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Case Study 03

Streamline

Architecting an Internal SaaS to Unify Project, Client & Resource Governance

RoleProduct Designer
TeamFounder, CEO, Head of Sales, PM, Engineers
StatusLive
Duration1 Year 4 Months
ScopeInformation architecture, workflow modeling, feature prioritization, design system, engineering handoff
01

Executive Context

The organization was operating on fragmented tools: separate project management software, separate client tracking tools, separate resource allocation sheets, and manual reconciliation across teams.

Data existed everywhere. Ownership existed nowhere. Leadership had no consolidated operational visibility.

Streamline was initiated to establish a single operational control system. My responsibility was not interface design. It was defining how projects, clients, resources, and accountability interact inside one structured system.

Designer's Note
16 months on one product changes how you think. You stop optimizing for launch and start optimizing for evolution. Every decision you make at month 3 has consequences at month 14.
02

The Core Organizational Problem

Three structural failures were identified:

Tool Fragmentation

Multiple systems meant duplicated data, conflicting updates, and delayed decisions.

Role Ambiguity

Team Leads, Tech Leads, and Project Managers had overlapping visibility but unclear accountability.

Data Overload Without Hierarchy

Senior stakeholders initially demanded all operational data on one screen. This created cognitive overload and masked real risks.

The issue was not missing features. It was lack of governance logic.

Designer's Note
The biggest insight: fragmentation isn't a tool problem. It's a governance problem. You can consolidate 5 tools into 1 and still have fragmentation if accountability isn't baked into the system logic.
03

Strategic Approach

I structured the system around three principles:

Clarity Before Completeness

Not all data belongs at the top level.

Visibility With Accountability

Access should define responsibility.

Layered Decision Intelligence

Executives need summaries. Operators need task clarity.

04

Architectural Decisions

Layered Dashboard Hierarchy

Instead of a single overloaded dashboard, I introduced Executive Overview (risk & performance indicators), Role-Specific Operational Panels, and Drill-Down Detail Views.

This reduced cognitive overload while preserving full transparency.

Role-Based Governance Modeling

Responsibilities were embedded into system logic, not left to interpretation.

  • Project Managers see lifecycle progress
  • Team Leads see execution blocks
  • Leadership sees risk aggregation
  • Sales sees client impact linkage

Project–Client–Resource Relationship Mapping

Previously, these were isolated. I architected relational linking so resource strain surfaces project risk, project delay impacts client visibility, and client dissatisfaction flags executive alerts.

The system became relational, not siloed.

Designer's Note
The layered dashboard hierarchy was born from a failure. My first attempt was the 'everything on one screen' approach that stakeholders initially requested. It took building it to prove it doesn't work. Sometimes the fastest path to the right answer is building the wrong one first.
05

Cross-Functional Alignment

Worked directly with Founder, CEO, Head of Sales, Project Manager, and Engineering Team.

Key product conversations included:

  • Limiting dashboard density despite stakeholder pressure
  • Prioritizing lifecycle clarity over analytics expansion
  • Deferring non-critical reporting modules
  • Aligning feature releases with operational readiness
Designer's Note
Cross-functional alignment with a CEO, Head of Sales, and Engineering simultaneously was the hardest soft skill challenge of my career. Each stakeholder optimizes for different outcomes. The product designer's job is to find the architecture that satisfies all three.
06

Execution Discipline

The platform evolved iteratively over 16 months. Delivery occurred across multiple controlled releases.

  • Information architecture documentation
  • Workflow modeling
  • Feature prioritization sessions
  • Design system consistency
  • Engineering handoff & refinement
Impact

Measured Results

ReducedTool DependencyConsolidated fragmented systems into one
ReducedCoordination ErrorsClearer accountability across roles
FasterRisk IdentificationEarlier project risk detection
ImprovedDecision VisibilityLeadership operational visibility enhanced
Ownership

Core Contributions

System-level product thinking
Organizational governance modeling
Stakeholder negotiation
Feature discipline
Cross-functional leadership alignment
Data hierarchy structuring
PreviousHotel Management SystemNextTechVault
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FRAGMENTEDSheetsEmailChatTasksCalendarReports?UNIFIEDStreamline

Tool Consolidation: From Fragmented Systems to Unified Platform

Executive Overviewdrill downRole-Specific Paneldrill downDetail View

Layered Dashboard Hierarchy: Executive to Detail View