Customer story
Look Ahead: a new way to think about a specialist portfolio
For a specialist supported-housing provider with 50 years of experience, AspireBI has changed how the asset team thinks about its portfolio, backed by exceptional support from the Asprey delivery team.
Operational asset management and planned works
Live since October 2024
AspireBI
Selected November 2024
Background
A specialist provider with a portfolio unlike anyone else’s
Founded in 1973 to provide good-quality, affordable accommodation to single people on low incomes, Look Ahead has supported people for over 50 years. Look Ahead offers high-quality care, support and housing, and is a specialist in delivering mental health, learning disability and young people’s services across London and the South East.
Look Ahead’s operational and strategic asset management systems were outdated, fragmented, and heavily reliant on manual processes.
Inconsistent and inaccurate data. Leading to unreliable forecasting and works planning. Reliance on spreadsheets for data management had created inefficiencies.
Separate systems. A separate, cumbersome system for cyclical decoration data, which made it difficult to align with the overall asset management strategy.
Visibility. Over-reliance on individual staff members for access to key data, hindering wider team visibility and the ability for staff to self-serve.
Complexity. Complex and time-consuming processes that involved pulling together data from multiple sources, creating delays and increasing the potential for error.
What needed to change
- Improve data. Improve data accuracy and accessibility for better reporting, forecasting and scenario planning.
- Create time. Free up time for the asset management team by automating manual processes, allowing more focus time on strategy and planning.
- Ensure effectiveness. Consolidate asset data to ensure alignment with asset management strategy. Plus, grouping work packages more effectively to ensure value for money.
- Enable visibility. Enable greater visibility for asset data across teams, ensuring greater oversight and accountability.
Solution
Asprey Assets, then AspireBI: implemented hand-in-hand with Look Ahead’s team
We announced Look Ahead’s choice of Asprey Assets in March 2023. Our consultants conducted a comprehensive analysis of their existing data and worked closely with the Look Ahead team to ensure that data for onward use was as complete and accurate as possible.
The system, which covers operational asset management and planned works management, went live in October 2024.
Strategic asset management
With the operational asset management system in place, Look Ahead turned its focus to achieving long-term strategic goals.
To further enhance its strategic asset management capabilities, Look Ahead selected Asprey’s AspireBI solution in November 2024. AspireBI is designed to support data-driven investment decision-making, to improve the long-term management and value of Look Ahead’s property portfolio.
In July 2025 we announced that AspireBI was being implemented, with the aim of streamlining strategic asset management and providing deeper insight into future opportunities.
- Maximising the efficiency of its assets, ensuring optimal use and value over time.
- Making informed decisions about investment in assets, with a focus on cost-effectiveness.
- Exploring alternatives such as asset disposal or transfer when necessary.
- Rationalising its operating areas to improve management efficiency.
- Identifying new acquisition opportunities within core operating areas to expand its service offerings.
- Gaining a deeper understanding of customer segments and needs to tailor asset management services accordingly.
Outcomes
The new operational asset management system brought immediate benefits
Improved data quality
Enhanced accuracy and consistency across asset data, ensuring reliable decision-making.
Reduction in administrative burden
Automation of previously manual processes, allowing staff to focus on strategic tasks.
Greater fiscal control
Improved clarity in financial oversight, enabling better budgeting and resource allocation.
Improved audit outcomes
Streamlined processes and more reliable data led to better audit results.
“The support provided by James and the team to get our Aspire BI module implemented has been exceptional, always available with a helping hand. Aspire BI itself, has already changed the way we think about our property portfolio.”