Cairn Housing Association is using performance management software from Clearview Systems to improve its strategic and operational planning processes. The housing provider implemented Clearview’s strategy and performance suite at the start of 2013, followed by the intelligence and reporting module, with the customer engagement suite scheduled to be added this month.
Fin Smith, head of business improvement, Cairn Housing Association, said, “We implemented Clearview to support our programme of organisational change and improvement because its suite of modules really complements our approach to strategic planning, project management, risk management and performance improvement.
“This approach has brought clarity to the processes involved and greater transparency for all involved by providing ‘a single point of truth’ that we can all agree on and work from. This enables us to be much more targeted in terms of directing our resources towards effective improvements.”
Cairn has since added the Clearview intelligence and reporting module to bring its performance data to life and provide insights into its performance management data. The system has also been extended further to embed and cascade performance data down to the individual appraisals of Cairn’s 240 staff.
Smith said, “The personal performance module pulls the performance measures and tasks from the previous year straight into the appraisal form. We can also monitor the process at every stage to ensure we get maximum participation from all levels during our performance reviews.”
Rory Gaffney, director of business services, Cairn Housing Association, said, “The Clearview customer engagement suite will allow us to consistently capture and monitor all aspects of our customer and community engagement activities, including the social outcomes achieved. This information will provide valuable insight into our communities and help us tailor our services to them.”
A full house for Clearview at Cunninghame Housing
Cunninghame Housing Association has become the first housing provider to adopt the full suite of Cleaview Systems’ performance management modules.
CHA originally implemented Clearview’s strategy and performance suite in 2011, followed by its customer service improvement suite, using data extracted from CHA’s Capita housing management system to drive performance improvement in voids, lettings, repairs and income management.
Allison McColl, director of corporate services, Cunninghame Housing Association, said, “We’re now using the system in ‘real time’ every quarter for our management committee. They have even shown an interest in being able to access and use the system for their own performance.”
Following the successful implementation of these two software suites, CHA decided that it then wanted to manage performance at an individual level. Using Clearview’s personal performance module, this involved linking the strategic and operational goals of the organisation to those of each member of staff.
When it was announced that support for Hummingbird BI-Query was to be withdrawn, CHA needed to find a replacement solution. CHA decided to implement the Clearview Business intelligence and reporting suite to address the need for a single reporting tool across the business.
McColl said, “Our previous reporting system, Hummingbird BI Query only linked to our housing management system, and Open Accounts has its own reporting tool, and Sage HR and Payroll have their own reporting tools; for each system we use, we needed another reporting tool.
“The Clearview system allows us to retrieve data from all of our application databases and display it using powerful graphics in order to streamline and simplify our reporting processes. Ultimately, we will have one system for BI reporting, attached to all databases, with as many end-users trained on it as we need.”
Frank Sweeney, chief executive, Cunninghame Housing Association, said, “Clearview has improved our ability to plan workloads, and has also allowed us to demonstrate compliance and accountability at all levels.”
Clearview across the country
Clearview Systems has also reported that it has recently secured new contracts from customers representing every country in the UK and Eire.
FAS in Eire, Cynon Taf Community Housing Group in Wales, Oaklee Housing Association in Northern Ireland, Cairn Housing Association in Scotland and Wellingborough Homes in England. Each of them has chosen to implement the entire portfolio of Clearview’s solutions. This comprises a strategy and performance suite, a personal performance module for managing appraisals, a business intelligence and reporting suite, and a customer engagement suite.
