PARADIGM HOUSING DELIVERS DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION WITH LANSA
Paradigm Housing Group is a leading provider of affordable housing in England. Paradigm owns and manages over 14,000 properties and provides a wide range of housing and support services throughout the South, East Midlands and London.
With a development team of only two and using LANSA’s low-code development platform, Paradigm has delivered all its IT systems, including its mobile field service solution, customer web portal, document management solution, CRM, core housing management and financial systems.
“The real beauty for Paradigm is that LANSA has kept ahead of the technology curve, so that we have always been able to take advantage of emerging technologies, while still using a single skillset. This meant we could efficiently build and maintain our corporate IT systems, provide seamless integration with third-parties, as well as deliver feature-rich, responsive web portals for both our tenants and other stakeholders,” says Mike Silk, Head of IT at Paradigm.
LANSA has kept ahead of the technology curve, so that we have always been able to take advantage of emerging technologies.
Business Need
Paradigm’s strategy is a digital first approach, wherever possible and appropriate. Paradigm was therefore looking to deliver a customer self-service portal and a mobile workforce solution, as part of a broader digital transformation drive towards a better customer experience and efficiency improvements.
Silk explains “To deliver the cost savings and efficiencies promised by digital transformation, both solutions had to be end-to-end. Relying on email communication to plug gaps between systems would significantly degrade the benefits. We needed to break down silos and streamline processes between ourselves, our customers and our supply-chain partners.”
We needed to break down silos and streamline processes between ourselves, our customers and our partners.
IT Overview
Originally selected to improve developer productivity and to provide cross platform deployment flexibility, Paradigm was already using the LANSA low-code development platform for its back -office housing management system (see case study of 2006).
Given LANSA’s responsive web and mobile development capabilities, Silk opted to use the same single toolset for the new portal and mobile applications. Utilizing the same L ANSA skillset meant he could use the same small team of two developers who also maintain the back-office system.
The customer portal was built in 20 days. It allows customers to review their account balances, pay rent (through integration with Capita’s payment system), request repairs and provide feedback. The portal makes use of LANSA’s responsive design capabilities and presents properly regardless of the many device types and browsers customers are using.
The mobile field service solution, was built in 15 days. It delivers fully optimized job schedules to 100 field service engineers – plumbers, electricians and other trades – on their mobile devices. They can log work executed, either online or offline.
The mobile solution integrates with Paradigm’s back-office system and customer portal. Other integrations are with third party text messaging, bank account verification and post code look-up systems, and with an out-of- hours support system run by Mears. All integration points are handled through LANSA.
On mobile development in general, Silk comments “I’ve tried lots of low-code dev tools for mobile. They are fine for simple apps, but if you want to build anything reasonably complex, they tend to fall apart. Very soon you have to drop out of the tool and start coding. With LANSA we could do it all with one skillset. Also, LANSA offline is invaluable.”
We could do all mobile development with one LANSA low-code skillset. Also, LANSA offline is invaluable.
The Benefits
As both a charity and social housing provider, Paradigm continuously challenges itself to provide more value for less money. Being able to deliver solutions in a very short time is critical. It drives efficiencies and allows Paradigm to re-invest in more homes for more people.
By choosing to build in-house using LANSA’s low-code development platform, Paradigm has been able to create the specific business applications it needs at a fraction of the time and cost of using packaged applications, or of building with traditional development methods.
Requiring only two developers, Paradigm’s IT team has delivered back office, mobile and web based applications without the need to master the many skills such projects would normally demand. Commenting on the technology choice, Silk said “LANSA insulates us from changing technologies and lets us focus on the business need. Rather than having silos of technology experts in the IT team, with LANSA we have all-round solution experts.”
LANSA insulates us from changing technologies and lets us focus on the business need.
Company and System Information
- Paradigm is one of the UK’s leading social housing providers in the South East region of the country, managing over 14,000 homes across 33 local authorities. Headquartered in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire and employing over 450 people. Paradigm is both a charity and registered social housing provider.
- For more information visit: www.paradigmhousing.co.uk
- Paradigm’s IT team of two developers, a network administrator, an operations manager and two help desk staff does all systems development, maintenance and support. The LANSA system contains approximately 400 files, 4,000 fields and 1,000 components.
