How Process Guardians Determine Software Adoption Success

Max McCain has guided property management companies through complete operational transformations for over two years at Revela, following 11 years in financial software. His experience reveals what others are missing: property management companies repeatedly switch between software solutions hoping technology alone will solve operational challenges. 

Oftentimes, the real barrier is resistance to change.

Key Takeaways

• Property management scaling failures stem from resistance to changing established processes, not from inadequate software
• Excel dependency and individual process ownership create bottlenecks that compound as companies attempt to scale
• The primary success factor in software adoption is cultural transformation from individual control to collaborative systematic operations
• Challenging processes without challenging people creates psychological safety during transitions
• Companies that fail to address underlying resistance to process change will continue cycling through software solutions without achieving scalable operations

The Hidden Cost of Control-Based Operations

Property management companies are always looking for ways to smooth change management operations with new software. With Revela clients, Max consistently encounters companies that are looking for new tools but want to ensure minimal workflow disruption.

"They always think that if they just invest in this software, it'll do everything," Max explains. "That's not really the case. You still have to be the one that's driving."_{— MAX mCCAIN, CLIENT SUCCESS MANAGER}

During hundreds of implementations, Max discovered that the software shopping cycle masks a deeper organizational issue. When property managers hold onto manual processes like Excel spreadsheets, they create single points of failure that prevent business scaling. 

One client managed 230 properties across 600 individual spreadsheets—when the accountant took vacation, the entire operation stalled because no one else could access the data.

This pattern appears across the industry. Property managers build operations around individual expertise rather than systematic processes.

When these companies attempt to grow, the friction becomes unbearable. Manual processes that worked for 200 units become impossible at 2,000 units. When looking for new software, property management companies face multiple challenges: migrating crucial financial information, addressing the underlying resistance to change, and servicing multiple types of stakeholders. 

The stakes extend beyond operational inefficiency:

→ Companies that can't standardize processes expose themselves to compliance and legal risks.
→ Manual background screening workflows create liability gaps that can result in multi-million dollar lawsuits.
→ Inconsistent lease approval processes introduce fair housing violations.

When growth requires every decision to flow through one person, expansion becomes mathematically impossible. Companies looking for software to help them with scalable operations need to engage with everyone who will touch that software, and ensure workflows are as high-functioning as the technology.

The Guardian Engagement Strategy

Max emphasizes transforming organizational culture from individual ownership to collaborative engagement. Sustainable scaling requires changing how people think about their role, not just changing the tools they use.

The Guardian Engagement Strategy centers on “identifying process guardians in the beginning during our implementation process, and then collaborating with them until they’re bought in," Max explains. He deliberately engages with individuals who view new software as a threat to their job security.

This engagement allows Max to reframe the conversation. Technology becomes capability and productivity enhancement instead of job replacement. "We frame it that as the accountant, you're the control center," Max says. "We'll make it so that people can't do things without your approval, so you're still very much needed." The accountant who previously spent weeks on reconciliation can now complete it in minutes, freeing time to focus on strategic owner relationships and growth planning.

Max's strategy emphasizes partnership and consultation. Even the most intuitive software requires discussion and customization. During implementation, Max’s team takes on manual bridging work between systems. When clients worry about running two platforms simultaneously, Max's team marks payments from old systems as paid in new systems, eliminating double-entry burden.

Throughout the process, Max challenges workflows without attacking the people using them. 

"The biggest thing is to challenge the process, and not the person. Make them feel comfortable and be able to have that open dialogue."_{— MAX mCCAIN}

When clients object to new processes, he probes beyond the surface explanations to uncover underlying concerns. His questioning often helps clients discover inefficiencies themselves.

Max’s perspective aligns with broader industry evolution toward regulatory complexity and competitive differentiation through operational excellence. "Someone that's thinking about compliance, and protecting themselves as a business and their owners, is going to be successful in five years. They're playing defense," Max notes. 

Three forces make this approach increasingly critical. 

1. Compliance requirements keep rising, creating legal risks for companies still using manual processes. 
2. Market consolidation means smaller operators must achieve enterprise-level efficiency to compete. 
3. Tenants now expect modern digital experiences, requiring systematic operations across the board. 

The Guardian Engagement Strategy prepares companies to navigate these changes successfully.Four Principles for Organizational Transformation

The Guardian Engagement Strategy operates through four interconnected principles that guide successful change management. To understand how these principles work in action, Max took us through the process of switching from paper rental applications to online ones.  

1. Surface the Real Objection Behind the Stated Problem

When clients revert to old processes, their initial explanation rarely reveals the true barrier. The accountant who wanted to manage hundreds of spreadsheets herself stated that her reason was efficiency—she knew exactly where everything was and could work quickly.

Probing deeper, Max asked "What happens when you want to take vacation? How does the team access financial data when you're away?” The real barrier emerged immediately: the accountant worried that making information accessible to others would diminish her value to the organization. 

