Project Gate System
UX Case Study of a project process application
Project Gate System
UX Case Study of a project process application
Project Overview
Project Gate System provides guidance for conducting the planning, development, and execution activities over the life cycle of surface facilities capital projects. Implementation of the PGS Process will ensure continued alignment of the capital projects with the company's strategic, financial, and operational requirements. The activities undertaken during each PGS Process Stage will depend upon the nature of the business need or opportunity with respect to the stakeholders, project size and complexity, project execution and risks, project cost and delivery timeline, etc.
Team: 1 Designer, 6 Developers, 1 Business analyst, 1 QA Analyst and 1 Product manager.
Time: 4 months, full-time
Project Overview
Project Gate System provides guidance for conducting the planning, development, and execution activities over the life cycle of surface facilities capital projects. Implementation of the PGS Process will ensure continued alignment of the capital projects with the company's strategic, financial, and operational requirements. The activities undertaken during each PGS Process Stage will depend upon the nature of the business need or opportunity with respect to the stakeholders, project size and complexity, project execution and risks, project cost and delivery timeline, etc.
Team: 1 Designer, 6 Developers, 1 Business analyst, 1 QA Analyst and 1 Product manager.
Time: 4 months, full-time
Objective
Despite having an existing process, most of the work in KOC was done manually using hand-written notes or printouts. KOC had worked with consulting agencies in the past to solve this problem, but nothing worked.
Our objective for the PGS was to:
- Find why user-preferred paper over software
- Optimize the workflow
- Eliminate manual labour
- Reduce carbon footprint
Benefits
The PGS Process stage gate approach and focus on FEL will optimize the utilization of company resources and will provide opportunities to incorporate value enhancements in the capital projects. The decisions made at the end of each Process Stage will be based on the results of the work conducted during that Stage.
- Achieving the Process Stage objectives with a high degree of quality
in the work performed.
- ·Maintaining a focus on stakeholder involvement and engagement
in the planning and development activities and preparation of
deliverables.
- Managing project uncertainties and project execution risks in a
timely and effective manner.
- ·Reducing the need for scope changes and rework in the future
Process Stages.
- ·Another major benefit of the PGS Process will be improving the
accuracy of the cost estimates through better capital project
definition.
Objective
Despite having an existing process, most of the work in KOC was done manually using hand-written notes or printouts. KOC had worked with consulting agencies in the past to solve this problem, but nothing worked.
Our objective for the PGS was to:
- Find why user-preferred paper
over software
- Optimize the workflow
- Eliminate manual labour
- Reduce carbon footprint
The PGS Process stage gate approach and focus on FEL will optimize the utilization of company resources and will provide opportunities to incorporate value enhancements in the capital projects. The decisions made at the end of each Process Stage will be based on the results of the work conducted during that Stage.
- Achieving the Process
Stage objectives with a
high degree of quality
in the work performed.
- ·Maintaining a focus on
stakeholder involvement
and engagement in the
planning and
development activities
and preparation of
deliverables.
- Managing project
uncertainties and project
execution risks in a
timely and effective
manner.
- Reducing the need for
scope changes and
rework in the future
Process Stages.
- Another major benefit of
the PGS Process will be
improving the accuracy of
the cost estimates
through better capital
project definition.
The PGS Process stage gate approach and focus on FEL will optimize the utilization of company resources and will provide opportunities to incorporate value enhancements in the capital projects. The decisions made at the end of each Process Stage will be based on the results of the work conducted during that Stage.
- Achieving the Process Stage
objectives with a high degree
of quality in the work
performed.
- ·Maintaining a focus on
stakeholder involvement
and engagement in the
planning and development
activities and preparation of
deliverables.
- Managing project uncertainties
and project execution risks in a
timely and effective manner.
- Reducing the need for
scope changes and
rework in the future
Process Stages.
- Another major benefit of
the PGS Process will be
improving the accuracy of
the cost estimates
through better capital
project definition.
Benefits
My role
As I started working on the project as a sole contributor. I had some research and workflows done by the
previous agencies. But, initially, my role was to run the entire design cycle from discovery to delivery. Post MVP,
when the client’s trust was with us, we had two additional hands on deck, a UI designer and a UX designer.
