Residence administration simplified at Stora Sköndal

– The new Curbit system saves us time and facilitates the control and follow-up of our tenant administration and billing. The administration and production of billing documentation used to be managed via a multitude of tools and manual processes. Today we can manage the whole process in a single system. Featuring a considerably more user-friendly interface, Curbit also makes it possible for our administrators and managers to carry out most tasks unaided. This saves us valuable time in the finance department, says Niklas Nilsson, Business Controller at Stora Sköndal.

Rigid time-thief now flexible billing machine

Stora Sköndal is a non-profit foundation in Stockholm focussing on health and social care, education and research. Its facilities and operations are mainly located in Sköndal, but they also have operations in Nacka and Vällingby. Stora Sköndal provides elderly and residential care, pre-school supervision and college studies, refugee accommodations, neurological and disabilities rehabilitation. The Foundation is also responsible for The Future of Stora Sköndal initiative, a new urban development concept focussing on sustainability, the environment, sharing economy and shared living.

Before Curbit was implemented, Stora Sköndal used an old custom-built system to manage residence and billing processes. When a vacant residential unit is let to a new resident, a lease agreement has to be signed with both the tenant and the local authority responsible for the arrangement. The new resident is then registered in the system, billing routines set up and the relevant documentation produced for monthly billings to both the tenant and the municipality. 

Residence administration is quite complex due to the many healthcare regulations, special terms, assistance options and other parameters that need to be registered for all parties involved. The earlier system wasn’t able to cover all parameters and processes. As a result, some of the administrative processes were managed via Excel-based forms and reports. Proper code documentation, secure authorization solutions and several analysis and report functions were also lacking in the previous system. In 2018 the Foundation’s board of management decided to replace their old system with a new modern one and asked Precio Fishbone for help. Curbit was launched in 2020.

– The old system created both extra work and uncertainty. There were many errors due to data inconsistencies in the system. We also needed new functions. It was therefore a huge relief when Curbit was launched. With few exceptions, we can now handle the whole process of managing our residents in a single system, from the registering of new tenants to the production of billing documentation, Niklas concludes.

Time and resource savings with the new system

To fully comply with GDPR and protect residents’ privacy, a high level of security and integrity has been a key component in the development of Curbit.

– In Curbit we have a powerful and role-based login authorization process, ensuring that users can only retrieve the information they’re permitted to access. Users’ responsibilities and authorization rights are also clearly defined in the system. Also, since Curbit is built on a robust and well-developed architecture, we’re now confident that every item of output data, report and billing documentation is trustworthy. This reduces much of the time we used to spend on reconciliations, corrections and error management, Niklas underlines.

Due to the complexity of the old system, Niklas and his fellow-controllers previously had to assist managers and administrators in producing documentation and reports. Today, most users manage to solve such tasks themselves. As a result, Niklas and his colleagues now have more time to focus on other assignments, such as analyses and follow-ups on occupancy and finance. 

– Overall, we have more control and are much better organized with the new system. It’s now a lot easier to filter and find information about, for example, a local authority to identify which residents and contracts are linked to a certain municipality. With the new tools and report functions, we can also carry out more complex analyses of our occupancy, revenue streams, deviations, etc. All of which creates new possibilities for improvements, Niklas points out.

Test-driven development 

To minimize disruptions during the implementation process, Precio Fishbone chose to conduct test-driven development (TDD). This means that test cases of the system’s various functions are first created and run in a test environment before the software components are fully developed or adjustments to the installed system are made.

– TDD is a very safe and speedy development method that prevents new software components and updates from interfering with or disrupting vital functions in other interacting systems in the environment. We have also added a deviation log inside Curbit, something the former system lacked. This new log allows us to identify and remedy potential risks and faults not detected during the test drives, explains Karin Lundberg, Project Manager at Precio Fishbone.