KPMG ITS Process Re-Design

Client: KPMG ITS (Technical Department)
Project Type: User Research, Service and Product Design
My Role: Senior Designer
Duration: 8 weeks

The KPMG ITS department is responsible for handling all the technical requirements of the organization. This includes tasks such as acquiring laptops, setting up accounts, installing and updating software, and resolving any technical issues within the company. To make any changes (e.g., installing a new application or updating software), employees would submit a Change Request.

The existing process for submitting a change request was manual and inefficient:

• Employees initiated requests by emailing or physically visiting the ITS department.

• ITS staff were responsible for gathering the necessary details, completing the form on behalf of the requester, and submitting it for approval.

• The completed form required multiple levels of approval, resulting in long delays and no visibility into the request’s status for requesters.

• The process was cumbersome, with forms and emails being exchanged back and forth, leading to errors and miscommunication.

In response, the ITS department sought to streamline the process, reduce errors, and improve efficiency for all stakeholders.

I improved the efficiency of the change request process by designing a service that streamlined workflows for ITS staff and approvers while enhancing transparency for requesters. By automating key parts of the approval flow and introducing pre-filled fields and structured inputs, I reduced manual effort and errors. This shift resulted in faster approvals, fewer delays, and clearer communication between stakeholders.

As the service and product designer, I led the redesign of the ITS change request process. My contributions included:

• Conducting interviews with stakeholders to understand pain points and identify areas for improvement.

• Mapping existing workflows to highlight inefficiencies and propose new solutions.

• Designing a centralized digital system with automated workflows to streamline the process.

• Creating prototypes and facilitating feedback sessions to refine the design.

• Ensuring that the solution addressed the needs of all stakeholders, including ITS staff, requesters, and approvers.

To automate and centralize the change request process, making it easier for ITS staff and stakeholders to handle requests efficiently.

The objective was to reduce manual steps, such as repetitive data entry and email-based approvals, while improving service delivery times and ensuring transparency throughout the process.

Service Design Exploration and UX Research

My first step was to gain a deep understanding of the current system to do this, I conducted interviews with ITS staff, and key stakeholders. I then mapped the current workflows to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement.

Pain Points Identified:

Requesters:

• Relied on ITS staff to interpret and handle their requests.

Experienced frustration due to long response times and lack of visibility into request status.

ITS Staff:

• Faced additional workload in gathering and verifying details from requesters before completing forms.

• Frustration with manually sorting through emails and physical forms to find and process requests, leading to delays and miscommunication.

Approvers (Stakeholders):

• Limited visibility into request details caused delays in decision-making and bottlenecks in approvals

• Difficulty in tracking approvals across multiple stages, leading to inconsistent follow-ups and approval delays.

Service Touchpoints Identified:

• Email communications

• Manual filling and submission of forms

• Email-based approval process

• Request tracking and status updates

Defining Service Requirements and Redesigning the Workflow

Based on the insights from my research, I redefined the service blueprint and streamlined the request process:

• Automated Request Submission: ITS staff could complete forms through a digitized system, with pre-filled fields (e.g., requester name and department) to reduce manual effort.

• Clearer Service Roles: Roles were clearly defined to ensure smoother collaboration between requesters, ITS staff, and approvers.

• Approval Workflow Automation: Automated notifications alerted stakeholders when their approval was required, reducing delays caused by manual follow-ups.

Journey Mapping and Touchpoint Optimization

I created detailed customer userflow diagrams to visualize how users (requesters, implementers, and approvers) would interact with the new system. I mapped every step, including request submission, approval, and notification, and optimized the touchpoints based on the following decisions:

For Requesters:

• Pre-population of Information: Requester’s name, department, and other personal details were auto-filled based on the user’s login data. This minimized repetitive data entry.

• Form Segmentation: The form was broken into sections (Requester Information, Planned Implementation, Project Description) to help users focus on one step at a time.

• Save-and-Continue Feature: To cater to busy users, I included a save feature, allowing users to return to their form without losing progress.
  

For Implementers and Stakeholders (Approvers):

• Real-Time Request Tracking: Implementers and stakeholders could easily track the status of requests in real-time, with all requests and approvals visible on the dashboard.

• Automated Notifications: Stakeholders would receive notifications when they had to approve requests, reducing email overload.

UI Design and Prototype Development

After finalizing the service journey, I translated the service design decisions into an intuitive UI that matched the needs of each stakeholder. I used design principles that focused on clarity and usability:

• Drop-down Menus and Radio Buttons: For selection fields such as urgency, type of change, and affected areas, I implemented drop-down menus and radio buttons to simplify the process of making choices.

• Interactive Prototypes: I developed interactive prototypes that illustrated how the new system would work in practice, demonstrating the flow from submission to approval.

The redesigned system delivered significant improvements across all stakeholder groups:

Requesters:

• Gained transparency through timely email notifications, reducing the need for follow-ups.

ITS Staff:

• Experienced reduced workload through pre-filled fields and structured inputs, enabling faster and more accurate form submissions.

Approvers:

• Improved visibility into request details allowed for faster decision-making.

Outcome:

The automated, centralized system improved operational efficiency, reduced manual errors, and allowed ITS staff to handle more requests with the same resources. Request processing time was reduced and employee satisfaction with the ITS service improved due to faster response times and reduced complexity.