Design of service backend for new product

Following a drop in revenue streams due to COVID-19, Global Water Intelligence was looking to add product offerings to their new online events. 

I joined the team after a corporate sponsor had been found for a whitepaper pilot, but before it was created.  It was during the creation of the paper that I recognised the need to design the backstage processes more purposefully to avoid potential pitfalls.  This would help to articulate the form of the product, and how to fit that into existing workflows to ensure it was a financially viable product.

Following completion of the whitepaper I facilitated a virtual workshop with a wide range of internal stakeholders.  Not just those involved in the creation of the whitepaper, but the whole journey.  This empathic retrospective evaluated both the content and the process, allowing people to discuss their experiences of working on the project.  

I synthesised these experiences into a journey map and combined this with knowledge about the business to develop a multi-purpose a creative brief, a whitepaper blueprint, and project debrief tool. 

The sales team report that "whitepaper sponsorships practically sell themselves" and they appreciate the tools to help set expectations of the process.  The boost in revenue is accompanied by an understanding of current team capacity that is grounded in research. 

The outputs allowed us to implement lessons learned in subsequent whitepapers.  Staff stress has been lowered, and feedback routes established to continue building on these learnings.  

Honest evaluation improved communication between teams during this period of remote working.  Other areas of the business are utilising the creative outputs to streamline a variety of processes.