Budgeting System

Our client faced significant challenges in managing its complex budget across multiple organizational levels due to inefficient manual processes. They aimed to digitally transform their financial operations to improve efficiency and accuracy. Specifically, their cost budget planning and reviewing processes had three major issues:

• Lack of real-time budget tracking

  Users had no access to real-time updates on expenses or budget performance, making it hard to gain timely and actionable insights for informed decision-making.

• Slow and error-prone data processing

  Users had limited access to historical data, and the extensive account items created a slow, error-prone process that made retrieving information time-consuming.

• Insufficient tools for budget review

  Current budget review processes lack visibility and adequate tools, leading to miscommunication and delays in budget plan approval and monitoring.

Interview with Stakeholders

We conducted 16 interviews with department heads involved in budget planning at the corporate, subsidiary, and provincial levels to capture their expectations and needs for the new system.

• Output from Stakeholder Interviews

  To plan the rollout and training effectively, I mapped China Post's organizational structure, identifying necessary customizations for different units and departments. This analysis led to a phased implementation approach, starting with Express & Logistics, which is the main subsidiary and had the most complex and extensive account items.

  

Document Analysis

We gathered and analyzed existing documents used for budget planning, which were previously filled out manually. Each document was reviewed to understand the metadata and data fields required for accurate budgeting.

This analysis helped us identify opportunities for automation, ensuring the new budgeting system would streamline data collection and processing.

Interview with End Users

Within China Post Express & Logistics, we conducted interviews with department heads and budget managers across various departments. I co-facilitated 7 interviews with budget managers.

Design Principles

• 

  Seamless Adoption

  Design intuitive, easy-to-navigate interfaces that require minimal training, ensuring quick and smooth adoption across departments and subsidiaries.

• 

  Customization

  Allow users to customize views and filters based on their department or subsidiary, making the system adaptable to various roles and needs.

• 

  Transparency

  Ensure clear visibility at each stage, allowing users to easily track progress and understand who is responsible for each step.

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  Data Security

  Implement robust measures to protect sensitive financial data, ensuring compliance with industry security standards and maintaining user trust.

Process Mapping

Based on insights gathered from interviews and document analysis, I developed a comprehensive process map detailing the current workflow for budget plan submission, review, and approval. This visual representation provides clarity on the overall process and identifies areas for potential improvement.

Information Architecture

I crafted the information architecture for the budget management system with a focus on the Cost Budget Planning feature. The goal was to create a clear, intuitive structure that would allow users to easily navigate and manage key tasks. By organizing the system around user needs and key functions, I ensured that the architecture was scalable and adaptable, supporting various departments and subsidiaries across the organization.

Layout Design

We started our design with the general layout of the budget management system. Since from research we found that users using the main working area most of the time, I proposed a collapsible navigation bar which allows users to have more focus on the budget data sheet.

Align Business Terms with System Language

I discovered a mismatch between the selected organizational level and the displayed data and identified a communication gap: my Product Required Documents (PRD) used business terms, while developers worked with their own terminology.

To resolve this, I initiated detailed sessions with the development team to align our terminology and updated the PRDs to match their system language. This significantly improved communication and streamlined the development process, reducing unnecessary rework.

UA Testing

Over the course of one week, we tested the prototype with over 100 budget managers from 31 provinces. The participants interacted with the system, performing typical budgeting tasks and providing valuable insights into the user experience, functionality, and potential areas for improvement.

Dashboard

Findings:

1. 01Participants desire direct navigation from the dashboard to related detailed pages.
2. 02Participants want both amount and percentage display for departmental expenses.
3. 03Participants seek flexible timeframes for Budget Expense Trends.
4. 04Participants desire more efficient provincial expense visualization.
5. 05Corporate-level participants require customizable provincial data views.

Data Table

Findings:

1. 01Participants preferred to review a single line of data at a time rather than the entire sheet.
2. 02Participants wanted a clearer, more direct view of when specific changes were made to individual data lines.
3. 03Participants often felt that using a dropdown to select benchmarking options required too much effort and could be streamlined.

Deliverables

• 56
  Interviews
• 15
  Product Requirement Documents
• 20
  Interfaces
• 4
  Key Artifacts

Interfaces

Dashboard

Data Table

System-related Metrics

• Time Saved

  Compare the time taken for budget preparation before and after system implementation.

• Reporting Efficiency

  Measure the time taken to generate standard budget reports and compare with current baseline.

• Error Reduction

  Monitor the number of budget revisions or corrections required pre- and post-implementation.

• User Satisfaction

  Conduct user surveys after implementation and track the Net Promoter Score (NPS) over time.

Business-related Metrics

• Performance Improvement

  Monitor key financial ratios such as operational profitability and compare with it before the system implementation.

• Financial Decision-Making Efficiency

  Measure the time taken from budget request submission to final approval, comparing it with historical data before implementation.

• Cost Control Effectiveness

  Track the percentage of departments staying within their allocated budgets compared to pre-implementation figures.

• Return on Investment (ROI)

  Calculate the financial benefits of the new system such as cost savings and efficiency gains against its implementation costs.

Key Takeaways

• Complexity of Large-Scale Systems

  Through this project, I learned the complexities involved in designing a system for a large corporation like China Post. I discovered the value of phased implementation, which allowed us to manage the project's scale effectively and make iterative improvements. This approach helped in tackling the diverse needs across multiple organizational levels and geographical regions.

• User-centered Design

  Engaging with stakeholders through interviews and user testing was vital in creating a system that truly met the needs of its users across different roles and departments.

• Collaboration with the Engineering Team

  I learned the significance of flexibility in design solutions, adapting our ideas to technical constraints without compromising functionality. Creating comprehensive documentation and project artifacts deepened my understanding of the organization's complex needs.