TeamView

Overview

Woolworths, with over 190,000+ employees, is transitioning towards a more agile operating model. The new agile structures (chapters, practices, squads, etc) no longer fit within a traditional hierarchical org chart, creating a need for a more dynamic and informative solution.

To support this agile transformation, we developed TeamView, a visualisation tool that reflects the ever-changing organisational structure. TeamView marks a significant step in Woolworths' journey towards agility, helping employees to adopt a more agile mindset and embrace change.

ROLE

UX & Project Lead

DEVICES

Desktop

TIMELINE

Jan - May 2023

What's the problem?

Woolworths currently faces these challenges in supporting its agile transformation:

🏢 Traditional org chart does not reflect agile model

The traditional org chart (currently sitting in SuccessFactors) fails to reflect or support the agile transition. The org chart lacks depth and fluidity in illustrating the agile delivery framework, including roles, skills, expertise, and capacity.

🧠 Lack of push towards a more agile mindset

There is insufficient cultivation and embrace of an agile mindset. Agile transformation requires sustained effort and effective change management, yet the existing traditional org chart remains rigid to foster a shift for employees to be more agile.

🕸️ Complexity in Woolworths’ org structure

Woolworths' org structure includes both traditional and agile delivery models. Roles often overlap, with individuals wearing multiple hats and frequent team realignments. This complexity demands a solution that provides clarity for employees regarding their roles, potential career paths, and points of contact.

👥 Impact on employees' engagement

Employees rely on org structures to understand their colleagues, build relationships, and streamline workflows. With most work occurring in agile teams and high movement between these teams, staff struggle to identify who's who in the zoo. These existing challenges lead to employees feeling disconnected.

What did we do?

Our journey to transformation involved the following key stages:

Initial concepts design

Designed 3 distinct conceptual visualisation to determine project direction

Iterative usability testing and prototyping

Conducted 3 rounds of usability testing and synthesised insights to inform design iterations

Co-design workshops

Facilitated stakeholder workshops to gather input in design iterations, fostering collaboration and alignment

Systems thinking and analysis

Examined interrelationships and interdependencies to ensure the tool aligns and caters for different cases

Low, mid and high-fidelity wireframe designs

Creating visual representations of the tool across different fidelity levels

Stakeholder feedback and engagement

Conducted share backs to ensure alignment since the start, assisted with user stories development etc

Introducing TeamView

A dual-mode visualisation that reflects Woolworths’ agile and traditional models

Representing the current structure to improve transparency

Helping employees to understand where they fit in and connect with others

Enhanced search features to help employees find colleagues, understand roles, establish connections quickly, and encourage collaboration

Offering more information and transparency across the organisation

Viewing detailed information about team structure and individual roles to foster a sense of belonging and help employees feel part of something bigger by keeping them well-informed

Project challenges

Balancing business requirements with user needs

Stakeholders had undefined requirements and differing opinions on features, leading to compromises like integrating home and delivery views on one page, which affected intuitiveness. We addressed this with multiple rounds of usability testing and iterative wireframing.

Limited data sets

The lack of comprehensive data sets on team information and employee skill sets limited our design capabilities. The team continuously works to collect and include necessary information to support an agile view. We showcased the ideal future state to inspire action and modified the MVP to work around data limitations.

User behaviour and learnability

Introducing a new tool during agile transformation posed learnability challenges. We tackled this with multiple rounds of usability testing to ensure familiarity and a manageable learning curve.

Initial concepts design

Objective: To identify a preferred direction and any key considerations for wireframes development

We brainstormed and designed 3 initial concepts using design metaphors: space, flora, and network. Each concept had a focal point guiding its visual language and experience. Concept B (flora) emerged as the favourite due to its alignment with the organisational framework and communication style, providing a sense of familiarity.

Co-design workshops

Objective: To consider concept limitations, different user scenarios, and refine the solution so it is relevant and applicable

We conducted a collaborative session with stakeholders and gained alignment on key constraints that cover different scenarios, which informed wireframe developments and direction for usability testing.

Wireframe designs (low, mid, and high-fidelity)

Objective: To create visual representations of the interface's layout, structure, and functionality

We developed wireframes at various fidelity levels to visualise the tool, testing each level before progressing to the next. These wireframes facilitated communication, iteration, and alignment throughout the design process.

USABILITY TESTING

We tested our designs

Objective: To assess the design's effectiveness in helping users understand the Woolworths agile home and delivery structure.

Since the team-based org chart and related terminology in TeamView is a new concept for users, it is not yet intuitive to them. Users need some help to adapt their existing mental model and we can better facilitate the transition.

Conclusion

The development and implementation of TeamView marked an improvement or step in Woolworths' agile transformation journey. By addressing the limitations of the traditional organisational structure and creating a dynamic, dual-mode visualisation tool, we aim to push for employee connectivity, clarified roles, and supported both agile and traditional models.

The iterative design process, informed by extensive user testing and stakeholder collaboration, ensured that TeamView is meeting the needs of users while aligning with business goals.