Reflection on Using Visual Thinking to Synthesize a Complex Problem     Challenge 

 I recently needed to communicate detailed and complex financial information about my   condominium building in a way that could be quickly understood by fellow homeowners in the   association . In effect , I was challenged to communicate what is ( where things stand ) and what if   ( the outcome of alternative decisions ) to help the group choose the future financial direction of   our condominium community . I chose visualization to inform and persuade my neighbors . 

 Shortly after being elected president of the homeowners association ( HOA ) at my condominium   community , I came to realize that our reserve account ( funds set aside specifically to pay for   capital maintenance ) was probably not sufficiently funded . I was n’t certain of the extent of the   shortfall and wanted more information to help the HOA Board guide and recommend different   scenarios for homeowner dues . If the HOA Board recommended an increase , we ’d need   approval from 2/3 of the owners – and we did n’t expect raising dues would be an easy sell . 

 I suggested that the HOA hire an outside engineering company to conduct a reserve study . The   purpose of this study is to give us an objective appraisal of the condition of the building systems   and associated costs and timing for maintenance or replacement . The findings from the study   were not unexpected : there is a lot of big - ticket maintenance work anticipated in the coming   years , and some of those years are coming soon . If we did not increase dues , owners could   anticipate regular individual annual “ special ” assessments of $ 15 - 20 K , in addition to the regular   operating budget . In addition to providing us with a roadmap for capital maintenance plans and   expenses , the report also outlined recommended funding levels to avoid special assessments to   meet the anticipated financial need . 

 Selection & Application of Visualization Tool 

 The reserve study report is long ( some 65 pages ! ) with technical detail outlining the age and   condition of the common elements of the building along with anticipated replacement dates   and costs . It is a lot of information to take in , and I was doubted that most owners would take   the time to read and absorb such a detailed technical report . Visual thinking helped me to sort   through detailed and complex information and clearly communicate that to owners in a way   that could be quickly and easily understood . 

 I synthesized the information from the report by “ bucketing ” anticipated projects for the short ,   medium and long - term using the format shown at the top of the next page . Since the purpose   was to communicate the anticipated projects and associated monetary scope , individual project   costs were not included on this summary . This summary was sent to owners along with full   study report for those who wished to study the information in full detail . 

 Capital Maintenance Projects 

 Years   2020 - 2022   2023 - 2025   2026 - 2030   2031 - 2035   2036 - 2040 

 Estimated Cost   of Projects   $ 400 K   $ 650 K   $ 900 K   $ 700 K   $ 2.0 M 

 Anticipated 

 Maintenance Items 

 Project 1   Project 2   Project 3   Project 4 

 Project 5   Project 6   Project 7   Project 8   Project 9   Project 10   Project 11   Project 12 

 Project 2 ( b )   Project 10 ( b )   Project 13 

 Project 3 ( b )    Project 10 ( c )   Project 14   Project 15   Project 16   Project 17   Project 18   Project 19 

 Project 1 ( b )   Project 2 ( c )   Project 9 ( b )   Project 20   Project 21   Project 22   Project 23   Project 24 

 Insight 

 In the end , this problem is about money : who will pay for needed capital maintenance , and   when ? Should the costs of future maintenance be borne by current residents or future   residents ? Should capital maintenance be paid for through funds reserved over time or through   special assessments levied at the time of need ? How the ownership chose to handle this issue   would ultimately affect both the desirability and the value of the real estate . 

 The opportunity to get owners ’ focused attention to this issue came unexpectedly when the   roof of our then 13 - year old building failed and could not be repaired – some seven years   before its life expectancy . Reserve funds were insufficient to cover the cost of replacement , so   the HOA assessed each individual owner for two - thirds of the cost of the new roof . Individual   assessments ranged from $ 3600-$5500 . 

 Nearly all the owners agreed that the projected need of $ 1MM+ over the next six years was a   liability that would make our real estate less desirable – who would want to buy a condo in our   building if they knew there would be large variable expense every year , in addition to operating   expense ? By the time we held a vote , all but one owner was persuaded that increasing monthly   dues to fund our building reserves according to the recommended schedule in the reserve   study was the right thing to do . 

 Approach 

 The communication of information was the starting point in this discussion with the owners ,   and visualization was a great way to quickly and clearly communicate the information needed   for the board to make recommendations and for owners to make decisions . I incorporated   another visualization tool into the budget communication : a simple stacked bar graph that   showed the proportion of dues payments that would go toward funding the reserves , per the   recommended plan . Residents were able to see that our community is on the path to financial   stability – and were willing share the costs with future owners by paying higher monthly dues   now rather than risking responsibility for a large assessment in the future – or having a hard - to- sell real estate investment . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: 
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Reflection on Using Visual Thinking to Synthesize a Complex Problem     Challenge 

 I recently needed to communicate detailed and complex financial information about my   condominium building in a way that could be quickly understood by fellow homeowners in the   association . In effect , I was challenged to communicate what is ( where things stand ) and what if   ( the outcome of alternative decisions ) to help the group choose the future financial direction of   our condominium community . I chose visualization to inform and persuade my neighbors . 

