Boosting Engagement and Efficiency Through Communication and Ownership
Company
Intact
Timeline
3.5 months (2023)
Project type
workflow improvement
Background
Intact is a property and casualty insurance company. The Strategic Design Team, comprising 1 Manager and 8 Service Designers, collaborates with cross-functional teams to address omni-channel challenges for business success.
The Initial Challenge
The Strategic Design Team faced challenges with inefficient project workflows. Initially, it was hypothesised that the inefficiencies stemmed from a lack of a shared framework for the team’s work practices. However, the discovery process uncovered a deeper root cause that contributed to the interconnected issues of inefficiency.
My role
The sole Service Designer
Target audience
1 Director
1 Manager
8 Service Designers
Methods
5 observation sessions
10 semi-structured interviews
1 alignment workshop
2 co-creation workshops
Key Outcome and Deliverables
The root cause of inefficiency was identified, and 2 strategic recommendations were made.
Designers were empowered to initiate discovery projects in the team's 2024 roadmap, enhancing their engagement.
Mutual understanding across team levels were improved.
4-page research plan
50-page research insight report
Recommendation list
Focusing on team dynamics
I recognised that inefficiencies could be influenced by both team dynamics and stakeholder collaboration, making it essential to investigate both perspectives. My focus was on understanding how work practices, team-stakeholder communication, and resources impacted efficiency.
Due to scope limitations, I prioritised the team’s perspective but proactively developed a stakeholder research guide for future use. This ensured a foundation for a holistic understanding of systemic inefficiencies, even within project constraints.
Examining workflows and challenges through research
I observed 5 designer-stakeholder meetings and conducted 10 1:1 semi-structured interviews or workshops with the Director, Manager, and 8 designers. These activities revealed team dynamics, project origins, role interactions, and key struggles across the project journey, providing a holistic view of inefficiencies. These insights informed how I reframed the problem and developed actionable solutions in later phases.
To accommodate the designers' busy schedules, I tailored the research activities into guided workshops, interviews, and asynchronous exercises. This adaptive approach ensured I collected comprehensive data while staying on schedule.
A closer look at my synthesis process
Different work practices were not the cause of inefficiency
Contrary to the initial hypothesis, designers adapted their processes to project needs and personal work styles. A rigid, one-size-fits-all framework would have limited their flexibility rather than improved efficiency.
Multiple struggles along the project journey were impacting efficiency
Designers felt that their expertise was undervalued
Designers passively received over 75% of their projects from executives, particularly quick-win initiatives that they found neither fulfilling nor impactful, leading to decreased engagement and efficiency.
Impact on Team and Business
As a fellow designer, I empathised with their frustrations. However, to maintain objectivity during synthesis, I actively challenged my assumptions and mitigated biases, ensuring insights reflected multiple perspectives.
Prioritising stakeholder communication and team empowerment
To address the root cause of inefficiency and the critical problem of designers’ sense of purpose, the project focus shifted to the stakeholder communication and team empowerment after aligning with the Director, Manager, and Designers. These priorities aimed to enhance efficiency, engagement, and alignment with the business’s omni-channel strategies.
Turning challenges into opportunities through co-creation
Guided by the 2 problem statements shown below, I facilitated 2 one-hour online co-creation workshops on Miro, engaging 6 designers and 1 Manager in 6 structured ideation activities, such as imagining the future state of project journey based on the current state. Through collaborative ideation and prioritisation, the team developed 8 actionable ideas, which were consolidated into 2 key concepts for improvement:
"How might the Strategic Design Team clearly communicate their processes and value to stakeholders so that collaborators understand what to expect and how to work effectively with them?"
"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?"
Building on the 2 key concepts identified during the co-creation sessions, I translated the team’s collaborative insights into actionable recommendations. These solutions directly address the challenges revealed in the discovery phase, focusing on fostering stronger alignment with stakeholders and empowering the team.
