The Untapped… the other 95% workshops was a highly successful professional development program recently organised by the RVA and ThomsonAdsett. The sessions provided some key insights into the industry that many attendees are still talking about and using in their everyday work.
To ensure the broader membership does not miss out on this information all together, the RVA will be running a number of articles as provided by some of the speakers from the series. The following article has been provided by Susan Malone from Independent Management Group.
Is Operations the Chicken or the Egg?
In the early stages of developing a Retirement Village it is important to understand the relationship that exists between two important facets of the project. Development and Operations are equally important and to focus on only one area will cause the owner problems at some point. The balance of the Village will be out – you will be weighed down with issues you will have to resolve later and at a cost.
No development is perfect. We all like to believe we have the best one going, but even if we are right, it will not be perfect. There are, however, many things that can be done to minimise errors and maximise product potential by bringing together the two important elements of development and operations and working on both at the same time, in the early stages of the project.
One important way to manage this process is to ensure that the people who will be vested with the responsibility of operating the Village are involved from day one. If you have the right operator, be that your own in-house operational team or a third party operator, their experience and expectations are invaluable throughout the design and development process.
Decide on the ‘who’ and the ‘how’ of Village operations at a very early stage and put a representative of the operator on the development team. The primary aim of having this person/s involved throughout the project is to ensure their operational experience and knowledge is utilised to produce a Village which is capable of being operated effectively and efficiently. It is too late to start considering this after construction has begun, or worse, after it is completed.
Below are some examples of how experienced operational staff can add value to your project:
During the design development phase there will be a myriad of questions to answer for your architects. Consider who is BEST to answer them. When it comes to designing the Community Centre there will be questions such as:
- How much storage space will administration require?
- What volume and combination of fridge/freezer will be needed in the kitchen?
- Which staff needs access to which equipment?
- What types of spaces will be required for which types of functions?
- Which fitness equipment is considered useful or desirable by our target market?
When designing the ILUs:
- Should the microwave be located over, under or next to the oven?
- Where should the emergency call base be located?
- Where will residents want the broadband access located?
- How much and where should storage be provided in the bathroom?
Who can you trust to answer these questions? The people that deal with the residents daily. Residents talk to these people and share their likes and dislikes about units – they will know the answers too many of these queries.
Another important reason for development and operations to work together early is to ensure the operator has a thorough knowledge of the buildings and property that will be theirs to manage. Being part of discussions and selections, understanding why certain decisions were made, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of selected products and equipment, being aware of the benefits of a particular system installed will allow the operator to have a complete understanding of maintenance needs, budget implications, equipment capabilities and sales feature and benefits. It also allows early consideration of how the community facilities can best be utilised to provide maximum resident enjoyment and flexibility.
The end result will be a more saleable village, which operates efficiently resulting in lower service fees and happier residents and staff.
ENDS
The RVA welcomes your feedback on this story and encourages you to leave a comment. You can submit your comment at the bottom of this post.
Posted by rvablog2 
