Blog: Starting with a Pivot

By Tom Harrison, London Borough of Redbridge, 8 Dec 2022

Starting with a pivot

In Local Digital Fund terms, this is a beta project. Redbridge previously undertook an alpha to establish whether low code tools could improve tenancy management services in better, cheaper ways. You can find the outputs of that work here.

While our alpha was successful and led to Newham and Kingston joining the project, we found ourselves contractually blocked from proceeding with Low Code as planned. This left us concerned, both about delivering value to DLUHC for their investment in us, and worried that we had to come up with a new proposal for the housing teams who’d helped us get to this stage, and remained eager to avoid wholesale re-procurement of the tools that have hindered their service transformation to date.

From Low Code to open source software

Having ruled out the low code approach, we started to reflect on how Hackney has invested in re-platforming their ‘modern tools for housing’. They have invested heavily in open API standards and infrastructure for their housing tools including operations like people management, property management (adding, editing and searching), repairs and temporary accommodation. This may provide a springboard for other councils.

This led us, and DLUHC, to wonder if we could leverage this solid base to create an open set of generic housing tools, which could be re-used across local government in a truly open source and collaborative way.

So we’ve developed a project brief different to that originally funded, and broken it into smaller chunks in order to understand if this proposed pivot is viable. In other words, by pivoting away from Low Code, we need to return briefly to discovery and alpha activities to ensure we use our investment wisely. If collaborating councils and DLUHC are satisfied that there are reusable assets to be developed from the work started at Hackney, we’ll refine our asks of the remainder of the funds, or return them and consider it all part of the ‘fail fast’ learning curve! 

The goals for phase 1

1. Mapping the current architecture and software landscape being used by Redbridge housing teams, including data structures and any integrations that currently exist - alongside understanding the work already done to date to understand user needs and the operating model for Redbridge housing.

2. Analysis as to whether the Hackney codebase could provide a viable strategic starting point that could be both integrated successfully into Redbridge’s current architecture but also scale to provide a route to move away from the current Northgate solution over time.

3. Explore and document the delivery models, product strategy and investment required to move into delivery at scale, supporting the needs of Redbridge and other councils with similar needs looking to collaborate on alternative solutions to the current market offer and use open source products as a method to reduce vendor lock-in.

Phase 1 roadmap 

Here’s how we’re approaching these goals.

You can also hear Redbridge project lead, Tom Harrison, introduce the project goals, and organisation design lead, Alex Leslie, talk through the delivery roadmap in this video from our kick off meeting:

How to get involved

If you’re interested in following this project and learning with us, you can join our phase 1 show and tell using this link, or join the channel on LocalGov Digital Slack.