The Clearly Podcast

Andy: Hey, everybody. How we doing?

Shailan: All good thanks.

Andy: Great. Today, we have a special guest, James Burke from Wembley Park. James, can you introduce yourself and talk about Wembley Park?

James: Sure. Thanks for having me. I'm James Burke, a project manager and data insight lead for Quintain, which owns Wembley Park. Wembley Park is a large urban redevelopment project in Northwest London, focused on building and managing rental apartments. We currently have over 4,000 units, with plans to reach 10,000. My role involves designing and managing these buildings and developing our data strategy.

A couple of years ago, I started working on our first data strategy and built a data warehouse for better reporting. Initially, we used Salesforce for customer and leasing data, but it wasn't sufficient for our needs. We started a proof of concept for standardized reporting, integrating data from Salesforce and Google Analytics.

One key project was unbundling utilities from rent to be more competitive in the market. This required detailed data integration, bringing utility data into our data warehouse for accurate billing and monitoring. By combining utility data with tenant information, we gained insights into real consumption patterns, helping us design better buildings and identify issues like vacant units with high utility usage.

Tom: This project evolved significantly over time. We started with Salesforce reporting and expanded to integrating utility data. James, what challenges did you face?

James: Initially, I underestimated the complexity. We had issues with connections between Azure and Salesforce and needed robust systems to handle data flow. It's like construction – you need to ensure everything works as expected, including the data.

Shailan: It's a powerful example of using technology to improve both client interactions and operational efficiency. What advice would you give to others considering similar projects?

James: Don't underestimate maintenance. Be specific in your requirements and plan for continuous improvement. It's essential to have a roadmap and a good partnership for ongoing support.

Tom: Training is crucial too. Ensuring users understand the tools and can adapt them to their needs is vital for success.

James: Absolutely. Clear data definitions are important to avoid confusion and ensure consistency across the business.

Andy: How do you manage demand for Power BI within your business?

James: Initially, the finance team took ownership of reports, which helped. It's important to have a gateway for prioritizing projects and ensuring consistent data usage. Too many disparate reports can lead to confusion.

Shailan: You're dealing with a lot of data, right?

James: Yes, about 1.5 million data points a day from utilities alone. Storage isn't the issue; it's the processing. We focus on anonymizing data and keeping it relevant.

Andy: What unexpected benefits did you gain from this project?

James: A deeper understanding of our product. By analyzing real consumption data, we can optimize designs and reduce costs. It also helps with sustainability, like reducing carbon intensity.

Tom: That must help tenants as well, reducing their bills.

James: Exactly. We're aiming to help tenants understand and manage their utility usage better.

Shailan: Congratulations on your recent awards!

James: Thank you. Our focus on sustainability and reducing waste has been recognized, and we're sharing our insights within the industry.

Andy: It's great to see this model in the UK. As a tenant, the professional management of such buildings is a huge advantage.

James: Definitely. It creates a better living experience and a longer-term perspective for us.

Andy: Thank you, James, for sharing your insights. This has been fascinating.

James: Thank you. It's been a pleasure working with Clearly Cloudy.

Andy: Thanks to everyone. Until next week.

Shailan: Thanks.