Our Achievements

The Association developed a comprehensive Community Initiatives Strategy which set out in detail the criteria for projects. Initiatives had to benefit two of the following groups if they were pursued - the Association's Business Plan targets, a Council Community Strategy or Communities First Targets.

Finally, all work had to enhance at least one of the following:

• customer service
• growth
• surplus
• innovation
• stock condition and
• public image

The inspection identified a number of examples where the Community Initiatives Strategy had resulted in improvements for the Association and local communities, such as the development of an all-weather sports pitch and 10 houses at Guilsfield near Welshpool.

In November 2005 the Association introduced a new performance monitoring system called Metrics. The Metrics system seeks to provide monthly reports analysing the performance of the Association against core indicators required by the Board and senior managers to help them effectively manage the Association's business. It provided a foundation from which performance management could be further developed.

The Metrics report covered three broad areas - Stakeholder, Business Processes and Learning and Growing - and operated on a traffic light system showing green, amber and red performance. Where performance was below target (red indicators), operational managers met monthly to identify the reasons for poor performance and to agree how to manage an improvement in the service.