 Shortly after being elected president of the homeowners association ( HOA ) at my condominium   community , I came to realize that our reserve account ( funds set aside specifically to pay for   capital maintenance ) was probably not sufficiently funded . I was n’t certain of the extent of the   shortfall and wanted more information to help the HOA Board guide and recommend different   scenarios for homeowner dues . If the HOA Board recommended an increase , we ’d need   approval from 2/3 of the owners – and we did n’t expect raising dues would be an easy sell . 

 I suggested that the HOA hire an outside engineering company to conduct a reserve study . The   purpose of this study is to give us an objective appraisal of the condition of the building systems   and associated costs and timing for maintenance or replacement . The findings from the study   were not unexpected : there is a lot of big - ticket maintenance work anticipated in the coming   years , and some of those years are coming soon . If we did not increase dues , owners could   anticipate regular individual annual “ special ” assessments of $ 15 - 20 K , in addition to the regular   operating budget . In addition to providing us with a roadmap for capital maintenance plans and   expenses , the report also outlined recommended funding levels to avoid special assessments to   meet the anticipated financial need . 

 Selection & Application of Visualization Tool 

 The reserve study report is long ( some 65 pages ! ) with technical detail outlining the age and   condition of the common elements of the building along with anticipated replacement dates   and costs . It is a lot of information to take in , and I was doubted that most owners would take   the time to read and absorb such a detailed technical report . Visual thinking helped me to sort   through detailed and complex information and clearly communicate that to owners in a way   that could be quickly and easily understood . 

 I synthesized the information from the report by “ bucketing ” anticipated projects for the short ,   medium and long - term using the format shown at the top of the next page . Since the purpose   was to communicate the anticipated projects and associated monetary scope , individual project   costs were not included on this summary . This summary was sent to owners along with full   study report for those who wished to study the information in full detail . 

 Capital Maintenance Projects 

 Years   2020 - 2022   2023 - 2025   2026 - 2030   2031 - 2035   2036 - 2040 

 Estimated Cost   of Projects   $ 400 K   $ 650 K   $ 900 K   $ 700 K   $ 2.0 M 

 Anticipated 

 Maintenance Items 

 Project 1   Project 2   Project 3   Project 4 

 Project 5   Project 6   Project 7   Project 8   Project 9   Project 10   Project 11   Project 12 

 Project 2 ( b )   Project 10 ( b )   Project 13 

 Project 3 ( b )    Project 10 ( c )   Project 14   Project 15   Project 16   Project 17   Project 18   Project 19 

 Project 1 ( b )   Project 2 ( c )   Project 9 ( b )   Project 20   Project 21   Project 22   Project 23   Project 24 

 Insight 

 In the end , this problem is about money : who will pay for needed capital maintenance , and   when ? Should the costs of future maintenance be borne by current residents or future   residents ? Should capital maintenance be paid for through funds reserved over time or through   special assessments levied at the time of need ? How the ownership chose to handle this issue   would ultimately affect both the desirability and the value of the real estate . 

 The opportunity to get owners ’ focused attention to this issue came unexpectedly when the   roof of our then 13 - year old building failed and could not be repaired – some seven years   before its life expectancy . Reserve funds were insufficient to cover the cost of replacement , so   the HOA assessed each individual owner for two - thirds of the cost of the new roof . Individual   assessments ranged from $ 3600-$5500 . 

 Nearly all the owners agreed that the projected need of $ 1MM+ over the next six years was a   liability that would make our real estate less desirable – who would want to buy a condo in our   building if they knew there would be large variable expense every year , in addition to operating   expense ? By the time we held a vote , all but one owner was persuaded that increasing monthly   dues to fund our building reserves according to the recommended schedule in the reserve   study was the right thing to do . 

 Approach 

 The communication of information was the starting point in this discussion with the owners ,   and visualization was a great way to quickly and clearly communicate the information needed   for the board to make recommendations and for owners to make decisions . I incorporated   another visualization tool into the budget communication : a simple stacked bar graph that   showed the proportion of dues payments that would go toward funding the reserves , per the   recommended plan . Residents were able to see that our community is on the path to financial   stability – and were willing share the costs with future owners by paying higher monthly dues   now rather than risking responsibility for a large assessment in the future – or having a hard - to- sell real estate investment .
### Output: 