As I started working on the project as a sole contributor. I had some research and workflows done by the
previous agencies. But, initially, my role was to run the entire design cycle from discovery to delivery. Post MVP,
when the client’s trust was with us, we had two additional hands on deck, a UI designer and a UX designer.
As I started working on the project as a sole contributor. I had some research and workflows done by the
previous agencies. But, initially, my role was to run the entire design cycle from discovery to delivery. Post MVP,
when the client’s trust was with us, we had two additional hands on deck, a UI designer and a UX designer.
My role
Design Process
In order to collaborate with stakeholders and users, we conducted a Design Thinking workshop. Assess the needs and pain points of each member of the group so that business challenges can be addressed. In order to explore issues more widely
Design Process
In order to collaborate with stakeholders and users, we conducted a Design Thinking workshop. Assess the needs and pain points of each member of the group so that business challenges can be addressed. In order to explore issues more widely
1. RESEARCH
1.1 Key user pain points
- Duplicate applications in the system consume a lot of time to sort.
- While processing an application, required documents are not available in the system.
- Managers do not balance the workload evenly among employees.
- We need to call the different department or vendor multiple times for missing information
and documents.
1.2 Key business pain points
- There are too many applications in the backlog.
- There is no way to prioritize applications and identify critical ones .
- Due to multiple software used by each department, maintenance cost is very high.
- Employees do not respect the SLAs.
- There is no way to analyze team performance.
1.3 My observations
- Navigation and page load is a pain. To view the details of an application, users had to -
switch between 3-4 applications, navigate through 15 different pages, while each page
took ~2 mins to load. Processing an application required entering details at various stages,
which was too painful due to similar reasons as above.
- Waiting for missing documents: Due to the unavailability of information, users spend most
of their time calling other team or vendor to collect missing documents. From the time of
intimation to the citizens to the user getting the document, it can take 15–45 days.
1.1 Key user pain points
- Duplicate applications in the
system consume a lot of time to
sort.
- While processing an application,
required documents are not
available in the system.
- Managers do not balance the
workload evenly among
employees.
- We need to call the different
department or vendor multiple
times for missing information
and documents.
1.2 Key business pain points
- There are too many applications
in the backlog.
- There is no way to prioritize
applications and identify critical
ones
- Due to multiple software used
by each department,
maintenance cost is very high.
- Employees do not respect the
SLAs.
- There is no way to analyze team
performance.
1.3 My observations
- Navigation and page load is a
pain. To view the details of an
application, users had to
switch between 3-4 applications,
navigate through 15 different
pages, while each page took ~2
mins to load. Processing an
application required entering
details at various stages, which
was too painful due to similar
reasons as above.
- Waiting for missing documents:
Due to the unavailability of
information, users spend most
of their time calling other team
or vendor to collect missing
documents. From the time of
intimation to the citizens to the
user getting the document, it
can take 15–45 days.
1. RESEARCH
2. DEFINE
2.1 Problem statements
- I am an manager from the Program Administration department
- I am trying to process a Program Administration aid request
- But I need to put the application on hold
- Because I do not have the required information and the system is too slow
2.2 UX guidelines
Based on the research, we came up with the following guidelines that we referred to every
time we came up with a design or solution.
- Simplify the workflow
- Create a consistent experience across applications
- Ensure system status visibility
- Do not define the process in stone; give the users some flexibility
- Design for faster performance
- Offer users the ability to set their preferences
- UX over UI design.
2. DEFINE
2.1 Problem statements
- Currently, the procurement
procedure is complex and
insufficient to meet the
business's priorities and
expectations.
- It is currently unclear how the
vendor ecosystem is maintained
within the organisation.
- Finding valid information
requires considerable time and
manual effort and does not
appear to be intuitive.
- To derive meaningful insights
into the overall performance, the
procurement team lacks access to
a 360- degree view of all the data
and tools.
- Slow processing times and
duplicate inputs and
unpredictable wait times for
different approvals were sinking
costs and precious time.
2.2 UX guidelines
Based on the research, we came up with the following guidelines that we referred to every time we came up with a design or solution.
