Fortune 50 telecommunications company
Verizon
Telecommunication, E-commerce, Enterprise
Enterprise Project Execution Prioritisation for CXO team
Role
UX Strategist
UX Design
User Researcher
UI Design
Prototyping
Duration
Phase I - 5 Months
Phase II - 4 Months
Teammates
Design - Me
Business Partner -
Content Strategist -
Tools
Figma
Figjam
Usertesting.com
About
A leading global Fortune 50 telecommunications company is dedicated to transforming how people connect, work, and engage with the digital world. Known for a strong focus on innovation and customer-centric solutions, this company consistently pushes the boundaries of connectivity—empowering individuals, businesses, and communities.
They offer a wide range of services, including mobile communications, broadband internet, and digital solutions, ensuring seamless connectivity across various aspects of life. The company maintains a robust market presence with significant annual revenue, ranking prominently among the largest corporations globally. Its commitment to sustainable long-term growth is reflected in consistent shareholder returns and strategic investments.
Beyond its business achievements, the company is deeply invested in corporate social responsibility. It has pledged substantial funding toward initiatives that promote digital inclusion, environmental sustainability, and responsible product innovation. These efforts focus on bridging the digital divide, minimizing ecological impact, and developing technologies that improve everyday experiences.
At its core is a diverse and talented workforce united by a mission to create meaningful impact. The company prioritizes employee growth, well-being, and work-life balance, fostering a culture of innovation and inclusivity across its global operations.
As a pioneer in the telecommunications industry, this company continues to shape the future of technology and connectivity, delivering intuitive, user-focused solutions that enable people and businesses to thrive in the digital age.
Context & Problem
A Fortune 50 global telecommunications leader faced increasing challenges with executive-level project execution. When CXO-driven, high-impact initiatives were introduced, they often clashed with the carefully planned roadmaps of multiple departments.
To accommodate these urgent initiatives, business units were forced to delay or reshuffle existing commitments, creating ripple effects across product groups. This led to:
Disrupted departmental roadmaps
Inefficient manual processes for alignment and feasibility analysis
Complex stakeholder dependencies that slowed execution
The organisation needed a centralised enterprise platform that would streamline intake, feasibility checks, and execution of CXO-level projects — without derailing existing roadmaps.
My Role
As the Experience Designer & Project Lead, I led a 3-month initiative to conceptualise, prototype, and launch this platform from scratch. My responsibilities included:
Driving the UX strategy using a Lean UX approach
Collaborating with CXOs, product leaders, GTS (Global Technology Solutions), and PMO teams
Leading design workshops, rapid prototyping, and validation cycles
Facilitating alignment across complex stakeholder structures
Presenting to executive leadership for funding and approval
Goals
Enable CXO requesters to evaluate feasibility of strategic projects without manual bottlenecks.
Provide transparency into the impact of new initiatives across departments and product areas.
Streamline intake and execution by automating what was previously a manual, error-prone process.
Deliver an MVP platform that could demonstrate immediate value and gain traction with leadership.
Design Process
Given the urgency of this initiative and the high-level stakeholders, I adopted a Lean UX process:
Sketch → Present → Critique → Prototype → Validate
Frequent working sessions with CXOs and product leaders
Iterative validation of hypotheses before scaling
Early prototypes presented to executive forums for feedback and budget approvals
Organisational Complexity
Navigating this project required deep stakeholder alignment:
Multiple product domains and groups impacted by shifting priorities
Cross-functional teams in GTS (Global Technology Solutions), each with layered leadership (Directors, PATLs, PTLs, Scrum Masters, Engineers)
Dependencies across review boards, PMO, and CXO offices
This ecosystem required a platform that could centralize visibility and decision-making.
GTS team structure
Business team structure
Old Process (Before)
Previously, the CXO intake process was highly manual and fragmented:
Requesters built a business case and presented to CXOs.
Once approved, they filled lengthy intake forms.
They manually tracked down impacted stakeholders across multiple ACTs (Agile Component Teams).
