Dec 2023
One workshop. Three innovation projects ready to run.
North Star Housing Association is a social housing provider based in the North East of England. In a sector not known for moving fast, North Star wants to be different. They want to show what innovation and research can actually do for customers.
The challenge most organisations face is the same: plenty of enthusiasm for emerging technology, not enough clarity on where to start or how to make it stick.
We ran an innovation workshop with North Star to bridge that gap. Not a session that fires people up and then fizzles out, but a structured day designed to leave with tangible projects, grounded in real business value.
What did we do?
The day ran in two halves.
In the morning, our sector experts walked through the current landscape, what is happening in adjacent sectors, and the work our research partners are doing. North Star's people then generated ideas for potential projects. Over 100 of them.
Before reconvening, we worked with North Star to validate and filter those ideas down. Then, in the afternoon, everyone split into small groups. Each group took an idea, built a business case, and pitched it back. By the end of the day, three strong projects were ready to take to the wider business.
What came out of it?
Big change often starts with a small, well-chosen step. We found three of them.
- Robotics. How can robotics play a role in the future of care? We are exploring that question with The National Robotarium.
- Safety. How do you verify the identity of someone entering a property, and keep a record of who does? North Star is now working with Amazon Key for Business to find out.
- Property investment. How do you know a boiler is about to fail before it does? Working with CENSIS, Scotland's Innovation Centre for Sensors, we are using smart sensors to investigate predictive maintenance.
What did North Star think?
"The innovation workshops run by Waterstons have created a real buzz with staff across North Star. There is energy and excitement about the projects selected to progress and the difference they could make for customers and staff."
James Walder, Executive Director of Finance and Business Support
"The workshop brought a sense of realisation to people about how effective technology, digital, and data can be. Not just in their day-to-day jobs, but for customers too. One of our managers described it as the best session she has ever been involved in at North Star. It got people who are normally not interested in technology genuinely excited about it."
Sean Lawless, Head of Digital and Data
Want to do the same?
If you want to turn innovation ambition into action, we can help. We will match your goals to the right tools and partners, and scope out projects that are achievable, grounded, and built to deliver real value.