Xledger and Kingdom Group: Practical Conversations about System Implementation

Project overview

Diane Rennie opened the conversation by sharing the problems the group wished to solve through finance transformation, as well as the non-negotiable features of the group’s new finance software.

“We were using an old system that was no longer fit for purpose and required lots of manual intervention,” Diane said. “We even had members of our team who were younger than the system we used, so that was a huge indicator for change. We also wanted to solve the problem of integrations, solve inefficiencies, and support the whole organisation to manage their own finances.”

Diane then outlined Kingdom Group’s non-negotiables when selecting a new finance system:

1. Customisable flexible reporting that supported the whole organisation, not just finance, enabling the business to understand finances better and make agile, real-time decisions,
2. Seamless integrations between the finance system and the housing management system,
3. Automated bank reconciliation for accurate and timely cash flow control,
4. Automated fixed asset depreciation to ensure efficient management of the group’s 7,500 units.

David then led the discussion and posed questions to Diane and Neil that focused on key learnings, change management, and how to balance project delivery with business-as-usual (BAU).

Key learning: Change management underpins everything

For a key learning, Diane emphasised the change that the project demanded: “I was surprised that those in Kingdom Group who were advocating for the change sometimes found it difficult to accept the change.”

Neil echoed this sentiment, noting that it’s often easier to theorise change than experience it. Often, staff who can’t visualise change are labelled as reluctant to it, but this isn’t always the case. Instead, staff may not be used to navigating change, so they need support to understand how change will work, affect their jobs, and rework familiar processes.

The panel made it clear that, although gaining staff buy-in is key to effective change management, getting the right people in the room is more important than getting everyone in the room. “Early project meetings were successful,” Neil added, “because project objectives were clear, responsibilities were understood, and deliverables were articulated.”

Diane also noted that Kingdom Group’s project team had to consciously avoid the desire to make old processes fit new technology. It’s easy to fall into the trap of retrofitting processes; however, organisations that document old processes and work out how they can be streamlined in new technology are more likely to achieve digital modernisation.

Key learning: Balancing BAU and project delivery

Diane admitted that the Kingdom Group team didn’t fully recognise the extent to which the project was an addition to BAU, and not a replacement, until the project was underway. “BAU had to continue, and so did the project,” she added.

Mapping out BAU obligations is also key to balancing project delivery and daily tasks. Diane recognised that mapping out the layers of work behind quarterly management accounts and budget-setting processes helped drive BAU and project momentum. She also noted that, if organisations bring in a specialist resource to help with data analysis, for example, it’s important to empower them to say no to BAU demands. Again, outlining clear roles and responsibilities supports this situation.

After the panel’s responses, David offered key advice for post go-live delivery: “The project doesn’t finish when it closes, and that’s the point of digital transformation. It’s a continuous development process of asking, ‘How has our organisation changed?’ and ‘How can the system be configured to support that change?’”

Key learning: Honest communication is key

Diane highlighted the importance of staff involvement and buy-in. “This isn’t just a finance project,” she explained. “It affects the wider business through integrations, data, and information access.”

“Having shared outcomes is key, internally, and with your software provider. We have a great relationship with Xledger. The project will test your relationship, but a tested relationship is always stronger. We enjoy working with the team, and that’s because we’ve had shared goals that we’ve achieved together.”

Neil agreed, stating that robust conversations help the partnership to grow. He continued, “Xledger has an obligation to get the best out of the system for our customers, and having honest and open conversations about what that looks like ensures expectations are managed. There were strong voices on the Kingdom Group project team that knew what they wanted and, as long as there’s authenticity and clarity behind those requirements, you’ll get to the right outcome.”

Both Neil’s and Diane’s key learnings can be summarised into the following four ideas:

1. Clear problems and a well-structured team will almost always result in successful project delivery,
2. Outlining roles and responsibilities is key to keeping the project focused,
3. In-depth training ensures staff understand how the system works for them,
4. Managing change and user expectations is vital to staff buy-in.

What tangible benefits have you seen from the project?

When asked if Kingdom Group has seen any tangible benefits from the project, Diane responded positively, remarking that the whole business is now fully engaged with system adoption, rather than being a recipient of the project itself.

“We’re starting to see the business self-serve information, which is great. And we’re all looking forward to experiencing a whole financial year with the system, where we can see how our decision-making is transformed even further through real-time reporting.”

Looking ahead, Diane added that Kingdom Group is excited to continue strengthening its integrations and utilising the artificial intelligence (AI) functionality in the system.

Advice for other housing associations

“It’s an exciting journey”, Diane explained. “Yes, there will be tough moments, but it’ll be a good, worthwhile journey.”

Diane offered some closing advice to fellow housing associations undertaking a finance transformation:

• Plan out the project and allocate time for BAU
• Think about how the specialist resource fits into the project, and their additional tasks
• Consider your project advocates: Who will promote the new ways of working and get behind finance to support them to do that?

Neil’s advice followed a similar vein, adding that post go-live objectives are equally as important as implementation objectives:

• Get the roles, responsibilities, and resources aligned, and the rewards will follow,
• A clear and structured post go-live plan is crucial for continuous development,
• Authenticity defines project outcomes, and good communication and honest feedback build long-lasting partnerships.

Finance implementation projects thrive on honest, open conversations and clear objectives. Organisations that can foster these throughout the project and into post go-live set themselves up for success.

Through robust digital strategy and structured project objectives, Kingdom undertook a successful finance software implementation. We’re excited to continue strengthening our partnership with Kingdom Group, ensuring that their financial solution supports them in achieving their community mission.

Book your free demo with Xledger’s experts to begin migrating to future-proof finance management software today.