Assets and Finances: Use the “Quicken Model” at Work

As this edition of Managing Change is being completed, it’s tax time. With the deadline looming, it brought to mind of some of the financial questions often posed by VISTA Vice President for Corporate Development Ray Summerell.

For example, almost all of us use Quicken, MS Money or some similar financial software package to manage our personal financial accounts. These programs enable individuals to analyze their equity, cost and value data and to understand the implications of all their transactions.

Is the same true of your real property data at work? From a single report, can a user drill down through organizations, bases and facilities to examine transactions in detail? What about qualified impacts? Can a user in near real time definitively show negative impacts if facilities funding is not provided at requested or required levels? Can a user in near real time identify inter-portfolio changes in space requirements and surpluses with the opportunity to right size on the fly?

Ray offered an enlightening presentation at the April 10 monthly luncheon of the Federal Real Property Association (FRPA) on real property return on investment in today’s budgetary realities. A summary of that presentation is available in the Value of VISTA article “Plain Talk about Real Property Realities” in this issue.

Real property simply cannot be considered as nothing more than a bill to pay. Better real property management will enable your organization to Improve budget and asset performance, to help control cash flows, make the best use of inventory to meet mission goals, and get the most from your people and where they work.

If you gain the greatest value from monies spent on real property assets, you’ll be able to simplify cash management strategies while at the same time improving key performance metrics and indicators. This in turn will enable you to cut costs, predict and manage your budgets better, eliminate potential waste, and improve overall workplace efficiency.

More importantly, however, you’ll create repeatable and sustainable processes that will give your organization better controls. You’ll arrive at best practices, consistent reporting standards, and improved performance measures for sound budgeting, policy, management, and stewardship decisions.

With today’s budgetary pressures, your job will become increasingly difficult unless you can show that you, as a real property professional, contribute to the financial analytical capability of your organization. Otherwise, you’ll be relegated to just another budget line item, and your voice in your organization will be mute.

You have the power to do this type of analysis with your home accounts. Isn’t it time you began doing what it takes to bring this capability to your professional life?


David Baxa
President and CEO
VISTA