Mapping Processes in Distribution IT

What is the status of digital processes within our client's global distribution network?

Process analysis   IT Landscape   
Global distribution network 
Stakeholder Management    
Customer journey mapping

Role & Responsibility
Service Designer (Futurice GmbH): Project Lead, Research, Strategy

Product / Output
Process Analysis, System Maps, Customer Journey Maps

Year & Duration
2022 – 2023, 6 months

Client / Partner
[NDA] Heavy Machinery Manufacturer

overview
In this research and process management project I took over the project lead role. We worked for a global manager in IT and analyzed the current workflows across sales and aftersales operations within a legacy IT system structure. Together we created a roadmap to improve processes.

customer journey mapping ©Futurice & [NDA] 

challenge
Create a first picture of processes and identify the current painpoints and opportunity areas to indicate potential for improvement and create transparency.

outcome
Strategic roadmap to improve the digital processes. Full overview over the distribution ecosystem, the digital processes involved in different workflows and the information flow between systems. 

context
The client's distribution network operates globally, and over the years a jungle of different IT systems has developed. A legacy IT landscape. 
Partner companies use different IT systems for different steps during onboarding, sales and aftersales. 
The global manager reported many pain points and was looking for the big picture in order to address them properly.

insights
/ Processes involve a lot of manual steps and work arounds
/ Several different systems are used for the same purpose
/ Knowledge of processes lies with individuals

impact

First ever Overview

We used a hypothesis-driven approach and visualized our assumptions from the beginning. This made discussions with stakeholders clearer and ensured everyone was on the same page. As a result, we created the first ever overview of partner companies' processes and workflows during onboarding, sales, and after-sales. There was no visual map before. 

With this work we have successfully enabled our client to prepare their strategic work to roadmap future improvements to the partner organisations' experience of using the IT systems.

While the project was still running, our client was already able to use the insights to have informed meetings in the management circles.

"The engagement helped tremendously to bring transparency and overview to the current status quo of IT in our distribution network. Afterwards, everything felt organised and the pain points and areas for improvement were very clear."

/ Head of Global IT Department

ecosystem map ©Futurice & [NDA] 

PROJECT JOURNEY

From Assumptions to validated Process Maps

In a nutshell
We analyzed the whole ecosystem along the digital workflows and processes, mapped our assumptions and improved them by interviewing stakeholders. In the final maps we identified the painpoints and opportunities to improve the processes.

Phases/Artefacts

1. Desk Research -> Visual Assumptions
2. Stakeholder Interviews -> Validated Maps
3. Workshops -> Pain points & Opportunities
4. Documentation -> Strategic Recommendations

Desk Research & First Assumptions
In the first weeks we browsed through a mountain of PDF documents to get a first understanding of the current processes. As soon as we had the feeling that we understood a fragement of a system or process we visualized it.

research wall ©Futurice & [NDA] 

Stakeholder Interviews: Validating our assumptions
In parallel to our research our client organised slots with stakeholders from the global distribution network. 
We run semi-structured interviews with those managers and employees from the partner companies and showed them our first visual assumptions. This allowed us to iterate and adjust our different maps over the period of several weeks.

Partner journey maps
Why Partner Journey Maps?
/ Overview of steps across specific workflows
/ Make island-knowledge tangible 

customer journey mapping ©Futurice & [NDA] 

IT Systems maps
Why IT-Systems Maps?
/ Understand connections between IT-Systems
/ Inform IT departments about their current meta-architecture 

system mapping ©Futurice & [NDA] 

IT landscape ©Futurice & [NDA] 

Pain Points and opportunity areas
Together with the client we took a reflection moment. We met in-person and went through all the findings we had collected. 
We used the journey maps and identified pain points along the steps. We discussed the importance of the different pain points and formulated opportunity areas around clusters.

pain point mapping ©Futurice & [NDA] 

IDeation: How might we questions
For a second workshop we processed the pain points and opportunity areas and prepared overarching HMW-Questions. 
In quick rounds we gathered first ideas and improvements using the questions.

opportunity workshop ©Futurice & [NDA] 

Documentation & strategic advises
Each project phase was concluded by documenting the findings and visual maps. This also included looking at the big picture and making strategic recommendations on where and how processes could be improved.

My takeaway

Process Mapping = A Puzzle

Validating our system maps and process maps was like playing a puzzle. With each interview we got a new part which complemented the bigger picture. 

Allocating clear roles for the project also for our client helped us move forward in a fast and effective way.

I learned how to steer a process & IT landscape analysis.

process assumption ©Futurice & [NDA] 

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