Design Challenge

What is the problem you are trying to solve?

Our reporting department is overwhelmed by end user requests for new reports or modification of existing ones .We have a backlog of 200 + reports spread across less than 10 people and the report requests generally fall into 3 categories: 1) the requested data is already available to the end user however they do not know how to find it; 2) the requested report is not well thought out and the end users are depending on us to define it for them; or 3) the request is a minor change to an existing report that can be time consuming to put into production due to our change control processes.

How do we reduce the number of requests coming in while at the same time providing access to diverse sets of data, providing a framework in which the data is trusted, and improving our end user experience?

Take a stab at framing this challenge as a question:

How do we empower our end-users to use the tools available for reporting, to explore their own solutions prior to submitting a new request, and reduce their dependence on the report writers to the analytics they need to solve their problems?

Now state the outcome you are trying to achieve:

The key outcome is not meant to be a total solution. The reality is there will always be groups of our end users that will always need curated reports for their jobs. What I would like to do is push some of this report development out into the organization to our early adopters and data savvy analysts. My outcome is to give these users self-reporting tools that allow them to explore curated data sets that we have made available to them. In this scenario we will have multiple curated data sets that will cover areas such as billing, emergency department activity, patient care, referrals, etc. These broad data sets will allow our data savvy users to build their own set of reports, not only for themselves, but for others in their department that might benefit from them. This should allow us to utilize the people who understand the analysis of the data to utilize our experience of collating the data into these broad data sets to make reporting more responsive to our end users needs, but to also reduce their need to submit a new report request due to a lack of data available in their current solutions.

Write down important aspects of the context or constraints that you need to consider:

These could be shifts that we need to see in the ecosystem around the user, or factors that are technological, geographic, or time-based.

• • Self-reporting will require a shift in thinking. Users often used to have curated data sets provided may not be able to transition easily to this type of reporting.
  • These self-reporting mechanisms will need to be built around the initial needs of the early adopters and data savvy users to ensure focus and quick returns.
  • As more of these data sets are adopted considerations on our server hardware might have to be made as end users will require their data to be refreshed on a regular schedule.
  • Self-reporting tools can still lead to end users making mistakes, particularly if they are not as familiar with how data aggregates or the context of the data that they are looking for. This will require on-going training, documentation, and support to keep them on point.

What are some possible solutions to your design questions?

Think broadly. It is fine to … sentence is the same as existing.

• • Hire more report writers.
  • Develop self-reporting tools for our organization.
  • Hire third party vendors to build the reports we are needing.
  • Increase training to ensure users know what tools and data they have available.

Does your original design question need a tweak? Try it again.

How do we empower our end users to use self-reporting solutions that will improve their speed to access, add depth for their research/analysis needs, and allow them to build reports/dashboards that they and their coworkers can use in their day to day operations?

How might we help our end users transition into self-reporting tools rather than depending on specific report development?