Housing associations can be divided into three levels when it comes to maturity in data-driven working, Johan begins the conversation: "First of all, you have associations that are still in the early stages. They use reports here and there, but there is little to no standardization, which leads to problems. The second level comprises the majority of organizations: there is standardization and governance. This is the target level for virtually every corporation. Then there is a small elite group of organizations that use predictive analytics and AI agents, for example. I often hear that corporations have the ambition to achieve this, but a solid foundation is essential for that."

Smaller corporations

There are many differences within the sector in terms of how far corporations have progressed. "What we often see is that smaller corporations tend to have their affairs in order. This is logical: they are smaller organizations, which means fewer people need to be brought up to speed with the new way of working. Incidentally, almost all corporations are in the second category or are on their way there. And despite all their ambitions, in practice I still see few organizations that can be placed entirely in the highest category."

Rabbit hole

There is often a gap between where corporations think they are and where they actually are, Johan continues: "That is, of course, very human. You may have been working with data-driven methods for a few years, purchased IT solutions for this purpose, and invested a lot of time in it. But when you dive deeper into the subject matter, you discover what is still missing. You realize that the rabbit hole is a lot deeper than you thought. A good example of this is data reliability. This is essential for data-driven working and the use of AI, for example. In recent years, more and more legislation has been introduced in this area, and corporations are increasingly working to get a grip on it. But the more you work on it, the more you discover what still needs to be done. For example, I believe that data auditors will eventually be hired in the sector, as is already the case for financial data. This will create the next level of objective control and give corporations a better picture of the state of affairs."

Maturity Scan

To help corporations gain this insight, Valid has developed a Maturity Scan for data-driven housing corporations. Johan: "In this sector, it is extremely important that every euro is spent as efficiently as possible. That makes it logical to opt for standardization and to learn from the processes that others have already implemented. Not only in terms of technology, but also in terms of how to organize the organization in order to be able to work in a data-driven way."

Our Maturity Scan examines various areas of your operations and assesses your level of data maturity. The scan is based on CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) and categorizes organizations at different levels: from a situation where nothing has been documented or standardized to a corporation that has done so and is capable of making predictive decisions. At Valid, we conduct interviews to complete the scan. We then provide independent advice on the approach and possible roadmap, which we can of course help corporations with. This creates a starting point from which corporations can take steps towards further and efficient improvement of data-driven working."

Work culture

Among other things, this means a new work culture, explains Johan: "Data-driven working is not a large project that you complete and then it's done; it is a continuous process that requires more than just a new system. Many processes that we see in practice focus heavily on data and technology. Only a small part focuses on the organization. The problem is that data-driven working then quickly gets stuck with a group of specialists, while it actually requires a cultural change throughout the entire organization: from management to the shop floor. That means you also have to get the people who say 'we've been doing this for years' on board, be open about what is changing and why, and have a discussion based on facts. Only then will data-driven working become something that involves the organization as a whole, rather than a separate project or a dashboard in the background."

Sustainable data-driven working

When asked what the end goal looks like, Johan concludes: "Once your corporation has reached a good level of maturity in data-driven working, it becomes a continuous process. What does that look like? Standard matters are no longer specifically designated as actions to be taken, you are compliant with laws and regulations, and employees are brought along with the new way of working. Of course, you can always specialize and expand, but there is a good foundation to work with. For me, that is essential for sustainable data-driven working."

This article was reprinted from CorporatieGids.nl. The original publication can be found here.

About Johan Saton

Johan Saton, Senior Data Management Consultant at Valid. With extensive experience and in-depth expertise in data modeling, data governance, data quality, and data strategy, he helps organizations strengthen their data foundation and unlock valuable insights. He always takes a pragmatic approach and helps businesses take the lead in their data management programs and projects. Johan knows how to translate complex data issues into clear, workable solutions.