September 2013 - Bron Afon

• Ensuring the revised planning and performance management
framework is informed by a clearer understanding of, and focus on,
outcomes, including a more robust approach to self assessment from
the customer perspective.
• Embedding improvements to ensure the association is easy to contact,
consistently responsive and meets customer needs.
• Implementing an effective strategic approach to diversity, including
tailoring in response to diverse needs measuring fair service delivery
and responding to people preferring to use the Welsh language.
3. Jargon Busting (Board may find this website helpful
http://www.raguide.org/1_1.shtml)
3.1 There is a lot of confusing terminology in this field which isn’t always defined
by those who use it so it is important that we all have a common
understanding of how we use these terms within Bron Afon. Here are some
definitions:
• “Business results” - These are the results that Bron Afon as a whole
and particular services or team within Bron Afon want or need to
achieve from the work that we do. In some cases these business
results overlap with outcomes (see below) but in other cases they don’t.
For example, reducing voids is a pure business result as it saves the
business money. All of the literature on outcome planning makes the
clear distinction between results that the business can control and
“outcomes”. Business results are within our control; outcomes may be
affected by many factors including our actions.
• “Outcomes” – an “outcome” is an improvement in well being for the
targeted individual or group. . An individual outcome could be if
someone got a job. A lot of our work leads to individual outcomes. A
group outcome is that Bron Afon as a business manages to create a
number of new jobs that people can fill. We do this as well. I said that
outcomes may be affected by other factors including our actions. So
we can help people increase their skills and with application forms, but
we cannot guarantee they will get a new job. That depends on many
other factors including their own attitude and behaviour and the choices
made by an employer over which we have no control.
• “Delivery Outcomes” – These are a set of expectations of the
performance standards that Welsh Government publish that are used
by the Regulator to monitor and evaluate housing associations during
the Regulatory assessment and throughout our engagement with them.
As Professor Dave Adamson advised during our recent training, they
are not “outcomes” in the sense I have defined it above.
• “Impact” – I use this phrase to describe the effect of a change.
Sometimes the impact will be that outcomes for tenants have changed
and at other times it will be a change in our business results. For
example, if we carry out a change in approach within the repairs
service we would do it expecting it to achieve an improved business
result.
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