Build a Project Alignment Toolkit to improve stakeholder communication and collaboration
I proposed a Project Alignment Toolkit be used along the project journey to enhance communication and collaboration. The toolkit includes:
Interactive Team Portfolio: Educates stakeholders on workflows, capabilities, and past successes, building trust and shared understanding.
Kickoff Alignment Framework: Clarifies project scope, roles, and deliverables upfront.
Validation Milestones: Establishes checkpoints to ensure alignment throughout the project lifecycle.
The current flow
Pre-project
Issue: Stakeholders were unclear about the purpose, process and their roles in the project.
Impact: Stakeholders gave the project lower priority.
Kickoff
Issue: Stakeholders were unavailable for meetings as they had something with higher priority.
Impact: Designers struggled to identify stakeholders and clearly defined the problem.
During the project
Issue: Stakeholders were unaware of the resources needed by designers.
Impact: Designers struggled to access necessary systems and people, leading to delays.
The improved flow
Pre-project
Action: Share the Interactive Team Portfolio with stakeholders.
Outcome: Stakeholders could gain a clear understanding of how the team could add value to them, giving them higher priority.
Kickoff
Action: Facilitate a kickoff meeting using the Kickoff Alignment Framework.
Outcome: Stakeholders could gain a clearer picture on how to collaborate with the team across the project timeline.
During the project
Action: Conduct validation milestone reviews to confirm progress and adjust if needed.
Outcome: Designers could spot and address issues before moving on to the next phase.
Considerations
Expand project sources with internal discovery sessions
I proposed an internal opportunity discovery sessions complemented with an opportunity log to empower designers to identify and propose meaningful projects.
The current flow
Issue: Designers lacked a structured internal discovery process.
Impact: Missed opportunities for meaningful projects.
Issue: The Manager struggled to secure meaningful projects for the team.
Impact: Burnout for the Manager
Issue: Designers felt disengaged with low-impact projects
Impact: Lowered sense of purpose among the designers.
The improved flow
Post-project
Action: Designers identify and document opportunities in the Opportunity Log.
Impact: Opportunities are captured for potential projects.
Quarterly sessions
Action: The team reviews the Opportunity Log and prioritises ideas using a clear evaluation framework.
Impact: Captured opportunities are organised and prioritised effectively.
Follow-up
Action: The Manager follows up with the business units and convert the opportunities into actionable projects.
Outcome: Designers are motivated by projects initiated by themselves; the Manager's burden is reduced too.
Considerations
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 began recognising the strategic value of quick-fix projects in securing future opportunities. The Manager also gained deeper insights into the team’s challenges, fostering mutual trust and improving collaboration for smoother project alignment.
Develop and test the project alignment toolkit
I would build the Kickoff Alignment Framework and Interactive Team Portfolio using research insights and designers' feedback. I would then pilot the toolkit in an upcoming project to measure its usability and impact, focusing on reducing misalignment and improving project timelines.
Launch a pilot for internal discovery sessions
I would run a pilot on a priority project, such as the claims process, to test the Opportunity Log and internal discovery sessions. The pilot would evaluate how well opportunities are identified, prioritised, and converted into actionable projects.
Adopting a systems thinking approach
I learned to examine challenges holistically, recognising that insights are interconnected rather than standalone. Moving forward, this approach will help me design comprehensive solutions that account for the broader ecosystem, ensuring long-term impact and organisational alignment.
Iterative process and flexibility
adapted my methods and workshops as the project evolved, learning that clear objectives enable flexibility without losing progress. This adaptability will help me navigate ambiguity and deliver effective outcomes in dynamic environments.
Being mindful of personal bias in data synthesis
During synthesis, I recognised the influence of biases like primacy bias on data interpretation. To enhance objectivity, I challenged my assumptions and ensured insights reflected multiple perspectives. This awareness will help me approach future projects with greater critical thinking and ensure unbiased, well-rounded solutions.
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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 systems thinking, 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!
