A soft systems methodology approach to the improvement of a housing association

Rapid growth in the production of new homes in the United Kingdom (UK) is putting build quality under pressure as evidenced by rising numbers of defects. Housing Associations (HAs) contribute approximately 20% to the UK’s housing supply. HAs however are experiencing challenges of central government funding cuts and rental revenue reductions. Maximising the benefit of learning from defects is recognised as being a key opportunity for HAs to help meet these challenges. This paper reports progress from an on-going action research (AR) project, aimed at better understanding house builders' localised defects analysis procedures and learning processes. The action research is currently co-developing a defects assessment information system with a HA using a soft systems methodology (SSM) approach. The SSM approach aims to develop a deeper understanding of the system of concern to identify feasible and desirable changes with a view to taking action to improve practice. The findings identify a significant mismatch between what the current system should be doing to enable the HA to manage and learn from defects and the real world situation. The mismatch has revealed to the HA that a modification to their information system is necessary to improve performance and enhance learning through live data analysis and reporting. The paper concludes by outlining the recommended system modifications to be adopted by the HA.