- Simplify the workflow
- Create a consistent experience
across applications
- Ensure system status visibility
- Design for faster performance
- Offer users the ability to set their
preferences
2.1 Problem statements
- I am an manager from the
Program Administration
department
- I am trying to process a Program
Administration aid request
- But I need to put the application
on hold
- Because I do not have the
required information and the
system is too slow
2.2 UX guidelines
Based on the research, we came up with the following guidelines that we referred to every time we came up with a design or solution.
- Simplify the workflow
- Create a consistent experience
across applications
- Ensure system status visibility
- Do not define the process in
stone; give the users some
flexibility
- Design for faster performance
- Offer users the ability to set their
preferences
- UX over UI design.
2.3 User persona
Based on my research I have identified some user types and I have created a user persona that guided me to make better design decisions
2.3 User persona
Based on my research I have identified some user types and I have created a user persona that guided me to make better design decisions
2.4 Setting the success metrics
- Reduce time taken to respond to within
- Reduce time taken to Start the process
- Reduce carbon footprint
- Reduce time spent on calls with stakeholder and vendor
- Reduce manager’s workload
- Increase availability of data in the system
- Increase number of applications processed per day
- Increase morale of employees and managers
- Increase adoption and retention rate of the new system
- Increase quantitative visibility of team’s performance
- Increase Employee happiness index
2.4 Setting the success metrics
- Reduce time taken to respond to
within
- Reduce time taken to Start the
process
- Reduce carbon footprint
- Reduce time spent on calls with
stakeholder and vendor
- Reduce manager’s workload
- Increase availability of data in the
system
- Increase number of applications
processed per day
- Increase morale of employees
and managers
- Increase adoption and retention
rate of the new system
- Increase quantitative visibility of
team’s performance
- Increase Employee happiness
index
3.2 User flow
User flow helps us to understand how the target user will travel through the application to complete a specific task.
3.2 User flow
User flow helps us to understand how the target user will travel through the application to complete a specific task.
3. IDEATION
3.1 Information Architecture
Information architecture aims at organising structure so that users would easily adapt to the functionality of the product and could find everything they
need without too much effort.
3. IDEATION
3.1 Information Architecture
Information architecture aims at organising structure so that users would easily adapt to the functionality of the product and could find everything they need without too much effort.
Key ideas to improve the employee’s productivity
- Assignment of application priority during registration (Normal, Urgent)
- Predictive scoring of approval/rejection of application
- Inter-department request assignments and chat messenger
- Integration of 8 desktop app APIs into 1 single screen
- Dashboard key information and pending items
Key ideas to improve the leader’s productivity
- Auto assignment of request based on employee-request type configuration
- Dashboard to track team and request performance
- Gamified leadership boards and rewards for the managers whose team performs the best.
Key ideas to improve data availability
- Vendor self-service portal
- Special department to manage incomplete requests
- Data partnership with other Govt. entities
- Image to text processing software
Key ideas to improve the employee’s productivity
- Assignment of request priority
during registration (Normal,
Urgent)
- Predictive scoring of approval/
rejection of the request
- Inter-department request
assignments and
communication
- Integration of 6 application data
into 1 single screen
- Dashboard key information and
pending items
Key ideas to improve the leader’s productivity
- Auto assignment of request
based on employee-request
type configuration
- Dashboard to track team and
request performance
Key ideas to improve data availability
- Special Section to manage
incomplete requests
- Data partnership with vendor
entities
- Image-to-text processing
software integration
Key ideas to improve the employee’s productivity
- Assignment of application
priority during registration
(Normal, Urgent)
- Predictive scoring of
approval/rejection of application
- Inter-department request
assignments and chat
messenger
- Integration of 8 desktop app
APIs into 1 single screen
- Dashboard key information and
pending items
Key ideas to improve the leader’s productivity
- Auto assignment of request
based on employee-request
type configuration
- Dashboard to track team and
request performance
- Gamified leadership boards and
rewards for the managers
whose team performs the best.
Key ideas to improve data availability
- Vendor self-service portal
- Special department to manage
incomplete requests
- Data partnership with other
Govt. entities
- Image to text processing
software
4. DESIGN
4.1 Low- Fidelity Wireframe
4. DESIGN
4.1 Low-Fidelity Wireframe
4.2 High- Fidelity Wireframe
4.2 High- Fidelity Wireframe
5. TESTING
5.1 Post-design, we conducted multiple usability sessions
- We reserved 30mins every day with a new person in each department for feedback on
designs.