They attempted to reconcile competing roadmaps — a time-consuming and error-prone process.
Pain Points:
Slow project initiation
High dependency on individuals to chase approvals
No single source of truth for feasibility and alignment
Stakeholder builds a business case document
Present and get approvals from the business CXo team
Fills in the requirement with date, story points, acts, product areas etc
Tries to find different stakeholders and understand their roadmap etc
Aligns this high level initiatives to their roadmap
New Process (After)
The new enterprise platform replaced inefficiencies with a streamlined digital workflow:
Requesters land directly on the platform after approval.
They submit intake details once — the system centralizes requirements.
Automated tools (including AI-assisted feasibility checks) and PMO workflows guide the requester.
Review boards coordinate impacted ACTs, enabling structured decisions (reallocation, rescheduling, capacity augmentation, etc.).
Execution is aligned seamlessly with departmental roadmaps.
Outcome:
Faster project feasibility checks
Smoother execution of large-scale projects
Reduced friction between CXO requests and departmental commitments
Higher ROI through optimised portfolio management
Stakeholder builds a business case document
Present and get approvals from the business CXo team
Fills in the requirement with date, story points, acts, product areas etc
Come to this enterprise and find feasibility for the project and align for execution
User flow
Requester(Business owners)
PMO(Project Management Office)
PSM(Project Senior Management)
review board chair
PATL,PTL,PAL & Product Owners
Project request
Project request
Project request
Project request
Project request
Project details
Project details
Project details
Project details
Project details
View PMO request
View PMO request
Explore feasibility by yourself
Explore feasibility by yourself
Explore feasibility by yourself
Explore feasibility by yourself
Explore feasibility by yourself
Need help?
Need help?
Need help?
Need help?
Need help?
AI feasibility
AI feasibility
AI feasibility
AI feasibility
AI feasibility
Deallocate
Re-schedule
Scope rework
Capacity Augmentation
Reduce estimate
Deallocate
Re-schedule
Scope rework
Capacity Augmentation
Reduce estimate
Deallocate
Re-schedule
Scope rework
Capacity Augmentation
Reduce estimate
Deallocate
Re-schedule
Scope rework
Capacity Augmentation
Reduce estimate
Deallocate
Re-schedule
Scope rework
Capacity Augmentation
Reduce estimate
ASK PMO
ASK PMO
ASK PMO
ASK PMO
ASK PMO
Review Board
Review Board
Review Board
Review Board
Review Board
Total capacity
Project for review
Project for review
Project for review
Project for review
Project for review
Configure total capcity
Executed projects
Executed projects
Executed projects
Executed projects
Executed projects
Scheduled Meetings
Scheduled Meetings
Scheduled Meetings
Scheduled Meetings
Scheduled Meetings
Schedule meeting
Schedule meeting
Schedule meeting
Schedule meeting
Schedule meeting
Edit total capacity
Send for approval to GTS/Product owner
Schedule meeting
Assign PMO to project
View projects details
View projects details
View projects details
View projects details
View projects details
View scheduled Meetings
View scheduled Meetings
View scheduled Meetings
View scheduled Meetings
View scheduled Meetings
Total capacity
Ask PMO
Ask PMO
User - Requester
Senior executives who initiate high-impact projects or strategic features and need a streamlined way to drive them from approval to execution.
User - PMO
(Project Management Office)
A centralised governance group responsible for defining project standards, processes, and compliance, while ensuring alignment with organisational priorities.
User - PSM
(Professional Scrum Master)
Facilitates Scrum teams by guiding agile practices, removing blockers, and ensuring smooth execution of project workflows.
User - Review board chair
A designated representative, often a business owner, responsible for overseeing impacted Agile Component Teams (ACTs) and leading feasibility evaluations for proposed changes or implementations.
User - PATL,PTL,PAL & Product Owners
(Review board participants)
Impacted GTS leaders and product owners from affected ACTs who collaborate in review board discussions to assess feasibility and approve or adjust proposed initiatives.
