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ProMPT (Pro Material Pricing Tool) is a complete custom application replacing the companies current pricing tool used within the company named Mammoth which is used to help Material Estimators and Business Analysts generate proposals to purchase parts both externally and internally. Basically, ProMPT is an application used by L3Harris Technologies to order ALL parts used in our satellites, communication devices and more.
ProMPT (Pro Material Pricing Tool) is a complete custom application replacing the companies current pricing tool used within the company named Mammoth which is used to help Material Estimators and Business Analysts generate proposals to purchase parts both externally and internally. Basically, ProMPT is an application used by L3Harris Technologies to order ALL parts used in our satellites, communication devices and more.
MY ROLE: Lead UX designer, user research, usability testing & strategy
CLIENT: Procurement and Supply Chain
TEAM: Product Owner, SCRUM Master, Software Engineer(7), System Engineer, Test Engineer, Project Manager, Senior UX Designer
SCOPE: May 2020 - July 2021
Background
Background
L3Harris Technologies Procurement and Supply Chain department team used a custom application named Mammoth to create proposals and quotes to request all sorts of parts to be used within the company four different divisions for their government contracts.
The Mammoth application was becoming outdated for the needs of the Procurement team and already had a backlog of features that were never added to the application. This prompted (no pun intended) the Procurement team to request a new application be developed to suit the current needs of the company.
The Challenge
The Challenge
Procurement and Supply Chain need a new tool that has enhanced features that doesn't hinder the workflow of employees
Goal
Goal
Create a new material pricing tool that improves the Procurement teams workflow while creating proposals.
Methodology
Methodology
User Centered Design (UCD) process beginning with Discovery Research
TOOLS: Camtasia Screen recorder, Axure 9, Figma, Balsamiq, Microsoft Teams, Skype, paper, pencil, marker, whiteboard
Research
Research
During the discovery phase of the UCD process we conducted a series of brainstorms to capture some quantitative data from the employees to understand what features they wanted/ needed.
Understanding the users needs
Understanding the users needs
Gathering all the stakeholders in Procurement and Supply Chain together (remotely). I created a powerpoint and shared the document with everyone via SharePoint so that we all could work together to brainstorm the features needed in the new application.
After discussing and typing out all the features, I created an affinity map categorizing the features. I then had the stakeholders do a dot exercise to prioritize features.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Incorporate all H-Forms into application. H-Forms are different forms used in creating material proposals.
View employees working on proposals
Pull from multiple pricing databases within company without having to make a request to those departments
Capability to generate reports
Brainstorming the layout
Brainstorming the layout
After establishing all the priority features, we then needed to brainstorm the the layout of the application. Since creating proposals was such an extensive process, I invited subject matter experts in addition to my SCRUM team to participate in the ideation session (Again conducted remotely). Showing examples of sketches in powerpoint and microsoft paint, I encouraged everyone to create sketches and this is the result below:
Designing the mvp
Designing the mvp
During the design phase of the UCD process I reviewed the features the employees came up with and aligned them with requirements and created a prioritization of user stories.
Style Tile
Final Mockup
ProMPT proposal grid allows the employee to view previously created proposals or create a new proposal. The employee starts the new proposal in the Details section filling out all the points of contact and general information needed to get the proposal started.
The next section of the proposal will take the employee to the structure tab. This section is where the employee will add all the parts that will make up the structure (ex. jet, radio, satellite etc.). ProMPTs newest feature is that the employee is able to import parts from several databases instead of opening the platforms individually saving the employee time.
Once all the parts are added to the structure, the Material pricers transition into the CML (Consolidated Materials List) section to review each part and are able to do mass or individual pricing to make sure they are buying the parts at the best price possible.
The CML section also allows the employee to view the price history from each vendor to as well as look at what parts may already be available internally before purchasing a part externally.
This part is crucial in ensuring that L3Harris is not wasting money and actually acquiring the best deals possible saving the company over a million dollars mitigating waste.
Takeaways and Next Steps
ProMPT is probably the most robust tool I have ever worked on by having so many features baked into the application. Something I learned about myself during the course of this project was that my coworkers and customer really valued my input not just from a user experience perspective but also from a project management as well.
Though I worked on a great team with a Project Manager and SCRUM Master and Product Owner I noticed they leaned on my opinions and often asked me to facilitate meetings that I didn't necessarily need to be a part of.
Over the year, I learned they looked to me as an unofficial team lead as I often was mentoring and consulting with the members on the team I realize I like leading, and especially mentoring as the it's a mutually satisfying experience.
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