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Over the years I have worked with many asset managers, good and less so, in the provision of planned maintenance and responsive repair services. My experience many years ago with tank container maintenance made me the perfect choice at a software house for ‘working with planned maintenance types’. Or so my manager convinced me at the time. It did lead to many interesting years, working with some fascinating people. (Arent everyone in housing??)
I have read over the years, many articles and opinions about whether housing IT systems are unnecessarily property orientated and if they should alternatively be centred around customers and residents. Recently, even if the traditional housing HMS package can be replaced with a CRM solution has been discussed on forums. CRM stressing the ‘Customer’ and a few of the wrap around ‘Contact Managers’ from some suppliers obviously fitting this view.
I suspect that the death of the HMS is being over-egged, but in my opinion property and residents (or more accurately assets and customers) are two sides of the housing coin. Both need to work in harmony and if an asset management function is working well, it needs to service both of those, by sharing appropriate information. Key areas include sharing of servicing information (when chasing an arrear it might be appropriate to also chase the outstanding gas service) and information on void and letting (for example adaption levels and likelihood of PM works, like kitchen and bathroom refits being required).
Many options are available. The main HMS might contain integrated modules to record asset and attribute information. External third party solutions can be bolted on to the main HMS, such as Keystone, Promaster or Codeman. The success in ‘bolting on’ (or integrating which is the more proper term), generally determines the usefulness of these solutions to the wider housing organisation. In many cases the former solution can provide better integration yet lighter functionality. The last approach is homegrown spreadsheets or an Access database. These can be adapted to local needs, but may be problematical to share or control among other teams in the organisation.
One mistake often made is over complication of what to record, regarding asset or asset attribute information. By the latter I mean component and other information; Kitchens, Bathrooms, Regular Redecs, Gas or Oil Servicing, EPC status etc. It is important to drive the structure of what is stored to cover the minimum needed and no more. Each piece of data must earn its keep as it carries an inherent cost to store and maintain. Draw up a list of what essential return or purpose the information is needed. For example, Key and Non-Key attribute data including condition (poor or otherwise), may be needed for decent homes (or SHQS Scottish Housing Quality Standard).
I have met asset managers & surveyors who have come up through an academic route and can define reams of options for everything, rather than relate it strictly to the stock they manage. IE its unlikely to encounter many thatched roofs in social housing, in city centres. I am also keen on the term asset, not property, as repairs should be able to be attributed to blocks, schemes etc as well as individual dwellings. The practice of logging roof repairs on flat one of a block is not a clever one. Having block, scheme or even bin store asset types available makes this a lot easier. Each need a unique number. Ideally a sequential one, not one composed of segments or additional coding, such as an owning body, area, street, walking order etc. These are all reporting requirements that can change. These are better coded against the asset instead.
Initial asset data can be created from local knowledge, a stock condition survey or from updates from the maintenance programme. It needs to be a living system kept up to date. Where data is stored and not current, staff will lose faith in it very quickly. Housing officers know that uPVC windows are in a certain scheme as they visit it each week, if the repository for asset data reports it as softwood, what else can they not believe?
When other housing staff see inaccuracies, they must have a means to notify the asset manager or asset team to have these issues rectified. Responsible ownership of the data always will benefit the whole organisation.
A last thought to leave you with. It was said to be me once that the good test of your asset system was how long it takes to generate a list in answer to the following question from a resident or applicant: “How many three bed bungalows do you have in the town of X”? Test your asset team and take the stopwatch!
Read On, Who owns Keystone now?
Read On, Who owns Keystone now?
| http://tonysmiththathousingitguy.blogspot.com/2014/05/turn-to-keystone.html |
(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854655009
PS As usual, if there are subjects you might like me to tackle on this blog, please get in touch and let me know!
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