How to Create an Effective Stacking Plan in 4 Steps

In any relocation, consolidation, or office reorganization project, building a stacking plan is an essential strategic step. This visual diagram allows you to distribute teams, departments, or functions across the different floors of a building. It serves as the foundation for implantation decisions, stakeholder trade-offs, and the overall coherence of the real estate project.

But between Excel files, PowerPoint presentations, changing HR data, and multiple validations, creating an effective stacking plan can quickly become a headache. This is where Stackfit comes in: by digitizing and simplifying the entire process.

Here are the 4 key steps to build a high-performing stacking plan — and how Stackfit helps you save time and gain clarity at each step.

Step 1: Collect key data

Before putting anything on a diagram, it's essential to gather all the information needed to build the plan:

Headcount by team, department, or division

Available space per floor (usable m²)

Specific needs (confidentiality, proximity, equipment)

Growth projections (expansion or reduction)

Work model (fixed, flex office, hybrid)

This data typically comes from multiple sources: HR, real estate, general management, business units... And is often heterogeneous (spreadsheets, internal tools, emails...).

With Stackfit:

You import directly HR and real estate data into the platform.

You can link each team to its headcount, needs, and constraints.

You automatically visualize occupancy ratios (m²/person) and space per floor.

Save time and avoid manual data entry errors.

Step 2: Structure distribution scenarios

Once the data is collected, you can start testing different hypotheses:

Distribution by department (Finance, HR, IT...)

Distribution by business unit

Grouping based on interaction needs

Distribution based on usage (collaborative, concentration, client, etc.)

This is the most strategic step: it allows you to visualize how entities could be implanted in the building, taking into account technical constraints, flows, headcount, and proximity preferences.

With Stackfit:

Create one or more stacking scenarios with drag-and-drop.

Visually test multiple distributions, simply by changing a team's assignment from one floor to another.

Compare versions with key indicators (density, remaining space, occupancy rate).

In one click, you go from hypothesis to clear, shared visualization.

Step 3: Validate with stakeholders

A good stacking plan is shared, understood, and collectively validated. HR, management, business units, IT, FM: everyone has their say. The challenge is to transform a technical proposal into a clear, aligned collective decision.

But validating a plan with unreadable Excel files or static PowerPoints makes the exercise complex.

With Stackfit:

Organize co-construction workshops with stakeholders.

Share plans online, add comments, collect feedback.

Track modifications and trade-offs (by whom, when, why).

Generate clear exports for your committee or project team presentations.

You facilitate consensus while gaining professionalism and transparency.

Step 4: Pilot and adjust the plan over time

A stacking plan is not fixed. Projects evolve, headcount moves, organizations change. It's therefore essential to easily update the plan according to on-the-ground reality.

With an Excel file, this often means starting over or juggling dozens of versions. This lack of agility can quickly lead to loss of reliability.

With Stackfit:

Update in real-time headcount data or assignments.

Adjust the plan if a team evolves or if a floor is freed up.

Track actual occupancy and detect optimization opportunities.

Move from scenario to implementation without disruption.

Your stacking plan becomes a living tool, manageable over time.

Summary: Stackfit vs traditional method

Conclusion: Stackfit, the reinvented stacking plan

Building an effective stacking plan is not limited to filling out a table: it's a strategic management tool, which serves to make better decisions, faster, with more clarity. And that's precisely what Stackfit enables.

With Stackfit, you move from:

a static file to a dynamic tool;

a tedious process to smooth management;

an HR document to a strategic dialogue lever.

Whether you're a project manager, AMO, workplace strategist, or real estate manager, Stackfit helps you build, validate, and adapt your stacking plans with efficiency and agility.