Case Study
Timesheet Exceptions
January 2024
Streamlined care staff timesheet exception handling, reducing a Finance department workload and improving the client experience.
Situation
At a prominent care agency, I initially served as a Senior UX Designer before formally transitioning to a Product Manager role. The company faced a significant challenge in their timesheet management process. After each shift, care staff would get their timesheets signed off via their work management app. However, approximately 10% of these timesheets had issues requiring intervention from the Finance department and local office staff. This process was time-consuming, inefficient, and caused considerable inconvenience to clients.
Task
My initial task as a Senior UX Designer was to research and design a solution to streamline the timesheet exception handling process. As the project progressed, I transitioned into a Product Manager role, where I was responsible for leading the development team, writing user stories for sprints, and ensuring the timely delivery of a high-quality solution.
The project aims were to:
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Reduce agency overhead costs
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Minimise client inconvenience
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Improve overall efficiency
Action
Research and Design Phase (as Senior UX Designer)
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Collaborated with the Finance department to categorise timesheet issues into six groups, identifying that 73% could potentially be resolved through our new feature.
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Created user flows, wireframes, and prototypes for a new "Timesheet Validation" section in the client booking platform.
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Conducted usability tests and iterated on the design based on user feedback.
Development and Implementation (as Product Manager)
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Led the development team, writing user stories for sprints to ensure clear communication of requirements.
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Collaborated with UI designers to integrate the new feature seamlessly into our new design system.
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Developed Pendo product tours to introduce and explain the new feature to users.
Strategic Launch
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Implemented a two-phase launch strategy to deliver value quickly:
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Phase 1: Resolving Location and Signature issues (59% of total issues)
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Phase 2: Addressing Start Time, End Time, Break, and Mileage discrepancies (an additional 14% of issues)
Results
The project exceeded expectations:
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Week 1 of Version 1: 69% of Location and Signature issues were resolved by clients on the platform, resulting in a 40% reduction in Finance department workload.
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One Month After Version 2: 89% of all targeted issues were resolved on the platform, leading to a 64% reduction in Finance department workload.​​
These improvements translated to:
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Significant time savings for both the Finance department and branch staff.
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Reduced client inconvenience.
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Estimated savings of six person-days per week in the Finance department alone.
Key Learnings
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Cross-functional collaboration is crucial: Working closely with Finance, Development, and Design teams ensured a comprehensive solution.
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User-centric design pays off: Our focus on usability testing and iteration led to high adoption rates.
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Phased launches can accelerate value delivery: By releasing features incrementally, we were able to demonstrate value quickly and gather feedback for future improvements.
Areas for Improvement
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Implementing a comprehensive change management plan, including a go-to-market product marketing plan for clients, could have led to faster adoption.
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Introducing incentives for clients to use the new system could have led to higher engagement.
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Exploring AI solutions for validating the remaining 8% of Receipt Photos that need manual checking.
Conclusion
​This project not only solved a significant business problem but also marked my successful transition from Senior UX Designer to Product Manager. By leveraging my design background and developing new product management skills, I was able to lead the creation of an impactful feature that saved the company money, improved efficiency, and enhanced client satisfaction.