Small Fish

If you do the X / Bluesky thing, follow me at @HousingITguy or LinkedIn here https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy

Most folk know I work a lot with some of the big beasts out there, you know the A2 Dominions, London Borough of Hackney, Fife Council, Cardiff City as well as growing AHB’s over in the Emerald Isle such as Cooperative Housing Ireland and Cluid.

However, I also go out of my way to engage with smaller providers, charities, Almshouses and landlords offering support and homes under a license, rather than an assured/secure tenancy. I believe everyone needs cost efficient ICT solutions and systems in the SocialHousing sector to help them serve their residents better and be pretty efficient at it. Much to the disdain of my accountant (also named Tony), I offer much reduced rates to smaller organisations, as often cost can be a barrier. Recent Critical Friend projects have included a 34 home charity in Staffordshire and Cyrenians in Coventry’s (newly trendy) Far Gosford Street, migrating fast and effectively from Paloma WRAPP.

My personal experience of the ‘small fish’ is very positive. Recently the regulator in England has been looking at if TSM’s (Tenant Satisfaction Measures) could or should be extended to ‘The Smalls’. Some of the insights that have come out of the voluntary pilot include how there may be challenges with data and its quality/variety collected, also the extra effort needed. Pilot participants were very positive and submitted results collected over 13,000 surveys and owned over 30,000 homes. 

Certainly, the Smalls seemed to collect way more of the TSM data in face to face situations:

Statistical accuracy was an issue, reflecting less developed and accurate systems. As can be seen below:

IT and systems capability looks to be in need of improvement and this would certainly improve collection of data and aid management insights too. Better and more modern solutions for the Smalls also will enable improvement in the resident satisfaction experience, something the TSM’s hope to drive. 

Feel free to reach out if your organisation manages under a thousand homes, happy to chat on a Teams call or IRL.

Full details on the Smalls TSM trial findings can be found here.

Multiple councils are expected to merge, how best to manage bringing systems together?

Get in touch , I will drop in for a brew & bring the Chocky Hobnobs ☕

       Related Post: Can some products or suppliers survive losing founders or key people?

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I would be pleased to connect with you on LinkedIn - http://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy Message me with any issues or queries, you would like to be explored in this blog. We generally receive a couple of suggestions each month.

Porcupine Tree - Small Fish

(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854-655009


Access a quick list of our Social Housing ICT blog posts here

Could we help you or your organisation? Our contact details are here , get in touch we will be pleased to chat about your problems and help with your organisation issues.

File Under: #HomesForBritain,#HousingDAY,#InternetOfTenants,#Shout,#UKHousing, 07854655009, 1st Touch,1stTouch,360,365Agile,3squared,4Js, ACL,ALMO,AMS,AX,Aareon,Abritas,Academy,Accuserv,Accuserve,Active Housing,ActiveH,ActiveF,ActiveFinance,ActiveHousing,Acutence,Advanced,Affinity,Aidenn,Agile,Agile365,AHB,AirWatch,Alscient,Alfresco,Alignment,Allpay,Amazon Web Services,Anite,Apex,App,ArchHouse,Archouse,Asprey e-state pro,Asset Management,Associates,Aurora,Average IT Costs,AWI SX Integration Toolkit,AWS, BI,BO,BPR,BancTec,BigChange,Blockwise,BluTek,Bluebox,Blueprint,BrikHousing,Browser Applications,BC, Business Central, Business Objects,Business Planning,Business Process Review,Business social networking, CACI,Capita One Housing,CBL,CCS IT Keystone CCSIT,CEDRM,CHICS,CHR,CIH,CMS,COA,CORE,CPL,CRM,CRM2013,CRS,CTI,CTX,Cadcorp,Capita,CapitaOne,Capita One,Capital Management,Cashflow,Castle,Castleton,Castleton Technology,Cedar Open Accounts,Cerrus,Change,Charges,Chartered Institute Of 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. . . . . . . . . . . . ES | FR | DE | IT | UK |

UHF

If you do the Twitter thing, follow me at @HousingITguy
or LinkedIn here https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy


I’ve blogged a number of times about IOT and its potential in SocialHousing. However, I’ll be frank, I am constantly disappointed with the attitude of the sector, towards getting much practical done.

I am always surprised by the innovator suppliers and social housing organisations, pushing tech forward and I pride myself in getting deeper involved with such organisations. It’s part of the spice that gets me out of bed each morning, as folks who know me will testify.