- Post-staging deployment, we spent the next day in UAT and usability testing with 2 users
from each department.
- Post-production deployment, we spent the next day training users on the new features
and workflows.
- If we missed something in the new system or there was a bug, we keep the old system
running so that the users are not blocked.
- We made app ambassadors in each department. These employees understood the
system the most and were the go-to person for all questions the other employees might
have related to the new app.
5.2 Evaluating the success metrics
- Reduced the time taken to respond within each department by 45%.
- Reduced the time taken to close a request by 60%.
- Reduced carbon footprint by 75%.
- Reduced time spent on calls with stakeholder and Vendors (qualitative analysis).
- Reduced the manager’s workload by automating his entire workflow.
- Increased the availability of data in the system by 94%.
- Increased quantitative visibility of team’s performance by supporting dashboard and
other metrics.
5. TESTING
5.1 Post-design, we conducted multiple usability sessions
Few highlights of this phase:
- We scheduled a 30-minute
meeting with a new employee in
each department every day to
get feedback on designs.
- Immediately following the
production deployment, we
trained users on the new
features and workflows.
- We keep the old system running
if there is a bug or something is
missed in the new system.
- After the interview, these users
were recorded and played in
order to pinpoint any specific
issues they encountered. The
findings of the usability session
were fantastic. After this session,
we got some helpful feedback
and retouched the interface
designs.
5.2 Evaluating the success metrics
- Reduced the time taken to
respond to a requester by 40%.
- Reduced the time taken to close
a request by 65%.
- Reduced time spent on calls with
requester and vendor
(qualitative analysis).
- Reduced the manager’s
workload by automating his
entire workflow.
- Increased the availability of data
in the system by 94%.
- Increase the number of requests
processed per day. 95% request
were processed the same day.
Additionally, there was a
reduction in the backlog by 10%
per week.
5.1 Post-design, we conducted multiple usability sessions
- We reserved 30mins every day
with a new person in each
department for feedback on
designs.
- Post-staging deployment, we
spent the next day in UAT and
usability testing with 2 users
from each department.
- Post-production deployment, we
spent the next day training users
on the new features
and workflows.
- If we missed something in the
new system or there was a bug,
we keep the old system
running so that the users are not
blocked.
- We made app ambassadors in
each department. These
employees understood the
system the most and were the
go-to person for all questions
the other employees might
have related to the new app.
5.2 Evaluating the success metrics
- Reduced the time taken to
respond within each department
by 45%.
- Reduced the time taken to close
a request by 60%.
- Reduced carbon footprint by
75%.
- Reduced time spent on calls with
stakeholder and Vendors
(qualitative analysis).
- Reduced the manager’s
workload by automating his
entire workflow.
- Increased the availability of data
in the system by 94%.
- Increased quantitative visibility
of team’s performance by
supporting dashboard and
other metrics.
Takeaways
- Process automation and structured approvals for every user across different teams,
departments
- Predictable workflows and centralized communication help improve the quality and speed
of deployment for the process and services you need
- Automate time-intensive and error-prone manual processes and speed up Gate Process
cycle times
- Give your organisation real-time visibility into spending so you can make better budget
decisions
- Gain real-time visibility into budgets to encourage more proactive spending management
- Project Gate System gives you complete visibility and control over your end-to-end Gate
process
- Make purchasing and accounts
payable easier and more error-
prone by automating manual
processes
- Manage spending responsibly
by improving workflows and
implementing structured
approvals across departments,
teams, and locations
- Give your organisation real-
time visibility into spending so
you can make better budget
decisions
- Get a full understanding of
your budget and empower
your managers to understand
why each request is being
made
- Get the best deals from
preferred vendors by
leveraging data
- Process automation and
structured approvals for every
user across different teams,
departments
- Predictable workflows and
centralized communication
help improve the quality and
speed of deployment for the
process and services you need
- Automate time-intensive and
error-prone manual processes
and speed up Gate Process
cycle times
- Give your organisation real-
time visibility into spending so
you can make better budget
decisions
- Gain real-time visibility into
budgets to encourage more
proactive spending
management
- Project Gate System gives you
complete visibility and control
over your end-to-end Gate
process
Takeaways
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