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Reflection – Visualization

By Bilal Khan

Challenge & Selection:    Visualization is one of the widely used design thinking tools which is easy to prepare  and comprehensible by different stakeholders. If there is a gap in understanding  among different stakeholders of the same thing, then the presentation is not correct.  In order to ensure clear intelligible communication of the problem we can use  visualization. This design thinking tool brings all the stakeholders on to the same  platform of understanding and eradicates any communication gap or any kind of  misunderstanding. Through the visualization processes everyone sees through the  same glass. I have used this process in process map visualization in my previous work  where we were stuck on a problem.

Application:

During my engagement with a real estate company I was assigned a project which  involved construction of a residential housing complex and selling the apartments to  customers. The process included a couple of steps - First, the project team would  complete the work. Second, the project team would hand over the apartments to the  Customer Relationship Management (CRM) team. The CRM team would then inspect  the completed apartments and provide feedback to the project team. The  implementation of the feedback would be done by the project team. After the changes  suggested by the CRM team had been done, the Customers would inspect the  completed apartments. Post inspection by the customers and final changes, if any  requested by customers, the apartments would be handed over to the customers. The  CRM team was primarily responsible for the handover, which should have happened  within seven days after the CRM team had taken the handover from the project team.  However, this process would take much longer sometimes up to 30 days instead of 7  days. To understand the problem, delay in the final handover to the customer, we  created  a  process  map  for  visualization  of  the  problem.

After perusing this visualization map, we understood that the feedback  implementation process was being done twice, and the inspection by the CRM team  and the customers was being done separately. After discussions with the project and  the CRM teams, I suggested to merge the inspection by the CRM team with that by the  customers. This would help the project team work on the rectification at one go.

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When the inspection by the CRM team and the Customers were done in parallel, the  time interval between the first and final handover decreased. The final handover to the  customers was indeed achieved in seven days after the initial handover by the project  team to the CRM team.

Insight & Approach:

After using the visualization tool for process mapping, we understood that different  stakeholders (Project team, CRM team, and customers) view the problem with the  same lens, and understand with the same reasoning. This tool helped all to understand  the root cause problem very easily without much explanation. The creation of the  process map for visualization was easy. For me this visualization tool was really helpful  to understand the problem very easily and could be used in any type of problem  identification. Albert Einstein said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I'd spend 55  minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” I think  this visualization tool in design thinking perfectly justifies the saying of Einstein.


Page 1 of 2 Reflection – Visualization By Bilal Khan Challenge & Selection : Visualization is one of the widely used design thinking tools which is easy to prepare and comprehensible by different stakeholders . If there is a gap in understanding among different stakeholders of the same thing , then the presentation is not correct . In order to ensure clear intelligible communication of the problem we can use visualization . This design thinking tool brings all the stakeholders on to the same platform of understanding and eradicates any communication gap or any kind of misunderstanding . Through the visualization processes everyone sees through the same glass . I have used this process in process map visualization in my previous work where we were stuck on a problem . Application : During my engagement with a real estate company I was assigned a project which involved construction of a residential housing complex and selling the apartments to customers . The process included a couple of steps - First , the project team would complete the work . Second , the project team would hand over the apartments to the Customer Relationship Management ( CRM ) team . The CRM team would then inspect the completed apartments and provide feedback to the project team . The implementation of the feedback would be done by the project team . After the changes suggested by the CRM team had been done , the Customers would inspect the completed apartments . Post inspection by the customers and final changes , if any requested by customers , the apartments would be handed over to the customers . The CRM team was primarily responsible for the handover , which should have happened within seven days after the CRM team had taken the handover from the project team . However , this process would take much longer sometimes up to 30 days instead of 7 days . To understand the problem , delay in the final handover to the customer , we created a process map for visualization of the problem . After perusing this visualization map , we understood that the feedback implementation process was being done twice , and the inspection by the CRM team and the customers was being done separately . After discussions with the project and the CRM teams , I suggested to merge the inspection by the CRM team with that by the customers . This would help the project team work on the rectification at one go . Page 2 of 2 When the inspection by the CRM team and the Customers were done in parallel , the time interval between the first and final handover decreased . The final handover to the customers was indeed achieved in seven days after the initial handover by the project team to the CRM team . Insight & Approach : After using the visualization tool for process mapping , we understood that different stakeholders ( Project team , CRM team , and customers ) view the problem with the same lens , and understand with the same reasoning . This tool helped all to understand the root cause problem very easily without much explanation . The creation of the process map for visualization was easy . For me this visualization tool was really helpful to understand the problem very easily and could be used in any type of problem identification . Albert Einstein said , “ If I had an hour to solve a problem , I 'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions . ” I think this visualization tool in design thinking perfectly justifies the saying of Einstein .