It was while doing some work in deepest beautiful Cymru, I came across a brilliant IOT project that I think is breaking beyond some of the perceived limitations, of cost, security, acceptability (from residents) and connectivity. The last of those often seems to be a common blocker. The solution might be to rethink the bandwidth and retune.

If you are of a certain age, you will remember Radio Luxembourg. A great deal after 10pm of my mis-spent youth included John Peel, Piccadilly Radio 261 and Luxembourg medium wave 208 (fading in and out as it inevitably did). Its gone a bit under the radar, but a recent reorganisation of these frequencies, opens up so many more IOT opportunities.

Mid Wales HA have leveraged a UHF LoRaWAN Gateway, at a cost of around £500, to solve the comms piece of the jigsaw, each gateway handling 65,000 nodes. For you techies, that’s UHF ISM band 868mhz (EU). Keeping within the EU 1% duty cycle. 

So far so good, what about the sensors, the eyes, ears and noises of the IOT operation? Well, Mid Wales spent around £45 per sensor, covering temperature and humidity. These are Elsys ERS-Lite ( https://www.elsys.se/en/ers/ ) logging at 60 minute intervals into TTN (The Things Network), each with a battery life of 10-15 years, at a 60 minute spread factor 7, which is low power.

The IOT sensors at Mid-Wales HA went mostly into void properties remaining once a new tenant moves in. This is a brilliant way to introduce IOT and clearly helps allay data issues. Used and applied properly, IOT should be a benefit to residents, not a ruse to collect data with no defined purpose. The key here is to manage the asset better, add value to residents and perhaps add value around energy usage or report repair issues faster.

Mid Wales are based in lovely Newtown, in the Severn valley and their aerial on the roof of their head office, covers 20km radius and line of sight record of up to 700km. That is a possible game changer.

Collecting data is the first challenge, using it effectively and distinguishing ambient and exceptional conditions, is another matter. Sensor data from TTN is integrated into MyDevices Cayenne dashboard. ( https://developers.mydevices.com/cayenne/features/ ) Dean Marsh in IT at Mid Wales, has also been working with Capita to integrate the data directly into their Capita integrated housing management system. This all depends on the setting of triggers and alerts when values pass thresholds.

Clearly, the success and practical application of IOT in Social Housing, will rely on better integration into the key housing management systems out there. Capita and Northgate in particular I have seen are taking steps in the right direction. All suppliers need to be taking IOT seriously and providing practical interfaces, to support the sector going forward. I would be pleased to see more roadmaps turning into real product interfaces, adding to the real lives of residents and improving communities.

Mid Wales HA are doing some fantastic things here and setting a fantastic example to so many other socialhousing providers, who perhaps have more convenient terrain or connectivity and could be doing so much more, around better maintaining and protecting assets. I hope this blogpost spurs more organisations on to make IOT happen. Many thanks to Dean in ICT for sharing 👍

C’mon everyone, its happening in Wales, rest of the UK, catch up won’t you?

Related Post: Is Social Housing generally taking IOT seriously?  
 

Catch the blog monthly archive at https://soundcloud.com/housingitguy/

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I would be pleased to connect with you on LinkedIn - http://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy Message me with any issues or queries, you would like to be explored in this blog. We generally receive a couple of suggestions each month.

UHF – Bill Nelson.
(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854-655009


