection to Microsoft 365 and setting up the admin accounts. A typical pitfall: if security or compliance approvals have not been prepared, even the first day is delayed.

Week 1: admin training and configuration. Facility admins and site coordinators learn how to map office areas, workstation types and roles in the system. At the same time, floor plans are imported and the zones are configured. The most common stumbling block in this phase: missing or inconsistent floor plan data. Clarify before day 1 whether current floor plans are available digitally.

Week 2: user onboarding and go live. Communication to employees starts. Short guides directly from the familiar working environment, i.e. Microsoft Teams and Outlook, are more effective than long manuals. For a quick start, a lean first rollout is often more sensible than a full rollout on the first date. Detailed feedback and recommendations from test groups help resolve ambiguities before the broad launch. Set up a feedback channel from go live so that problems become visible immediately.

Communicating with and onboarding employees

Introducing desk booking in the hybrid office is above all a communication and change project. Many employees are initially sceptical about desk sharing. Good change management and clear communication therefore usually decide whether the desk booking software is accepted.

What employees should know before go live:

• Why desk sharing is being introduced: more predictability, fair distribution of workstations, less time spent searching in the office
• From when booking is mandatory
• What happens to existing informal lists and word of mouth arrangements
• Which exceptions and fixed workstations remain
• What specifically changes, for example from spontaneous choice of seat (hot desking) to advance booking
• Which clean desk rule applies and how no shows are handled

Communication channels:

• Information event or department meetings for the first announcement
• Intranet post with screenshots of the actual workstation booking
• Short FAQ for the most important questions, for example: “What if I come into the office spontaneously?”

Short guide in the familiar working environment: booking should take place where employees already work, i.e. directly in Microsoft Teams and Outlook. A one page quick guide with the most important steps is usually enough.

Role of contact persons: who answers questions on space use (facility)? Who resolves technical problems (IT service desk)? Who collects feedback on rules and office culture (workplace or HR)?

Set up a feedback channel: create a simple way for employees to report problems in the first weeks, for example a dedicated Teams channel or a form. Make it clear that feedback is actively evaluated and used for adjustments.

After go live: monitoring use with Workplace Analytics and making adjustments

Go live is not the end of the project but the start of optimisation. Facility management should look specifically at usage patterns and use the data to support the internal business case for space decisions and to develop space efficiency according to need.

Questions on space use:

• Where do bookings and complaints about missing workstations accumulate?
• Which floors or zones remain noticeably empty?
• Which workstation types (shared desk, focus workstations, team zones) are used particularly heavily or lightly?
• On which weekdays do bottlenecks occur?

Questions on rules and the desk sharing concept:

• Do booking and cancellation rules work in everyday practice?
• How many no shows occur, i.e. bookings that are not used?
• Does the desk sharing ratio still match actual use?
• Are clean desk rules realistic to implement?
• How do teams handle unused bookings, and is a clearer rule needed?

Usage data for the internal business case: desk booking data helps facility make the case for space requirements to Real Estate and management. Permanently underused areas can be demonstrated, peak days identified and the desk sharing ratio adjusted on a sound basis. For a reliable picture of space use, the software should be widely used in everyday work, because only then does the data reflect actual use realistically.

Specific adjustment options: adapt zones, convert quiet areas into collaboration zones or vice versa, move teams and refine communication on etiquette rules.

Objection: “Another tool means extra effort for employees”

Facility management regularly hears from teams that there are already too many tools and portals. The concern is justified: desk booking should not become “yet another tool” that creates friction in everyday work. A straightforward booking process and integration into existing IT systems are therefore decisive.