Once Max addressed that actual concern by showing approval workflows that maintained her oversight, resistance dissolved.

2. Challenge Process Logic Without Attacking Owners

When you question workflow efficiency rather than competence, you can find cooperation instead of conflict. Max focuses his discovery on the process. This way, they’re more apt to help him solve the problems.

Property managers frequently handle maintenance through informal methods (texts, phone calls, sticky notes) because those approaches feel responsive and personal. "They’re trying to figure out when do I get on site to replace things, when do I hire a vendor?" Max explains. 

He maps out how information gets lost between channels, how response times vary depending on the property manager's availability, and how owners lack visibility into what's actually happening with their properties.

By examining the workflow objectively rather than questioning someone's work ethic or competence, Max helps teams recognize that systematic tracking enhances their responsiveness.

3. Expose Hidden Process Costs Through Strategic Questioning

Most resistance stems from incomplete visibility into current process costs. When a property management team reverted to paper applications, Max asked strategic questions: 

• How do you know how many paper applications you have out there? 
• How many do you know that have been 50% complete? 
• Would it be easier for you to be able to send an automated reminder to somebody versus having to actually go meet them at the office again?"

This line of questioning revealed that properties sat vacant longer while waiting for prospects to return paper applications. Without visibility into the pipeline, leasing managers couldn't identify seriously interested applicants, and turnaround times lengthened. 

4. Create Proof Through Parallel Testing

Direct comparison eliminates theoretical debate. Max ran paper and online applications simultaneously for two weeks. The online approach generated more qualified leads, created application fee revenue, and provided completion tracking. Concrete data drove adoption through demonstrated results rather than promised benefits. Running old and new methods in parallel provides evidence that overcomes the emotional attachment to familiar workflows.

The Mindset Evolution Requirement

Growth-oriented organizations view new platforms as opportunities to examine and improve processes while engaging guardians as collaborators. They ask strategic questions about portfolio optimization and operational efficiency, positioning process owners as experts whose knowledge will shape better systems.

"Tools can aid in success, but it's ultimately the person that drives the success in the organization."_{— MAX mCCAIN}

The best software can't compensate for organizations that resist systematic operations. "Find somebody that can partner with you to give you tools and have that same mindset as you, so that you focus on the right things."

The property management industry has spent years focusing on feature comparisons and pricing negotiations while ignoring the human factors that determine success. Max's experience shows that implementation outcomes depend on both the right platform and how companies engage their key stakeholders. You need software built for how property management actually works, and a team that knows how to bring people along..

Companies that embrace collaborative processes through guardian engagement build businesses capable of sustainable expansion. Those that maintain individual ownership—or worse, attempt to override it without engagement—remain trapped in cycles of software shopping without achieving fundamental transformation. The Guardian Engagement Strategy recognizes that scaling requires evolving how people think about their role, and that evolution only happens through deliberate, respectful engagement.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does cultural transformation typically take?

Max measures success in 90-day increments. The first month focuses on successful rent collection (95% adoption target). The second month validates that tenants use new systems consistently. Third month evaluates owner disbursements and reduces owner questions by 85%. Full cultural transformation—where process guardians proactively suggest improvements rather than defending old methods—typically requires 6-12 months of consistent engagement and collaboration.

What happens if key team members refuse to change?

Max identifies potential resisters during implementation kickoff and schedules one-on-one conversations to understand underlying concerns. The Guardian Engagement Strategy recognizes that resistance usually stems from job security fears or loss of control rather than genuine process problems. 

Addressing those concerns directly—showing how approval workflows maintain oversight while reducing manual work—converts most guardians into advocates. For the small percentage who refuse engagement despite collaborative efforts, Max works with company leadership to determine if role changes are necessary. However, this outcome is rare when engagement happens early and authentically. 

Can smaller property management companies benefit from this approach?

The Guardian Engagement Strategy scales to any size. A company with 200 units faces the same cultural challenges as one with 2,000 units when staff members cling to individual processes. The stakes are actually higher for smaller companies—they have less margin for inefficiency, can't afford expensive compliance mistakes, and typically have fewer people who hold even more organizational knowledge. 

Starting with collaborative systematic operations through guardian engagement from the beginning prevents small companies from developing entrenched resistance that becomes harder to address as they grow.

How do you maintain momentum after initial implementation?

Max structures ongoing success meetings that shift from operational troubleshooting to strategic growth conversations, maintaining engagement with former process guardians in their evolved roles. As teams become self-sufficient with daily tasks, discussions evolve toward portfolio expansion, revenue optimization, and market opportunities. 

This progression reinforces that technology frees capacity for higher-value work while preserving the expertise and control that guardians value. Especially in property management companies, financial data tracking and management is crucial for smooth daily operations. Revela’s philosophy of foundation-first accounting serves the unique needs of property managers. Teams experience the benefits directly and former guardians become champions who help onboard new team members into collaborative systematic operations.