Is your reserve study doing the job you need done?

The Job to Be Done

Clayton Christensen, a Harvard Business School professor called the ‘world’s greatest management thinker’, introduced this theory of the “Job to be Done” The theory is based on the notion that people buy products and services to get a “job” done. By understanding in detail what that “job” entails, companies are far more likely to create and market solutions that will win in the marketplace.

Applying Christensen’s jobs theory, we can ask, what is the job to be done when a community ‘hires’ a reserve study, versus what the job to be done is when employing a long-term planning system.

The Reserve study has essentially one job – to set the amount of the reserve contributions. After that, it simply becomes an expensive paperweight.

On the other hand, you have long-term planning. The job to be done here is to create a plan that is sustainable, and actionable to protect the community’s assets.

It’s clear that though a reserve study can (and should) be a component of long-term planning, there is a lot more ‘job to be done’ than just setting reserve contributions.

To get the job done, communities need a strategic long-term plan that incorporates inventory control, financial planning and project management. Only with an actionable plan in place can communities begin to solve the actual problems of aging infrastructure.

Start building your community’s long-term plan now. Contact SmartProperty to learn how