solutions

After identifying the key issues, I started thinking about immediate actions that could have a significant impact. After researching management models used by large companies and gathering feedback from team members, I decided to focus on one key concept: automation.

I realized that most of our problems stemmed from a lack of resources and time for task management. While important, task management was usually only given attention during quarterly, monthly, or yearly work reviews. We did not want to allocate a dedicated headcount solely for managing these processes. Therefore, the best solution was to automate as much as possible, minimizing manual tasks for team members while still ensuring data accuracy.

The above is a simulation of the newly improved request page. I consolidated all the necessary information onto this page instead of spreading it across multiple databases like Tasks, which previously caused unnecessary fragmentation. I documented and clearly communicated the responsibilities of each party involved:

• Product Owner: Creates a new request, filling in all necessary details such as Request Name, Type, and Domain, along with specific request content. Once ready, they copy the request link and send it directly to the Design Lead.

• Design Lead: Reviews whether the request meets the necessary criteria. We have specific standards to determine whether a request is valid, but these will not be covered in this case study. Once confirmed, the Design Lead marks it as Valid and assigns a Designer/Writer to handle the request.

• Designer/Writer: Fills in their name under UXD/UXW upon assignment. Once the request is completed, they mark it as Done.

As you can see, I have streamlined the steps required to manage a request to the bare minimum. The remaining processes have been automated using Notion Formula to reduce manual workload and ensure efficiency.

if
(
  empty(prop("Type*")), style("Fill type", "red", "red_background", "c"),
  if
  (
    empty(prop("Domain*")), style("Fill domain", "red", "red_background", "c"),
    if
    (
      not prop("Valid?"), style("In review", "yellow", "yellow_background", "c"),
      if
      (
        and(empty(prop("UXD")), empty(prop("UXW"))), style("In queue", "yellow", "yellow_background", "c"),
        if(prop("Done?"), style("Done", "green", "green_background", "c"), style("In progress", "blue", "blue_background", "c"))
      )
    )
  )
)

I implemented Notion formula to automate request status updates based on specific conditions:

• If the Product Owner (PO) fails to provide required details such as Domain or Type, the status is set to Warning, prompting them to complete the missing information.

• Once all required information is provided, the request moves to In Review.

• If the Design Lead validates the request and marks it as Valid but has not yet assigned an executor due to team overload, the status automatically updates to In Queue.

• When a Designer or Writer fills in their name to confirm assignment, the status changes to In Progress.

• Once the assigned person marks the request as completed by ticking Done, the status updates to Done.

By automating this process, we significantly reduce manual intervention while ensuring an efficient and transparent workflow.

Below is a video demonstration of how this formula works. Pay attention to how the status changes with each action I perform on the request.

What about the issue of ghost requests? I spent considerable time thinking about how to address this problem. Given that we usually require a quarterly report, this is typically the moment when data needs to be filtered. As seen above, I introduced a final boolean property called "Archived", which I automated using a Notion formula.

if(and(not prop("Valid?"), dateBetween(now(), prop("Requested Date"), "days") > 90), true, false)

This formula ensures that if a request is not approved (i.e., not marked as Valid) and more than 90 days have passed since its creation, it is automatically moved to Archived. It is then filtered out from the All tab and placed into the Archived tab. This keeps the data clean and eliminates the need for manual request filtering every quarter during reporting periods. If a request needs to be reactivated, the PO simply needs to confirm with the Design Lead, who can review and mark it as Valid.