Team
- Myself
Lead Designer
Program Manager - Siri P
Program Head - Hannah F
Primary Instructor
My Process
- Process Analysis
- Task Flows
- Service Mapping
- Lean UX Canvas
Results
- Time on task reduced by 43% (5.25hr to 3hr)
- Improved staff onboarding and lifecycle knowledge transfer
- Scaled to meet 3 year goal initiatives
From Chaos to Streamlined: How We Conquered Our Project Intake Process
The Opportunity
Managing a high volume of client projects can quickly turn into a logistical nightmare. At Prime Digital Academy, we were dealing with the challenge of inconsistent and time-consuming intake processes for the over 150 projects that we tackled every year. This inefficiency not only created frustration for our team, but likely impacted the overall client and student experiences. Further, Prime had just laid down some big 3 year goals; goals that required very scalable processes to meet.
The Hunch
The inconsistency in our intake processes stemmed from a need for speed and resulted in a lack of a standardization and lack of clarity into the service. Every project seemed to require a different set of steps and documentation, leading to confusion, churn and wasted time. I believed that by streamlining and centralizing a scalable system, we could significantly improve efficiency, freeing up valuable staff resources.
The Approach
Instead of adopting a one-size-fits-all solution, I opted for several light-weight mapping techniques, including user flows, simple service mapping and synthesizing our next steps using a (Lean UX) canvas. This approach allowed me to customize the intake process based on the size and specific context of our projects. I visualized the process using Figma, FigJam and Miro, catering the tool to my intended audience and availability, which provided clear and transparent results for everyone involved.
I normalized the process-related documentation and tools for consistency, then through several months of trial and error, reduced tools and process alike to the minimally-effective solution.
The Outcome
The impact of the new intake system I implemented was substantial. We achieved a consistent intake process that eliminated confusion and redundant steps. Clear and concise documentation ensured everyone was on the same page from the start, and could be picked up easily by new hires. Perhaps most importantly, the new system resulted in a much lighter workload for our team. We estimated that the average staff time spent on intake tasks was reduced by 43%, going from a time-consuming 5.25 hours to a manageable 3 hours per project. This not only helped save the program money during a lean period, but also allowed us to reallocate resources towards more impactful initiatives serving Prime’s ambitious 3 year goals.
More Stuff I Did
- Initiated new effort with marketing/social for regularly-scheduled partner-generation posts, and collaborated on their content and cadence.
- Performed heuristic analysis of the partner information and lead generation page, which led to a retooling of the layout including: improved information hierarchy, consistent project terminology, and clearer call to actions with increased emphasis on connecting with a Prime staff member for a no-commitment informational call.