This content was originally published in our residential property management newsletter, Pillow Talk. Sign up here.
One task all companies struggle with is capturing institutional knowledge.
Institutional knowledge is the sum of all the real-life lessons-learned you and your employees have gained through experience. It’s often a long list of big mistakes, incremental wins, and choices made out of necessity when an SOP didn’t have the answer, or didn’t exist.
It’s tough to capture these lessons because they live inside your employee’s heads. They don’t show up in performance reviews, metrics, or audits, but they’re extremely valuable. (Think about it in terms of all the training Marc Cunningham has for sale on PMbuild.com. Those incredible courses are the result of documenting 50 years worth of lessons learned.)
Why use debriefs?
So, how do you get learnings on paper, and then get them implemented into your business? One way is with routine debriefs.
We use debriefs, or “post mortems,” at Blanket after conferences or product launches to document what happened, what went well, and what could have gone better. We use the discussion to derive a list of concrete tasks that go into our project management software and are assigned to specific people. This way, the tasks actually get accomplished, and the learnings are implemented into the business, and kept out of the knowledge base graveyard.
How to be successful with debriefs:
- Schedule the debrief ahead of time. That way you can ensure it will take place while the information is still fresh.
- Identify who will run the meeting. This way the meeting can have structure and someone accountable for its success.
- Take notes. And store them in an easy-to-find place.
- Review notes. Pick out the things that can be applied to processes and SOPs. You can also reference the notes when a similar scenario arises to hopefully avoid making the same mistakes as last time.
Don’t take my word for it
In a recent Triple Win Live, Jennifer Reulens shared how she uses debriefs to evaluate the success of her onboardings.
An unsuccessful onboarding isn’t usually something that shows up on a chart. Rather, you see it when ops is handed an unprepared property and an owner who doesn’t know what’s supposed to happen next.
Outside of documenting what went wrong and what went well, conducting routine onboarding debriefs can even help re-sync your teams when the onboarding missed a few things.
Jen has expanded this to her selection process as well, which helps keep her from accidentally signing clients she doesn’t want to work with.
About Blanket
Blanket is transforming the property management industry with its innovative platform that helps property managers grow their portfolios and retain owners. By combining AI-powered insights, automated lead generation, and seamless integration with existing property management software, Blanket provides property managers with the tools they need to succeed. Blanket is backed by leading Venture Capital Funds like Foundation Capital, Symbol, Operator Partners, RE Angels, and industry-leading Angel investors. Together, we’re shaping the future of property management.