• Booking where everyone already works: workstations are booked directly in Microsoft Teams and Outlook. No additional login landscape is created. This considerably reduces the perceived change in everyday work.
• Automatic user management: synchronisation with Microsoft Entra ID allows users, groups and access to be synchronised automatically, without duplicate maintenance by facility or IT.
• Short introduction instead of a large IT project: with clearly defined rules, a few targeted training sessions are enough. For end users, complexity usually lies only in the first contact. After that, booking becomes routine.
• The way of working stays familiar: anyone already working with Microsoft 365 continues to work in a familiar interface. This usually reduces the effort for employees significantly.

How Seatti implements the project plan

As a platform for the modern office, Seatti maps the project plan described natively in Microsoft 365.

Rollout structure at Seatti: our rollout is usually completed in less than two weeks and follows the three phases above.

Workspace Management in Microsoft 365: Seatti makes workstations, meeting rooms, parking spaces and services bookable directly in Microsoft Teams and Outlook. Employees book where they already work, without switching between applications.

Microsoft Entra Sync: Seatti synchronises users, groups and access automatically with Microsoft Entra ID. For companies with enterprise structures, i.e. multiple locations, companies and different rule sets, this means: central administration, granular roles and permissions, no duplicate data maintenance. Access control systems, HRIS and other office systems can be connected via the open API.

Office Intelligence after go live: after launch, Seatti combines booking data, IP-based presence and existing infrastructure into a realistic picture of usage. IP-based presence detects attendance automatically via the existing network infrastructure, without an additional check-in. Facility receives utilisation, trends and savings potential to make a well founded case to Real Estate and management.

So the project does not end at go live. Many decisions about space and operating costs are made later, often without reliable figures on actual use. A booking solution alone organises everyday work, nothing more. Because Seatti brings Workspace Management and Office Intelligence together natively in Microsoft 365, it becomes visible how much space your teams really use. The two week introduction is therefore also the starting point for space decisions based on data rather than gut feeling.

Implementation costs: introducing Seatti involves no implementation costs. You can find a transparent overview of packages and features on the pricing page.

Seatti case: an express rollout

How quickly a rollout can go is shown by Jebsen & Jessen. The Hamburg trading house wanted to abolish fixed workstations and introduce desk sharing when moving into a new headquarters. Then water damage made parts of the old office unusable from one day to the next, and employees needed places to work immediately. We switched Seatti live overnight. The next morning, everyone could book their workstations digitally, and work continued without interruption. There was one day between the decision and go live.

From emergency to everyday: today, around 300 employees at the Hamburg site book workstations and parking spaces across seven floors. Not every project is an emergency, and not every company needs an overnight rollout. But the example shows what is possible when it matters. How quickly you want to move is something we discuss together: depending on your needs, we look at what we can offer you and how quickly we can respond.

Conclusion: two weeks are realistic if the groundwork is in place

With the data from desk booking and Office Intelligence, facility can make its case to Real Estate and management when leases expire or space is to be consolidated. Desk sharing can help reduce rent and operating costs if the usage data supports a smaller office space, while promoting flexibility and collaboration within the team. In a working world with home office and changing working models, reliable usage data is often the pragmatic answer to the wish for more flexibility and more efficient use of space.

Introducing desk booking in two weeks is realistic. What matters are decisions prepared in advance, clearly defined roles and a structured project plan. The biggest challenge lies not in the software but in internal coordination: which desk sharing concept suits the company, which rules apply, and who is responsible for implementation?

First go through the questions from the section “What should be decided on the desk sharing rules before day 1” internally and answer them roughly. This lays the foundation for a rollout that stays on schedule.

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Read more: Works agreement for desk sharing: checklist and model and Desk sharing and the GDPR: a guide for HR and IT.

Author and sources

Author: Saskia Neuner, Chief of Staff at Seatti. As of 11 November 2026.

This guide does not constitute legal advice and does not replace a legal review in the individual case.

Sources:

• German Works Constitution Act (Section 87(1) No. 1 and No. 6)
• Seatti integration
• Seatti IP-based presence
• Workplace Analytics
• Office Intelligence
• Seatti pricing
• Jebsen & Jessen case study
• Introducing desk sharing