In today's uncertain environment, it is essential for management to be fully on top of their organisation's performance so that progress towards goals can be monitored and any corrective action can be taken as quickly as possible. There are numerous risks that have to be understood and managed.
An essential part of managing them is the use of a meaningful set of key performance indicators (KPIs). Indicators are not just seen as driving a set of traffic lights but providing essential insights into recent, current and future performance.
• Are the KPI values increasing or decreasing?
• How do they compare to last year, target or to external benchmarks?
• How do we know if our performance is good, average or poor?
• Even if it is good, is it as good as it could be?
• Can we identify important changes in performance?
Musgrave Analytics have been working with Together Housing Group - a group of Housing Associations across the North of England to provide interactive data visualizations that engage staff and management, while allowing decision makers to run the organisation efficiently and cost-effectively.
We have developed a suite of dashboards in DecisionPoint™ covering all business areas from lettings to repairs, using a set of carefully defined key performance indicators (KPIs). These are based on data stored in a range of formats, including the Aaeron QL housing management system, the Open Accounts financial system, and a range of other data sources for repairs, customer satisfaction and asset management. Using our dashboards, board members and managers alike are able to quickly view the most relevant information in an easy-to-understand format, allowing important decisions to be made in a timely manner and with confidence.
In addition to the tracking of KPIs, we have developed forecasting techniques allowing us to project performance up to 12 months into the future. These forecasts are updated and improved on a monthly basis throughout the financial year as new data becomes available. We have also devised a system of alerts, meaning that decision makers are made aware when the performance of an area changes considerably, and they can act accordingly.
Our case study was recently published by the Housing Quality Network, and distibuted to social housing providers across the UK.