Transforming workflows with a scalable fulfillment platform

Overview

Due to the iterative and concurrent build schedule, the discovery phase was interwoven with the development process.

To kick off the project, I worked closely with the product manager to interview key members of the sales, customer service, and service delivery teams about their current workflows and pain points. This ensured that the new data structure and application process flows would support team needs and integration requirements for external applications, including data input at the start of the process and data export for reporting throughout.

Regular user interviews with internal team members were critical throughout the initiative for continually gathering insights to inform design decisions and validate wireframes and prototypes.

CRM form entry

Identifying Pain Points

The main points of friction revolved around the limitations of external platforms and the difficulty of working in multiple systems:

Given the scale and complexity of the project, the planning stage largely consisted of mapping process flows and iterative wireframing to validate workflows and information hierarchy for the workshop, coaching, and learning walk services. Based on discovery insights, I created documentation for the process of each service, defining the logic and behavior of the application during each status in the process.

Workshop fulfillment and delivery application process

Collaboration with Engineering

The product manager and I worked closely with the engineering team to synthesize the data structure and to create processes aligned to the business logic. I was heavily involved in the engineering process, contributing to ticket refinements, sprint planning, and daily stand ups. I held weekly design reviews to ensure designs incorporated engineering feedback and to hold an open space for design-related discussion topics from the engineers.

Wireframing and Information Architecture

The application required an extensive map of 50+ pages and dozens of drawers, modals, and toasts, making it essential to validate the architecture at the wireframing stage. I focused on systematizing the service information entered into the CRM, collaborating with the customer service team to determine:

• How each piece of information could be most easily entered (e.g., dropdowns, multi-select).
• What organization was most logical in the design of each form.
• When and how specific variable selections or data entries should trigger notifications and flags for other teams.

I reorganized the fields that were in a lengthy form for each service type into separate tabs, grouping related information to allow for intuitive data entry and simple data validation rules.

Initial coaching management wireframes

User Testing and Prototyping

I leaned heavily on prototyping to ensure that navigation and data entry flows were intuitive. As the engineered solution was being built, the product manager and I continuously conducted usability testing with the customer service team to identify usability issues and areas for improved organization or logic. Their continued involvement also served to train the team on the new platform so that they would be able to seamlessly transition from their existing workflow.

Managing Timeline Alignment

As each deadline in the initiative approached, the product manager and I assessed the progress to goal and identified areas to deprioritize. In one scenario, we identified that the bulk of the reporting functionality planned for an internal-facing dashboard was also available in the customer-facing dashboard view, which was a core requirement. By granting the customer service team access to the customer view, we were able to de-prioritize the internal dashboard for the MVP, enabling us to de-scope several requirements without compromising critical data access.

At the deadline, the MVP of the fulfillment application successfully met the initiative's core objective, replacing the legacy workflow for all business operations for the upcoming year. The solution also mitigated the pain points identified in discovery:

• Business-Aligned Platform: The new system structure provided the necessary customization and flexibility to implement the company’s business logic.
• Systematized Data Entry: Generic open-text field forms were replaced by a clear, multi-tabbed structure of specialized entry fields, with automatic flags to downstream teams based on specific input values.
• Real-time Validation: Ensuring data integrity immediately upon entry eliminated errors that required manual auditing.
• Reduced Context Switching: Fulfillment-related data, previously spread across multiple CRM pages and platforms, was centralized into one application.
• Change Log Tracking: The new application introduced change logs for each service record and automated email notifications for information updates.

Future-Proofing and Advocacy

Aware that the timeline required de-scoping, I documented all planned and unfinished features, bugs, and outstanding user requests in a tracking document, linking relevant discovery information and backlogged tickets. This documentation was critical for advocating for future development. After the initial MVP launch, I partnered with the product manager to strategically include outstanding work as part of related tickets and epics, rather than requiring a separate project that would likely be overlooked in favor of high-priority initiatives. This strategy ensured that the product debt accrued during the rapid MVP build was systematically addressed post-launch.

Account Management

Account Dashboard

Workshop Details

Coaching Cohort Overview

Internal teams transitioned from existing workflows to the new application and the company successfully executed an entire year of business within the new system, demonstrating immediate feature adoption and proving the MVP's efficacy in real-world usage.

The application improved platform reliability and reduced internal operational load. Qualitatively, the internal teams expressed delight in the automation the new system provided and noted a significant reduction in data entry frustration. The structured input forms reduced data entry errors, freeing up time to focus on their main responsibilities instead of auditing data.

System Adaptability and Scalability

The shift yielded two critical long-term outcomes:

• System Adaptability: The architecture of the system made the application simple to update and evolve. The modular design enabled building new service offerings and features in the application, rather than complex workarounds with the legacy CRM workflow.
• Continuous Improvement: Internal teams continued to provide feedback, which was integrated into the platform's development. This ensured the fulfillment application remained reflective of current business logic and responsive to changes in business needs, cementing its role as a core strategic asset.

This successful migration transformed the company's fulfillment capabilities, replacing a reactive, manual workflow with a proactive, scalable, and customizable internal application capable of supporting complex service offerings and future growth.