Skip to main content

The NOVA Meeting & the 1-3-1

NOVA is our recurring meeting where property managers present their cases and get decisions.

It is not a place to figure things out, ask open-ended questions, or think out loud. It's a decision forum: you come prepared, present your case in the 1-3-1 format, and — if you've done the work — walk out with a fast approval.

The deal

If you've run a proper investigation, laid out three reasonable options, and made a clear recommendation, then the decision belongs to the approver or owner. Your job isn't to be asked questions — it's to have already answered them.

The 1-3-1 format​

Every case is presented as a 1-3-1:

1 — The Problem (root cause, not symptom)​

State the problem — ideally the root cause, not the symptom you were handed.

A work order usually arrives as a symptom: "the dryer doesn't work." That's not the problem; it's the report. Your job is to investigate and diagnose the root cause — is the dryer dead, is it the power, is it venting, is it user error, is it past its life? Everything in the case is driven toward identifying that root cause, because the right options depend on it.

3 — Three reasonable options​

Present three reasonable options to proceed. They must be real, defensible choices — not one serious option and two straw men. "Do nothing" or "wait and monitor" is often a legitimate option and counts as one of the three.

For each option, be ready with cost, time, risk, and what the history/lease/market support.

1 — One recommendation​

Give your single recommendation and the reasoning behind it. You've done the investigation; say what you'd do and why.

Why we present this way​

As PMs we're authorized to decide up to a spending threshold. Above that threshold, we don't decide — we present a clear case and let the approver decide.

The quality bar is: research and answer as many of the approver's questions ahead of time as you can. A great 1-3-1 anticipates the pushback and addresses it inside the case, so the meeting is a quick "yes, go with your recommendation" rather than a round of questions and a follow-up.

How to come prepared​

  1. Run the Decision-Making Framework end to end.
  2. Dig through every relevant source in the Investigation Checklist.
  3. Write it up as a Standard Approval Package — which is your 1-3-1 in written form, with supporting documents attached.
  4. Anticipate the approver's questions and answer them in the case.

What "good" looks like​

  • A crisp, root-cause problem statement (not a symptom).
  • Three genuine options, each with cost / time / risk (one may be "do nothing / wait").
  • A clear recommendation with rationale.
  • Supporting evidence attached (GL, history, quotes, comps, lease).
  • The obvious questions already answered.