Visualization tool as project manager

Challenge & Selection:

We had a new project at our company to create a platform where in end users are  government CIO’s; sophisticated, technical, and smart end users. Our company offers  technical products to help government CIO’s in their daily work. My role was the project  manager. The main challenge was that stakeholders could not agree on the platform  interface design ,although we had great designers on the team but conflicts kept on showing  up on the design each time we meet to showcase it to the stakeholders, and also we had  complaints on the user experience going through the platform. Several designs where  presented but still conflict showed up where time and effort was wasted and as project  manager it impacted my project plan as there was delay on time ,therefore I had a meeting  with the project team to find a solution to our problem there was clearly several point of  views and different mindsets among our stakeholders, therefore after a brainstorming  session we agreed to use design thinking to solve our problem by using the visualization tool  or visual thinking that will help us to unite the stakeholders visual thoughts on the platform  design and user experience flow.

Application:

Our previous approach was that the designers had a meeting or two with the stakeholders  each one alone and then they tried to deliver a design that would meet all there thoughts  together ,so to implement visualization tool we had all the stakeholders in one room and a  whiteboard where they all drew and communicated what they think and would like to see by  the designers and each stakeholder would add and explain to the other his point of view a lot  of discussions happened and designers sketched along ,we agreed by the end of several  workshops that the designers based on the workshops inputs and discussions we had that  we will showcase three designs and agree on one ,after a week we met and surprisingly all  the three designs that we showed to the stakeholders had good votes and an agreement  was done on one, finally after two months of going back and forth on different point of views .

For the user experience part, we used visual thinking in creating the wireframes; a website  wireframe, also known as a page schematic or screen blueprint, is a visual guide that  represents the skeletal framework of a website. Wireframes are created for the purpose of  arranging elements to best accomplish a particular purpose. The purpose is usually being  informed by a business objective and a creative idea. The wireframe depicts the page layout  or arrangement of the website's content, including interface elements and navigational  systems, and how they work together. As we did with the design part we had all the  stakeholders in one room and printed the wireframes and hang them on the wall to better  visualize the user experience flow. stakeholders would draw and comment directly on the  printable wireframes. User experience experts would discuss their point of view as experts to  the stakeholders until we all come to an agreement that all in the room would agree on. We  have conducted several workshops as the platform contains several pages and  functionalities and at the end of each workshop, we would all agree and move on to

development phase. This not only helped us in coming to an agreement and uniting the  stakeholders point of views it actually expedited the project timeline.

Insight & Approach:

This challenge that we faced in the project and by finding the solution by using design  thinking – visualization tool gave me a lesson learned that I actually documented after  closing the project , although there was some resistance from the stakeholders at the  binging as they come from different backgrounds but by starting drawing and explaining on  the white board they eventually came through and started drawing and sketching ,it was so  positive as some drawings where funny it gave some harmony and enriched the  communication throughout the workshops between the team.

I will definitely use this approach again in future projects as it saves time, budget and  insures that stakeholders are all on the same page as these three are major pillars in a  project success.


Visualization tool as project manager Challenge & Selection : We had a new project at our company to create a platform where in end users are government CIO ’s ; sophisticated , technical , and smart end users . Our company offers technical products to help government CIO ’s in their daily work . My role was the project manager . The main challenge was that stakeholders could not agree on the platform interface design , although we had great designers on the team but conflicts kept on showing up on the design each time we meet to showcase it to the stakeholders , and also we had complaints on the user experience going through the platform . Several designs where presented but still conflict showed up where time and effort was wasted and as project manager it impacted my project plan as there was delay on time , therefore I had a meeting with the project team to find a solution to our problem there was clearly several point of views and different mindsets among our stakeholders , therefore after a brainstorming session we agreed to use design thinking to solve our problem by using the visualization tool or visual thinking that will help us to unite the stakeholders visual thoughts on the platform design and user experience flow . Application : Our previous approach was that the designers had a meeting or two with the stakeholders each one alone and then they tried to deliver a design that would meet all there thoughts together , so to implement visualization tool we had all the stakeholders in one room and a whiteboard where they all drew and communicated what they think and would like to see by the designers and each stakeholder would add and explain to the other his point of view a lot of discussions happened and designers sketched along , we agreed by the end of several workshops that the designers based on the workshops inputs and discussions we had that we will showcase three designs and agree on one , after a week we met and surprisingly all the three designs that we showed to the stakeholders had good votes and an agreement was done on one , finally after two months of going back and forth on different point of views . For the user experience part , we used visual thinking in creating the wireframes ; a website wireframe , also known as a page schematic or screen blueprint , is a visual guide that represents the skeletal framework of a website . Wireframes are created for the purpose of arranging elements to best accomplish a particular purpose . The purpose is usually being informed by a business objective and a creative idea . The wireframe depicts the page layout or arrangement of the website 's content , including interface elements and navigational systems , and how they work together . As we did with the design part we had all the stakeholders in one room and printed the wireframes and hang them on the wall to better visualize the user experience flow . stakeholders would draw and comment directly on the printable wireframes . User experience experts would discuss their point of view as experts to the stakeholders until we all come to an agreement that all in the room would agree on . We have conducted several workshops as the platform contains several pages and functionalities and at the end of each workshop , we would all agree and move on to development phase . This not only helped us in coming to an agreement and uniting the stakeholders point of views it actually expedited the project timeline . Insight & Approach : This challenge that we faced in the project and by finding the solution by using design thinking – visualization tool gave me a lesson learned that I actually documented after closing the project , although there was some resistance from the stakeholders at the binging as they come from different backgrounds but by starting drawing and explaining on the white board they eventually came through and started drawing and sketching , it was so positive as some drawings where funny it gave some harmony and enriched the communication throughout the workshops between the team . I will definitely use this approach again in future projects as it saves time , budget and insures that stakeholders are all on the same page as these three are major pillars in a project success .