Access a quick list of our Social Housing ICT blog posts here

Could we help you or your organisation? Our contact details are here , get in touch we will be pleased to chat about your problems and help with your organisation issues.
File Under: #HomesForBritain,#HousingDAY,#InternetOfTenants,#Shout,#UKHousing, 07854655009, 1st Touch,1stTouch,360,365Agile,3squared,4Js, ACL,ALMO,AMS,AX,Aareon,Abritas,Academy,Accuserv,Accuserve,Active Housing,ActiveH,ActiveHousing,Acutence,Advanced,Agile,Agile365,AirWatch,Alignment,Allpay,Amazon Web Services,Anite,Apex,App,ArchHouse,Archouse,Asprey e-state pro,Asset Management,Associates,Aurora,Average IT Costs,AWI SX Integration Toolkit,AWS, BI,BO,BPR,BancTec,BigChange,Blockwise,BluTek,Bluebox,Blueprint,Browser Applications,Business Objects,Business Planning,Business Process Review,Business social networking, CACI,Capita One Housing,CBL,CCS IT Keystone CCSIT,CHICS,CHR,CIH,CMS,COA,CORE,CPL,CRM,CRM2013,CRS,CTI,CTX,Cadcorp,Capita,CapitaOne,Capita One,Capital Management,Cashflow,Castle,Castleton,Castleton Technology,Cedar Open Accounts,Cerrus,Change,Charges,Chartered Institute Of Housing,Cheaper Housing IT,Chics, Citrix,Civica,Civica CTX,Civica Cx,Civica Genero,Civica Saffron,Clearview,Clik,Cloud Dialogs,CloudDialogs,Coactiva,Codeman,Comino,Commontime,Community Reward Services,Company,Competitive Dialogue process,Component Accounting,Consilium,Consolidation, Consultancy,Consultant,Consultants,Contact Manager,Context,Contractor Systems,CorVu,Cost Reductions,Covalent,Crystal Reports,Customer Relationship Management,Cx, DRS,Deeplake,Designer Software,Development Systems,Director,Document,Documotive,Dynamic AI,DynamicAI,Dynamics 365, ECMK,EDM,EDRMS,ERP,ESRI,Elmhurst,Enghouse Interactive,England,English,EnterpriseBI,Estatecraft,Etive,Exhibition,Exponential-e, Facebook,Factorwise,Field Service management,Finance,Financial Systems,Financials,Footprint,Forms,Freezes,Fusion, Gas Tag,G-Cloud,GCloud,GDPR,GGP,GIS,GasTag,Genero,GeoSolveIT,Getting best from,GoTonySmith,Grasp,Grip,Group Apex, HFI (Housing Financials interface),HG,HRA,Hardware,Hitachi Systems,Hitex,HomeMaster,Hometeam,HouSys,House,Housemark,Housemark survey,Housing,Housing Contact,Housing Group,Housing Insight,Housing Management,Housing Management Consultant,Housing Partners,Housing Portfolio Management System,Hub Asset Management, Housing Support Pro,HousingIT,HousingSupportPro,HyperOptic, IMS,IT,IT Budget,IT Training,ITIL,Impact Response,In,In4,In4Systems Promaster,InfoBoss,InHouse,InMotion,InMotion2015,InMotion2016,InfoBoss,Infoflow,Information,Information Technology,Information@Work components,Informix,Innovation, Informetis,Inphase,Inside Housing,Insight,Internet Portal,Internetalia,Invu,Ireland,Irish,itLab, Keyfax,Keylogic,Keypera,Keystone,Kirona,Kypera, Landlord,Ledgers,Linkedin,Liquid,Locality,Localz, M3,MAVIS,MD,MDM,MI,MIS,MIS-AMS,MISCS,MRI,MS Dynamics,MS Dynamics CRM2011,MWL,Management,Management Server,Manifest,Measuring,Mebus,Microsoft Dynamics 365,Microsoft dynamics GP 2013,Miracle,MobileIron,Mobysoft,Monopoly board images and pictures,Montal,Mr Void,MriEngage,MrVoid, NDL,NINTEX,NINTEX workflow,NPS,NPS ASSIST,NPS Housing,NPS Job Manager Mobile,NROSH,Natural,Neighbourhoods and Communities,Nintexworkflow,Northgate,Northgate Codeman,Northgate Public Services,Notice, OA,OGC Buying Solutions,OJEU Limits,ORS,Ohms,OmFax,Omniledger,One,OneAdvanced,OneServe,Open source,OpenContractor,OpenHousing,Opti-time,Options,Optitime,Oracle,Orchard,Outsource and outsourcing,OutSystems, PIMMS,PIMSS Data,PM,PRINCE2,Paloma,Pamwin,PanConnect,People Value,Peoplevalue,PfH,Pick,PlanForm,Planned maintenance,Plus,Portfolio Management System,PowerObjects,Pro,Pro-Points,Prodo,Progress,Promaster,Propoints,Proval,Providers,Pyramid, QL,QuantSpark,Qube,QLX,Qlikview,QueryView,Queryview reporting,Quiss, RM865,ROCC,RPs,RSL,Rave,ReAct,Reality,RedkiteCRM,Red Olive,Registered,Registered Social,Rent Increase,RentSense,RentSenseLite,Repairfinder,Reporting,Reports,RobotAutomation,Rocket, Salesforce,Salesforce.Org,SAP,SASSHA,SDM,SHBVN,SM,SOTI,SP,SQL,SQL Open Housing,SQL Reporting,SQL Server,Saffron,Safron,Saturn,Scenario,Scotland,Scots,Scottish,Scout,Sequoa,Serengeti,Serros,Server,Service,Services,Servitor,Sharepoint,Sim,SimPro, Simdel,Simdell,Slash and Burn,Social Housing ICT,Social Housing Software Applications,Social Media,Software,Software solutions,Spotlight Service,Spotlightservice,Star rating,Stores and Stock,Strategic,SunAccounts,Sunguard,Surveys, Swordfish,Sx3,Symatrix Human,System alignment,Systems,Systemwise, T-Files,TEAMS,TED,TFiles,TP Tracker,TSG,Tagish Casework,Tagra,Task,Technologies (India) PVT Limited,Telecetera,Template,Terminal Services,That,Three Star,Today,Tony Smith,Tony Smith That Housing IT Guy,TonySmith that housing IT,TonySmithHou,TonySmithHousing, ,TonySmithHousingITguy,Total,Total Mobile,Totalmobile,Trace,Tribal,Twitter, U2,UC,UK,UK Housing,Ukhousing,UniClass Enterprise,Unidata,United Kingdom,Universal,Universalcredit,Universe,Unrest, Valueworks,Van Stock,Vantage,Vantage Sentinel,Version,Virtualisation,Visualmetrics,Voice,Voice and data,Voluntas, Wales,Welsh,Wheatley,Windows Server,Workflow and,Work Hub,Works Connect, XML,Xen App,XenApp,Xmbrace, ...
. . . . . . . . . . .

