Boosting Engagement and Efficiency Through Project Ownership
Company
Intact
Timeline
3.5 months (2023)
Project type
workflow improvement
platform
miro
Objective
The strategic design team struggled with low project efficiency. This service design project aimed to identify the challenges faced by the strategic design team of 8 designers and explore ways to optimise their work experience, with the goal of boosting efficiency and engagement.
My role and impact
As a Service Designer on the project, I identified team roadblocks through in-depth stakeholder interviews and insight synthesis, and co-created solutions in workshops with the team, leading to the inclusion of team-initiated research projects in the 2024 roadmap, enhanced mutual understanding across all levels, and a heightened sense of purpose within the team.
My team
From research planning to prototyping, I worked closely with the Manager and 8 Service Designers, Strategists, and Researchers to understand their needs and develop tailored recommendations.
Key deliverables
About the team
The Strategic Design Team, comprising 1 Manager and 8 Service Designers, Strategists, and Researchers, collaborates with cross-functional teams to address omni-channel challenges through a human-centred approach. In 2023, the team focused on improving the insurance claims process, brokers' experience and employee retention, ensuring a seamless end-to-end customer journey. The term "designers" will be used to refer to the team members in this case study.
Assuming different work practices cause inefficiency
The team struggled with low project efficiency, which was initially believed to be caused by varying work practices among the designers.
Enhancing efficiency to secure projects
As returning projects were a key source of work for the team, efficient performance and satisfied project sponsors would significantly benefit the team. Improving these aspects would benefit the team and enhance the overall omni-channel strategy of the business.
To understand the causes of inefficiency, I intended to investigate 2 key areas:
The team's perspective
How do the designers work commonly and differently in a project?
Which aspects of the designers' experiences drive inefficiency or efficiency?
Project sponsors' perspective
How do the past and current sponsors think about working with the team in a project?
Due to the project’s scope, the focus was primarily on the team's perspective.
Examining work patterns and challenges through interviews
A closer look at my synthesis process
Different work practices were not the cause
Designers did not follow rigid methods but instead work in flexible and iterative ways. A shared framework for the team's work practices may be just one of many potential solutions for improving efficiency.
Designers' top 3 struggles along a project journey
Beyond differences in work practices, designers experienced 3 key struggles in the initial stages of their project journey:
Defining the project scope and problem.
Gaining access to necessary people and systems.
Feeling that their expertise was undervalued.
Designers' engagement mattered
Designers felt their value was underutilised as they passively received over 75% of their projects from executives, particularly quick-win initiatives that they found neither fulfilling nor impactful, leading to decreased engagement.
Shifting focus to empower designers for project initiatives
Addressing this issue was crucial as it negatively impacted designers' sense of purpose, posing a potential risk to talent retention within the company. After aligning with the Director, Manager and the designers on the importance of this issue, the project focus shifted to empowering the team to initiate their own projects so that their engagement could be improved.
"How might the Strategic Design Team effectively uncover business problems and opportunities from other units so that they can deliver their true value to the company?"
Identifying 3 key directions for improvement
To leverage the designers' perspectives for improving their working conditions, I led a 1-hour online co-creation workshop on Miro, engaging 6 designers in 3 brainstorming activities. From the session, we identified and prioritised 7 improvement themes based on their impact and effort, leading to 3 key directions:
Expanding project sources.
Documenting problems and opportunities.
Reducing dependence on project sponsors.
Making Recommendations
Based on the key insights from the co-creation session and earlier interviews, I created 3 recommendations that involved mostly the Strategic Design Team, aligning with the Manager’s preference to avoid burdening external parties.
Expand project sources with internal discovery sessions
The current flow
Designers did not have a structured internal discovery process.
Designers got assigned projects, while the Manager was stressed about securing opportunities for all designers.
Designers were not motivated by projects with minimal impact.
Recommendation
Involve designers in internal opportunity discovery sessions.
Start with opportunities from the current and past projects.
The improved flow
At the end of projects, designers identify opportunities (e.g. unresolved issues or problems that arose during the project).
In the quarterly internal discovery sessions, designers evaluate the opportunities with a framework assessing 5 areas: impact, confidence, ease, and urgency.
Designers are motivated by projects initiated by themselves.
The Manager follows up with the business units and convert the opportunities into actionable projects.
Evaluating the recommendation
It encourages designers to take greater ownership of project discovery, aligning with their eagerness to contribute.
It leverages designers' expertise in identifying new opportunities, reducing the Manager’s burden and maximising the team’s value.
Exploring opportunities from current and past projects leverages trust with the project sponsors, providing a sustainable project pipeline.
Develop a Team Opportunity Log that facilitates internal discovery sessions
The current flow
Designers lacked a centralised mechanism for tracking potential follow-up projects or documenting new ideas.
Opportunities for projects were missed or overlooked.
Recommendation
Create a Team Opportunity Log on Miro, where designers can record opportunities at the end of each project and evaluate them during quarterly internal discovery sessions.
Include opportunity documentation in the project timeline to ensure designers have dedicated time for this process.
The improved flow
At the end of projects, designers record top 3 opportunities (e.g. unresolved issues or problems that arose in the project) in the Log.
In the quarterly internal discovery sessions, designers evaluate the opportunities with a framework assessing 5 areas: impact, confidence, ease, and urgency.
Opportunities are evaluated in a structured way, with the potential to be transformed into actionable projects.
Evaluating the recommendation
The transparent process enables designers to understand why certain opportunities are prioritised, building trust within the team.
The iterative process of reviewing unsolved issues enhances designers' ability to continuously improve their methods and outcomes.
Miro is widely used by the team and provides an interactive platform for discussions.
Reduce dependence on external sponsors through access to front-line employee systems
The current flow
Designers relied on projects from Executives and Business Units.
Designers had limited autonomy over project initiatives.
Recommendation
Grant designers read-only access to the reports and systems of the front-line staff, including claims adjusters, brokers and customer service representatives who have close interaction with the customers.
Include exploratory research in the team's roadmap to ensure designers have dedicated time to uncover opportunities through data analysis.
The improved flow
Designers have access to systems where operational and customer challenges are documented.
Designers can gain direct insights on operational and customer challenges.
Designers can leverage their expertise in identifying new opportunities, gaining more autonomy in project initiatives.
Evaluating the recommendation
Access to large volumes of raw data from front-line employee systems may overwhelm the designers.
Empowering designers through ownership and engagement
After understanding the designers' strong motivation to create value through impactful projects, the Manager included team-initiated discovery projects in the 2024 roadmap, allowing designers to have greater ownership and engagement with their projects that fosters a stronger sense of purpose and improved work efficiency.
Enhanced trust between the Manager and designers
Designers now recognise the value of quick-fix projects in securing future impactful work. The Manager has also gained a better understanding of the designers' concerns, leading to increased mutual trust and alignment.
Developing a compelling portfolio
The team can create a portfolio showcasing their work and positive feedback from past sponsors. This portfolio will effectively communicate their value and impact to potential project sponsors who may be unfamiliar with design, making it easier to engage with new business units and secure future projects.
Iterative process and flexibility
I adapted my research methods and workshop activities as the project context evolved. I learned that as long as the objectives remain clear, the plan can be flexible.
Balancing Authority and Focus in Facilitation
As a facilitator in workshops, I learned to balance "kind authority" with managing participants' focus. It can ensure that the objective are achieved while respecting all voices.
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Thanks for making it this far! I truly appreciate your time in exploring my work, and I hope you could find my expertise in problem discovery and strategic recommendation valuable to your team. If you’re interested in diving deeper into the design process, I’d love to share my passion with you!
