Overview
Implemented within Workday using Org Studio and mass actions to reimagine how organizational structures were modeled and maintained.
Goal: enable organizational modeling and bulk change capabilities that made structural planning more efficient and human-centered.
Role: senior systems analyst applying UX and systems-thinking principles to translate complex backend configuration into a clear workflow.
The problem
The company introduced new tools for modeling organizational structure, but the default setup was highly technical. HR partners and managers struggled to visualize reporting lines, understand dependencies, and trust that their modeling changes were accurate.
Workflows were inconsistent, and users lacked guidance. Without a coherent experience, adoption would be low and the risk of structural errors high.
Approach
I approached the configuration as a system-design challenge: how do information, roles, and feedback loops interact?
- Interviewed HR partners and managers to understand their mental models for planning.
- Mapped dependencies among positions, security roles, and approvals to uncover where confusion emerged.
- Created user-journey and system-dependency maps to align how the system thought with how people worked.
Solution
I designed a unified experience that balanced precision with clarity.
- Simplified the modeling interface by streamlining approval routing and default prompts.
- Added contextual guidance to help users understand impact before committing changes.
- Developed role-specific help documentation that matched each audience’s vocabulary.
The final configuration allowed teams to visualize and execute organizational updates confidently, without heavy administrative intervention.
Impact
The new system reduced friction, improved decision-making, and built confidence across HR and management teams. Users could plan scenarios fluidly and see results in real time, leading to faster, more consistent structural updates.
Reflection
Organizational design isn’t just about structure. It’s about how information flows. The project reinforced that clear systems create confident users.