> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.monolithforensics.com/monolith/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.monolithforensics.com/monolith/using-monolith/organization/offices.md).
# Offices
Offices represent the physical facilities, laboratories, branches, or other operating locations used by your organization.
Each Office provides organizational context for your team and serves as the top level of the location structure used by **Item Locations**.
For organizations operating from multiple facilities, Offices allow each location to maintain its own users and physical location structure while remaining part of the same Monolith environment.
### View Offices
Navigate to **Organization > Offices** to view the Offices configured for your organization.
Each Office displays information such as:
* Office name
* City or location
* Assigned manager
* Number of users assigned to the Office
Select an Office to review or manage its details.
### Create an Office
To create a new Office:
1. Navigate to **Organization > Offices**.
2. Select **New Office**.
3. Enter the **Office Name**.
4. Optionally select a **Manager**.
5. Enter the Office address and other contact information as needed.
6. Select **Create Office**.
Available Office information includes:
* Office Name
* Manager
* Address
* City
* State/Province
* Postal Code
* Phone
Not every field is required. Configure the information that is useful for your organization.
### Assign Users to an Office
Users are assigned to an Office through **Organization > Team Management**.
When creating or editing a Monolith user, select the Office that person belongs to.
Office assignments help organize your team and also connect users to the location structure for that Office.
See [**Team Management**](/monolith/using-monolith/organization/team-management.md) for information about creating users and assigning Offices.
### Offices and Item Locations
An Office is the starting point for physical locations in Monolith.
Navigate to **Evidence Management > Item Locations** and select an Office to view the locations configured for that facility.
The general structure is:
```
Office
└── Location Group
└── Location
```
For example:
```
Calgary
├── Exam Table
│ ├── User A
│ ├── User B
│ └── User C
├── Evidence Room
│ ├── Shelf A
│ ├── Shelf B
│ └── Shelf C
└── Evidence Cage
├── Locker 1
└── Locker 2
```
This allows organizations to model their real-world evidence handling and storage environment inside Monolith.
### User Locations
Users assigned to an Office are available within that Office's location structure.
In the **Exam Table** group, Monolith displays users associated with the selected Office. This allows evidence or storage items to be associated with a person when that reflects the item's current physical custody or working location.
For example, an item may move from an evidence room to an examiner while work is being performed, then return to an evidence or storage location afterward.
### Custom Location Groups
In addition to user locations, each Office can contain customizable location groups.
Location groups can represent the physical areas your organization uses to handle evidence and storage items, such as an evidence room, evidence cage, shelving area, locker area, laboratory workspace, or another internal location structure.
Within each group, create the locations needed to reflect how items are physically organized.
The goal is not to reproduce every detail of your building. Create enough structure for users to accurately identify where an item is located and support your organization's custody and storage workflow.
### Multi-Office Organizations
Organizations with more than one laboratory or physical facility can create a separate Office for each location.
Each Office can have:
* Its own assigned users
* Its own manager
* Its own contact and address information
* Its own Item Locations structure
For example, an organization with laboratories in Calgary and Vancouver can configure each as a separate Office and build the appropriate evidence rooms, shelves, lockers, and working locations for each facility.
This keeps physical location information aligned with the facility where the work is actually taking place.
### Recommended Setup
Create Offices before configuring the related users and Item Locations for a new Monolith environment.
A typical setup sequence is:
1. Create each Office used by your organization.
2. Add users through **Team Management** and assign them to the appropriate Office.
3. Open **Item Locations** and select the Office.
4. Create location groups that reflect the major physical areas used by that facility.
5. Add the individual locations needed for evidence and storage movement.
6. Test the structure with a small number of items before using it for active casework.
### Related Documentation
* [**Team Management**](/monolith/using-monolith/organization/team-management.md)
* [**Initial Setup**](/monolith/start-here/welcome-to-monolith/initial-setup.md)
* **Item Locations**
* [**Storage Items**](/monolith/using-monolith/evidence-management/storage-items.md)
