Optimising Effectiveness in Global Real Estate

Working with a UK Board Director in a global real estate company to deliver faster and more effective client value

The Challenge

Clients rely on the expert advice shared in our client’s reports. The key insights of the report had become lost in an overload of information. Highly trained surveyors were spending a significant proportion of their week on report administration – an ineffective use of their expertise and minimal added value. Our research suggested that this was a poor use of time. When one individual writes multiple reports over a period of weeks, the efficiency diminishes as the deadline looms. Our challenge was to optimise a potentially month-long process and deliver outstanding client value in a matter of hours.

Real Estate

Ineffective Work

Surveyors’ time ineffective due to imbalance in effort to impact.

Inefficient Process

Commission to delivery workflow takes weeks and on an unpredictable timeline.

Lack of Ops Tools

Process reliant on slow email communication and a poorly-designed template.

Improving Performance
Increasing Engagement
Business Growth
Leadership Growth
Accelerating Development
Commercial Innovation
Optimising Effectiveness
Catalysing Change

How We Helped

As an innovative agency with experience expediting teams using agile strategies, we proposed, scoped, created and facilitated a ‘hack’ to expedite the report-writing process with the team of 10 surveyors. For simplicity, we proposed that multiple reports were consolidated into one comprehensive report with key insights highlighted. Our challenge to the client was to survey one building and write one report, in one day.

We introduced operational tools such as a KanBan and Slack to both visually and digitally support the rapid communication and workflow visibility required. Running a process that had taken weeks over the course of an afternoon, we created an environment in which the team could self-organise, estimate completion times, effectively collaborate, provide transparency of work in progress, track work completed.

The Results

The team took on ownership of the logistical challenge. Questions about priorities began to be asked peer-to-peer rather than to the team leader

Team members began thinking more strategically about their own utilisation and how best to use their teammates.

200

The Board Director presented the project to 200 of their UK and European technical colleagues, inspiring company-wide change

30%

Time which had previously been measured in days was measured in hours and minutes. The team proved they could survey and report within one working day, a 30% efficiency gain

95%

Reduction in number of days required between project start and customer-ready output, allowing our client additional time to provide an even better service

“Working with IW created a mind-set shift in what our team can do. It made us think and work in ways we have transported into our everyday work. IW gave us the skills and belief to do it again and again.”

UK Board Director