{"id":30549,"date":"2021-11-05T04:38:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-05T11:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=30549"},"modified":"2021-11-01T07:41:12","modified_gmt":"2021-11-01T14:41:12","slug":"change-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/change-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Change Management"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An amalgamation of several housing firms presented a unique challenge for one of Canada\u2019s largest social housing providers. Each faction brought its own technology, workflows and data. After nearly two decades of managing disparate systems, it was time for a change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Host Tarun George, manager of Strategic Partnerships and Development, Ontario Non-profit Housing Association (ONPHA) led the Rethinking Social Housing Technology <\/em>webinar. He was joined by panelists Luisa Andrews, vice president, Information Technology Services, Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) and Nick Davis, vice president, Professional Services, Yardi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group discussed the challenges of bringing outdated systems into the modern age of integration, automation and simplicity in social housing technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

United but disparate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TCHC was founded in 2002 after the amalgamation of other housing organizations. To manage its 110,000 residents across more than 2,100 buildings, TCHC relied on a piecemeal arrangement of technologies. At that time, employees struggled to see an integrated picture of the new organization. Over the next 16 years, frustrations mounted over inefficiencies and inconsistencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Andrews joined the organization in 2018. She noted, \u201cat that time, the technologies didn\u2019t meet our emerging needs, so TCHC worked with developers to create custom solutions. There were a few attempts at accounting upgrades but there was no application portfolio strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews\u2019 mission was to bring change that would help the organization thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transformation begins at TCHC<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TCHC intensified its search for integrated and scalable property management technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TCHC identified Yardi Voyager Social Housing as the best fit for their accounting and operational needs across their entire organization. To simplify their energy management strategy, they selected YES Energy. Adapting RentCafe Social Housing\u2019s tenant portal, which would meet residents\u2019 expectations for virtual communication and rent collection, is in TCHC\u2019s future vision \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just a tech transformation. It was a business transformation. It was about delivering better services to the tenant, empowering employees and enhancing security,\u201d recalled Andrews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across several months, they captured detailed processes, data and reporting. They spoke with teams on the ground to better understand precisely what was needed. TCHC also ensured that the project stayed within the scope of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staying focused was key. Davis encouraged organizations going through restructuring to stay on scope and not get distracted by new tools that they haven\u2019t laid the foundations for yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt can be so tempting to wander off the tracks. There\u2019s so much great tech, so many shiny new features,\u201d laughed Davis. \u201cBut we laid the foundation, stayed on the rails. So, when everyone is ready for the new features, we\u2019ll get the full advantages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrews and Davis outlined key points for managers to consider during operations changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n