In allocating quarters and arranging the desks and equipment of the personnel who are to use them, it is essential to analyze the particle flows to be handled by these personnel: what particles does each post handle; where do these particles come from; what does this post do with them; and where do the particles go from there.

Example: All types of particles from the public enter the org through Reception. Thus the space allocated to Reception should be easily accessible to the street; the channel to it should be clearly marked; and there should be nothing along this channel which would stop or distract the flow of particles to Reception. Within the Reception area itself, the Receptionist's desk should be so placed that it is clearly visible from the entry and there should be no barriers or distractions between it and the entry; thus incoming particles will naturally flow to it as the first barrier in their path.

What Reception does with these particles is discover their proper destination in the org and route them to it; as well as give persons entering the org recognition. Thus, Reception's space must have in it a Public Bulletin Board and notices of services, book display and the like; and space and chairs, etc., for bodies to wait in if their destination terminal is not immediately available.

Reception's highest priority particles are incoming public bodies; and these go mostly to Registrar and/or Accounts from Reception. Thus, Registrar and Accounts should be easily accessible – preferably adjacent – to Reception, and clear channels should exist between Reception and them.

Incorrect allocations of space and/or placement of desks and equipment therein slow, confuse and even lose traffic. Example: An org had its Public Bulletin Board, some chairs and a magazine stand in the hallway leading to its Reception area, out of view of the Receptionist. An inestimable amount of body traffic was lost by this arrangement – inestimable simply because these items stopped the flow and Receptionist never saw many of the bodies that came in the door.

It would be wise for any org to review its allocation of space and arrangement of desks and equipment in terms of particle flows as above, as a routine action once every six months or so.