By Katie Fradley, Product Development Director at Flowlio
The first half of 2024 saw major changes to social housing rolled out, starting with the Regulator of Social Housing’s (RSH) new standards in February 2024, and the landmark Social Housing Regulation Act, which came into effect in April 2024.
These changes applied to all social landlords, including councils and housing associations, and requires them to ensure tenants’ safety in their homes, listen and respond promptly to tenants’ complaints, be accountable to tenants and treat them with fairness and respect, know more about the condition of every home and the needs of those living in them, and collect and use data effectively across a range of areas, including repairs.
In order to hold landlords to account, the RSH advised it would inspect larger landlords regularly, scrutinise data about tenant satisfaction, repairs and other relevant issues, continue to push landlords to protect tenants and address any problems, use a range of tools including new enforcement powers, and continue to focus on the financial viability and governance of housing associations as part of its integrated regulation. This inspection programme began in April and will run in four-year cycles, with action taken against landlords when required.
Combine these regulatory shifts with the Labour government’s ambition to create 1.5 million homes over the next few years, and it would be fair to say local councils and social housing stakeholders will be stretched to new limits.
So what can social landlords, councils and housing associations do to help ensure compliance with the updated regulations while helping to deliver the huge programme of house building? Deploying robust project management software is critical.
How digital project management governance can help ensure compliance with the new consumer standards
Research has shown that 83.8% of projects are not delivered on time or to budget, which at best, results in wasted resources and public funds, and at worst, could now mean non-compliance to the new standards and the repercussions this could bring.
Visibility and document control
Digital project management tools, such as Flowlio, can increase visibility across compliance-focused projects, as relevant data is stored in one place. This allows projects to be easily and efficiently audited, ensuring no aspect of the new consumer standards is overlooked.
Real-time reporting
Automated reporting features can track progress against requirements, enabling timely identification of risks or delays that could lead to non-compliance, and affording the opportunity to correct or address these potential barriers to compliance before they become a problem.
Digitised approval processes
By havingset approval processes within a project management tool, an extra layer of governance is added, ensuring the right people have oversight, are checking key documentation and therefore, reducing or preventing errors entirely.
Accountability
Clear assignment of tasks within digital tools ensures that individual responsibilities are well-defined and traceable, with a detailed audit trail, which is crucial for demonstrating compliance.
Risk management tools
Risk management within project management software can help to identify and mitigate risks related to non-compliance in several ways. This includes the ability to record and track potential risks in one place. For example, if there’s a risk of missing a compliance deadline or failing to meet a regulation, the risk can be documented centrally within the software. This centralisation makes it easier to monitor these risks throughout the project lifecycle and ensures that no potential compliance issues are overlooked.
Furthermore, the use of approval workflows within software can provide additional governance and assurance that compliance activities have been completed. For instance, before a project phase is marked as complete, the necessary approver will be notified to review the work and make specific compliance checks before signing off. This additionally provides an audit trail, creating a clear record of what was done to meet compliance requirements and consequently making it easier to prove compliance to regulators.
The importance of digitalisation to streamline project management processes
As well as the heightened level of compliance facing the social housing sector, the new house building targets are placing unprecedented burdens on operators. As such, driving efficiencies and implementing more streamlined processes has never been more vital, which is where digitalisation is key.
Integration of systems
Digital project management platforms can integrate with other enterprise systems, creating a flow of information that supports compliance efforts and drives efficiencies.
Data-driven decision making
By digitising project management, social housing providers have quick access to data analytics that enables them to make informed decisions, and prioritise projects that are critical to maintaining compliance with the new standards.
Scalability
Digital tools can easily scale to manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring that all areas of compliance are addressed across different sites and operations.
Standardising project management to remain compliant and viable
There are many single points of failure within projects which if not managed, can not only halt a project in its tracks, but could lead to non-compliance of the new regulations and standards.
Social housing providers need to deliver projects successfully to remain well-governed, viable and compliant. A well-delivered project will produce measurable benefits that ultimately improve the customer experience, whilst keeping them safe in their homes.
Flowlio brings a new organisational-wide approach to project delivery. Our platform connects projects, teams and people with technology and knowledge, enabling end-to-end collaborative change to be delivered.
Our framework and software introduce standardised working practices across the board and the governance needed to provide oversight and assurance that projects are prioritised properly and are being delivered effectively. Flowlio ensures alignment with strategic objectives, minimises risk and helps to ensure that the best possible outcomes are delivered.
As an enterprise solution designed for all people involved in delivering change, Flowlio speeds things up through automation and workflows. System-driven alerts embed ownership and accountability, providing early sight of when things may be going wrong and identifying where support might be needed to put things right before it’s too late.
The sector needs a new delivery approach which gives assurance, introduces efficiencies and increases the chances of project success, minimising the risk of waste, and project failure. It needs an approach that supports people to focus on delivering organisational and customer-led benefits, while adhering to the new evolution of the social housing industry.
Recent Comments