Standing in the Way of Control

If you do the Twitter thing, follow me at @HousingITguy
or LinkedIn here https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy



Anyone who has worked with or knows me, will know my knowledge of Socialhousing sector solutions, goes way beyond just the key HMS or Financial Accounting solutions.

There are many peripheral applications and solutions that fill in the gaps from the ‘usual suspect’ providers, particularly in areas that they have not got into, or not managed to crack just yet. They might never crack them either. Who knows?

This can include dynamic scheduling, predictive analytics, some outsourced services and other areas. No doubt there are some great solutions out there and on occasion I have worked to try to calculate ROI (Return On Investment) for most of the projects I work on. That calculation is essential and without it, governance is weakened in my opinion. Most of the projects I have come to late and are drifting or over-running in cash and time terms, were never properly proceeded by a robust business case, or reasonable ROI calculation.

The same can be said of when we tinker with services. Often I see many bright ideas being introduced in a melee of change. Rarely have defined outcomes been agreed prior, often the means of measurement not considered either. Typically, that might be a faster turnaround of void properties to fill them with new residents, reduce arrears levels, increase income collection, or enhance resident satisfaction.

I am often asked, “We have product X, do you think its worth keeping”?

My reply is often, “Well can the such and such team, prove it makes a difference”?

The answer to that is often, “Well that teams a little bigger now, than before they brought in solution X”! Now, is that an experience you may have had in your organisation?

One excellent way that statisticians will tell you to measure effectiveness, if it’s a drugs trial or an exercise to improve arrears, is the use of a ‘control’ group. These are left alone with the existing process or systems, so an accurate comparison can be made. Both groups will be subject to the same ambient influences, such as free weeks, continued shift to Universal Credit, royal weddings, Christmas or winter cold snaps or summer holiday season. All of these could affect our results if not using a control and falsely lead to incorrect conclusions.

Practical use of a control group, could mean perhaps a new initiative or software application was only applied to half the housing stock/residents, or maybe split between a specific demographic, such as leaseholders or particular repair trades, such as heating or plumbing.

To understand what we are comparing, it can pay dividends, to only introduce a single change or set of changes at once, if practical. This might take marginally longer, but you will have a better understanding of the outcomes of the changes being made, what works or not and to what degree.

Particularly in the case of software or solutions that can be started as a small trial, as they are often to avoid a lengthy procurement process, effectiveness can be more accurately measured and more informed decisions made.

Related Post: If you are a supplier, do your USP's fit on a page or less? Should they? 

Catch the blog monthly archive at https://soundcloud.com/housingitguy/

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

I would be pleased to connect with you on LinkedIn - http://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy Message me with any issues or queries, you would like to be explored in this blog. We generally receive a couple of suggestions each month.

Gossip - standing In The way of Control.
(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854-655009


