In an era of increasing need for digital solutions that free up value and improve tenant outcomes, new regulatory frameworks (consumer standards, Awaab’s Law et al), critical thinking around traditional vs. disruptive systems, and data and the quest for a single version of the truth, Medway Council’s housing services team has successfully embedded an ITIL-based change board at the core of its decision making.
Risk, benefit & priority
Our ITIL-based governance model has brought a step change at Medway in how we approach systems, service and digital transformation. It has already been effective in managing a wide range of ICT improvement projects, ensuring that they are strategically aligned and assessed for risk, benefit and prioritisation.
This has come at a time of wider organisational change in housing revenue account (HRA) tenant services at Medway, with the recent introduction of an ICT systems and data team operating directly within the service. Our team has a remit for driving service improvement, data-driven decision-making, tenant engagement and a reduction in siloed working. Our change board is very much a flagship practice and statement of intent for continuous improvement.
A cross-housing approach
Through a structured, cross-housing forum approach to the assessment of change requests, with input required from service specialists and senior management decision-makers, we’ve ensured that as we drive this model forward, all decisions will be made with a clear view of organisational priorities, operational impacts, a focus on data and improved tenant outcomes. From CRM developments and data-quality initiatives to repair system upgrades or AI, changes will no longer be siloed, they will be coordinated, strategic and evidence-based.
A key ambition, and one that we’re still refining, has been to monitor the end-to-end life of a change activity, embedding learning and reflective practice in the standard methodology of the board. Every approved change will therefore be tracked through to delivery, with post-implementation reviews capturing lessons and outcomes for the service, reinforcing a culture of openness and continuous improvement.
This practice has helped us to produce board-level evidence of strategic ICT improvements and decision-making. This is essential not only for internal monitoring but also for a range of activities such as tenant engagement, links into other strategic boards and external scrutiny, such as future regulatory inspections.
ITIL-powered housing
By embedding ITIL principles and practices directly into our housing service, this board has already allowed us to make smarter and more transparent decisions, rationalise a large wish-list of long-term ideas and demonstrate how technology investment supports continuous improvement and better outcomes for our housing service and for our tenants.
What’s next? We want to widen the scope and membership of the board to ensure that all housing systems and data projects are considered by this board and aligned with our wider corporate agenda. We will also be introducing a ‘housing ICT and data strategy’ roadmap that will allow us to prioritise the change activities that drive the most value from the various strands of our continuous improvement.
But as the ITIL adage goes, ‘start where you are…’ and keep moving forward.
Pete Fry is the housing ICT systems and data manager for tenant services at Medway Council.
