A brief history of Plan Heaven
Plan Heaven is a company that builds and maintains long-term maintenance plans (LTMPs).
Because that's all we do, we have to be very good at it.
To achieve the goal of providing the best possible LTMPs, in 2014 we took a step back, threw out everything we thought we knew and started again.
By being completely honest, we quickly realised that the traditional method of preparing LTMPs was too costly. In addition, the plan building industry - including ourselves - was often building plans that were ineffective, irrelevant, difficult to understand, even more difficult to update, non-compliant or a combination of all the above.
We created a cloud-based solution - or Software as a Service (SaaS)
We decided that the first thing we needed was a cloud-based template or app that would allow the plan to be created and easily updated from anywhere, at any time, by anyone.
Also, by developing and storing our plans in the cloud, it would allow them to be living documents that are easy to update. It would also make it easier to hand over the data to the actual owners - the Bodies Corporate - at any time.
It took longer than we planned but in August 2015 Version 1.0 of the Plan Heaven cloud-based app was launched.
The layout
Now, because the layout of our plans is hard-coded - with only the content able to be edited - the structure, layout and flow become important. We need to allow people with all levels of reading ability - and comprehension of the English language - to follow the document and hopefully agree with its conclusions.
Since the launch in 2015, the template has been altered a few times based on feedback, but we are confident that now our plans flow nicely and the structure is easy to follow.
Anyone can build a plan - anywhere
With a cloud-based app, we also realised that we could allow anyone to build their own LTMP in the knowledge that - providing they complete all of the available fields - the user would be able to prepare and print a readable and compliant document.
We were also aware, however, that most people didn't want to build their own plans. Instead, they wanted us to set up and maintain them. That's fine and we use contract planners who work from home and can be based anywhere in New Zealand.
But the option for people to build their own plans is still available.
The language used in our LTMPs
Long-term maintenance plans are (or should be) simple documents. We're not writing a level 3 Property Studies assignment and trying to impress a university professor. We are creating documents that every owner needs to understand and the majority agree with.
So while our planners are all technically qualified, they are encouraged to use plain English and limit the use of technical terms and jargon.
But our planners are also trained to understand Bodies Corporate.
Understanding Bodies Corporate
It does help that the founder of Plan Heaven, John Bradley, had owned and operated his own Body Corporate Management Company.
Anyone who has sat through Body Corporate AGMs will know that setting of levies is the agenda item that brings the most debate. And within the budgets, the cost of maintenance is second only to insurance premiums and owners need to be comfortable that the work scheduled in their LTMP is a good investment.
And fair enough. But it does mean that in any LTMP, the planned cost of works is explained and the cash flow tables easy to follow.
But of course, also, the recommendations need to be practical. While we want to make sure the building elements are well maintained, nobody wants to waste money.
Summary
At Plan Heaven, we build LTMPs for the owners in a Body Corporate with the full understanding that the plan needs to be a document that is easy to for laypeople to understand and the maintenance scheduled makes sense.
After that, it needs to be easily updated and at a reasonable cost.
It is our goal that Plan Heaven is a low cost and permanent long-term maintenance planning solution that is popular with Bodies Corporate of all shapes and sizes.
Update March 2023
After about three months of work, at the beginning of 2023 we are pleased to have released version 7. The updates include linking jobs to elements, the ability to create lower-cost Compact Plans and Rolling Subscriptions and the addition of an AGM pack that provides key information and alerts for BC Managers in the weeks between the BCs financial year end and AGM.
The online management of Health and Safety plans, LTMPs for Schools, Government Buildings and other property owners were added with version updates during 2022.
Prepared by
John Bradley MBA Dip Dairy Tech
Building Surveyor. Owner and founder of Plan Heaven Ltd.
The latest release of the Plan Heaven app V7.1 19 March 2023