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Decision & Approval — Overview & Philosophy

This section defines how we make decisions as property managers — especially when a situation is ambiguous or it isn't obvious how to move forward.

The shift: from tickets to cases​

When a work order comes in, the instinct is to treat it like a ticket — something to close as fast as possible by dispatching a vendor or doing whatever clears it off the board. Speed feels like good service, so we sometimes act without giving it much thought.

Instead, we treat every work order as a case.

The mindset

You are an investigator, not a ticket-closer. Your job is to figure out what is actually happening — the root cause, not the symptom — before deciding what to do about it.

The prime directive​

Make decisions with all the information reasonably available to you. Before you decide, dig: the general ledger, recurring/past work orders, email history, the lease, purchase & vendor history, market research, and AI to surface ideas. Then decide — informed.

The diligence standard​

This is the bar we hold ourselves to

If you gather the information that's reasonably available and still make the wrong call, that's okay — you decided well with what you had. What's not okay is making a worse decision when a little more digging would have led you to a better one. The failure isn't being wrong; it's not looking.

Where decisions get made: NOVA & the 1-3-1​

We present cases for decision at our NOVA meeting, in the 1-3-1 format: 1 the problem (root cause), 3 reasonable options, 1 recommendation. Within our spending threshold we decide ourselves; above it, we present a prepared case and the approver/owner decides. See The NOVA Meeting & the 1-3-1.

A note on AI​

AI is a tool to help you investigate and think — not the final deliverable. You must read it, verify it, and own it. See Using AI Responsibly. If you ship something AI produced, you're accountable for it exactly as if you wrote it yourself.

How this section is organized​

  1. Decision-Making Framework — the step-by-step process for any work order or decision.
  2. The NOVA Meeting & the 1-3-1 — how and where we present cases for decision.
  3. Investigation Checklist: Where to Dig — every information source and what to look for.
  4. Handling Ambiguity & Escalation — what to do when it's unclear.
  5. Approval Authority & Spending Thresholds — who can approve what.
  6. Standard Approval Package — the written form of your 1-3-1.
  7. Owner Authorization — when the owner must approve.
  8. Repair vs. Replace · Market Pricing & Comps — decision aids.
  9. Using AI Responsibly — how we use AI, and what ownership means.