Access a quick list of our Social Housing ICT blog posts here

Could we help you or your organisation? Our contact details are here , get in touch we will be pleased to chat about your problems and help with your organisation issues.
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software,open tender,OpenHousing,Opti-time,Oracle,Orchard,Optitime DRS,Outsource and outsourcing,OpenContractor,ORS,OneServe, PIMMS Data Systems, Paloma,performance management systems,PfH, Pick,PIMMS,pimms4communities, Planned maintenance,People Value,Plus, Peoplevalue,Portfolio Management System, PM,Progress,Promaster,Proval,Pyramid,PRINCE2,prince,Pamwin,PlanForm, Propoints, Pro-Points,predictive analytics for housing, QL,QLX,Quiss,Qlikview, QueryView,Queryview reporting,Registered Providers,Registered Social Landlord,Rent Increase Freezes,Repairfinder,Reporting,Reports,ROCC,RobotAutomation,Rave Technologies (India) PVT Limited, Rocket,RPs,RSL,Reality,ReAct,reidmark,RM865, Saffron,SAP,Scots, "Social Housing IT",Social Housing ICT, Scottish,Scenario, Scotland,SDM,sector,TonySmithHou,Safron,Server Virtualisation,servicing, Servitor,Sharepoint, Simdel,Simdell,SimPro,Sim Pro,Slash and Burn,Social Media,Software,SQL Open Housing,SQL Reporting Services,SQL reporting services,SQL Server,Star 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Private Universe

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It was very interesting on the 1st May to see how pruned down the Universal Credit (UC) trial has become. Day one of what was going to be a representative test of the new IT and back office systems for six months has been reduced to a very restrictive test in Ashton-Under-Lyne, borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester. To their credit as plucky northerners, they have already thought about internet access for claimants, at libraries and the town hall.

Ashton-U-Lyne you have your 15mins of fame.

Having grown up in social housing in the Glossop area I was familiar with Ashton, long journeys on the (far from express) 236 (formally the no 6) and 237 bus  which passed through it. My first job took me close to Ashton old road too at GEC Higher Openshaw (lovingly called the Go Easy Club). That part of east Manchester had been by-passed from much of the regeneration going on elsewhere. My fathers brother, my uncle Arthur lived there in Pennel street. When my Auntie Gladys died in 1999 their two up, two down terraced house fetched just £8K. So it is an area with some deprivation.

Times have changed though, for the better. My auntie and uncle missed the Commonwealth games at the stadium and its conversion to The Etihad, also the Metrolink extension up to Oldham is trickling wealth eastwards. It’s a place where a new system could be tested as all human life is there. The funny thing is that it’s not actually happening that way.

No more than 300 people will be processed over 6 months on this system. Only straightforward stuff, nothing complicated, single people, no children or dependence, no care responsibilities, no homelessness, everyone must have a bank account and a valid NI number. Almost certainly this will be a resounding success. If it isn’t, the IT development so far has got to be absolute pants. Well no-one is stretching the testing here and just as well, there has been four different directors overseeing the IT development in the last 6 months. I think this reveals what a hot potato this one is. You would think they would be thinking outside the jacket then?

Well seemingly not. This trial will test only the simplest group and only a minuscule number of them. Is this usual IT system testing practice? Not at any company I have ever worked at. The ‘use cases’ I have always worked with have always been the most complex we can devise. You learn quite soon that if you don’t start there, your system designs are guaranteed to fail. 

This £550M IT project has had its challenges, see http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/03/11/universal_credit_project_director_hilary_reynolds_replaced/
There are some interesting links at the bottom of that page too.

The Guardian on day one of the trial had this to say:
If the quality of the spelling on the first page of the universal credit online application offers any insight into the overall readiness for the launch, then it is tempting to speculate that preparations were somewhat rushed.
The first step of the claim form for the government's flagship welfare reform initiative, billed as the biggest change to the benefits system for 60 years, invites people to input a security code, "separating" each word with a space.

Probably more a reflection as to the country that the software was written, maybe Vietnam, India or Russia.

The whole point of a successful pilot is to try the new system in a number of regions (the initial intention) and use that as an opportunity to learn. With the hindsight of experience, I would guess that many of the real-life complex cases that occur have not yet been designed into the system or not yet delivered. Hence the charade of a micro test in Ashton-Under-Lyne. As mentioned, IDS will surely be able to declare this trial a “complete success” in October when it’s planned to be in the can. It’s doubtful though that anything that falls out of the ‘strictly normal’ can be validated in this box ticking exercise.

In my experience when you gloss over detail or problems it bites someone on the bottom before long. It might be an age thing, but I do like this stuff all coming out (or sometimes looking for it) up front, rather than finding it later and having all the stress of that. Failure to do it costs someone money, fills the pockets of consultants and suppliers. This time it will be the taxpayer picking up the bill, not politicians or the DWP, for badly specified, tested or implemented Universal Credit IT.

So it will give me no pleasure to see this fail, as I (and you my friend) are paying for it.


You can link with me on LinkedIn here - uk.linkedin.com/pub/tony-smith-bsc-hons-acih/a/979/351/ It would be great to connect !

Read on to : Life In the hacked Lane

Crowded House - Private Universe.


(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854-655009

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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