Lean methods help a property development and management organization achieve its goals  

Client challenge

Affordable housing and related markets are in dire need of Lean services. Developers and property managers face numerous, overlapping national crises that impede their ability to do their work: a lack of housing, supply chain challenges, a construction workforce crisis, and uncertain availability of funding for development and affordable living programs. 

One of the top affordable housing real estate companies in the United States underwent significant organizational restructuring to both respond to these pressures and to be better poised to significantly grow through the development and management of thriving communities in new areas of the country. Company leaders wanted to develop and implement a new strategy that would help them realize this vision for the future. But market conditions meant that it was not feasible, nor fiscally responsible, to meet targeted growth by increasing employee headcount.   

The organization’s leaders recognized that process optimizations and the application of Lean principles would be utterly necessary to meet their resident’s needs and drive their initiatives forward. So, they turned to Haley & Aldrich for the combination of our Lean experience and our real estate and development acumen. 

Our approach

Haley & Aldrich’s team harnesses the client team experience, knowledge, and problem-solving skills to find process efficiencies and drive progress toward company goals. We understand the unique value of the perspectives and experience of the people doing the work. From C-suite leadership to departmental management to front-line workers, we partner closely with clients’ staff to uncover best practices and success stories, as well as the hurdles that prevent people from delivering their best work.  

For this client, we first shadowed and interviewed key staff members. Then, we used those findings in workshops we facilitated to help cross-departmental teams assess their current state and identify key problem areas and opportunities for improvement. Needs they identified included stabilizing property financial management (e.g., annual recertifications and compliance) and data management, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and aligning the organization using strategy deployment methods and best practices.  

To address these and other concerns, we developed a three-year strategy, which included a roadmap of goals to meet the company’s 10-year growth vision, key focus areas to achieve this vision, and critical actions for the next year.  

This approach enables the company to deploy their strategy in a way that aligns with their organizational structure. We also reduced the number of annual goals from an unwieldy 70 to 9 total.   Their deployment plan contains departmental action plans aligned with implementing the work necessary to achieve these goals. Staff members can now focus on their highest-value actions and prioritize actions directly aligned with their organization’s needs.

Value delivered

• Developed a clear, manageable three-year strategy to drive progress toward company goals
• Improved the quality and management of critical data by removing duplicative and conflicting software packages. Established a single point of truth for critical data  
• To improve work quality, cut wasted time, and better meet resident needs, we clarified responsibilities and standardized processes for facility maintenance, property financial management, compliance, and staff development  
• Conducted a 3-month sprint to address backlog of key annual updates, reducing the overall backlog by approximately 50% 
• Improved processes and optimized staffing plans to execute annual recertifications, improving the productivity rate by 75%