Design Solution
The final MVP featured:
Unified intake dashboard for CXO requesters
AI-powered feasibility analysis for faster decisions
PMO support module for guided project setup
Review board collaboration tools with structured decision paths
Real-time project status tracking for requesters
The solution bridged executive vision with on-the-ground execution, turning a messy manual process into a scalable enterprise workflow.
User - Requester
User goal:
Quickly evaluate the feasibility of a proposed project.
Workflow:
The requester logs into the platform, enters project details, and leverages built-in tools to assess feasibility. They can choose from multiple options — using AI-powered feasibility checks, performing a self-assessment, or requesting assistance from the PMO team.
User - Requester
User goal:
Validate the feasibility of a project with expert support.
Workflow:
If requesters prefer not to run feasibility checks themselves or need additional guidance, they can submit a request to the PMO team. The PMO then reviews the project details, fills in any missing information, and initiates the feasibility assessment process in collaboration with the requester.
User - PMO
(Project Management Office)
User goal:
Support CXO teams by managing and streamlining new project intakes.
Workflow:
When a requester submits an “Ask PMO” request with available project details, it appears in the PMO dashboard. The PMO team reviews the submission, fills in or corrects missing information, and initiates project discussions with the CXO team to formally kick off the intake process.
User - PSM
(Professional Scrum Master)
User goal:
Assist CXO teams in facilitating smooth project intakes.
Workflow:
Once a requester submits an “Ask PMO” request with initial project details, the Scrum Master, along with the PMO, gains visibility into the request. They help refine missing or incomplete information, coordinate with stakeholders, and ensure the project initiation workflow is set in motion in alignment with agile practices.
Scenario : Ask AI & Self feasibility
Scenario : PMO in a box
Scenario : Review Board (Deallocate)
User - Review board chair
User goal:
Evaluate the feasibility of proposed projects and ensure impacted teams can accommodate them.
Workflow:
As the designated representative, the Review Board Chair accesses the platform to view all projects requiring review. They schedule a review board meeting, bringing in the relevant stakeholders from impacted ACTs. During the session, participants discuss different ways to achieve feasibility. One option is deallocation, where the Chair authorises shifting or removing projects from specific ACTs to make room for the new CXO-initiated initiative.
User - PATL,PTL,PAL & Product Owners
(Review board participants)
User goal:
Collaborate with the review board to evaluate feasibility and align project timelines for CXO-requested initiatives.
Workflow:
The Review Board Chair schedules a meeting and invites all impacted stakeholders. During the session, participants review the project details on the platform’s review board page. After discussion, if the consensus is to reschedule, the Chair proposes a new timeline through the platform. Participants review and confirm the adjustment in their dashboards, while the requester is notified of the updated schedule for execution.
Scenario : Review Board (Re schedule)
User - Review board chair
User goal:
Ensure feasibility of new CXO-requested projects while minimising disruption to existing roadmaps.
Workflow:
The Review Board Chair reviews incoming projects on the platform’s review board page and schedules a meeting with all relevant stakeholders. During the discussion, participants evaluate different feasibility options. If the decision is to reschedule, the Chair proposes a new execution date within the platform. The updated timeline is automatically shared with the requester, who can adjust their project schedule through their dashboard to align execution as suggested.
User - Requester
User goal:
Monitor project status and respond to review board feedback.
Workflow:
The requester navigates to the project request tab and checks the execution status in their dashboard. If the review board has requested a reschedule, the requester updates the proposed timeline directly in the platform and resubmits the project for execution based on the new schedule.
Scenario : Review Board (Scope rework)
User - Review board chair
User goal:
Assess feasibility of new CXO-initiated projects and recommend adjustments to ensure alignment with available capacity.
Workflow:
The Review Board Chair accesses the platform to review incoming project requests and schedules a meeting with the impacted stakeholders. During the session, participants explore feasibility options. If the decision is scope rework, the Chair suggests modifying the requested project capacity within the platform. The updated proposal is shared with the requester, who can then adjust capacity values in their dashboard and realign the project for execution as recommended.
User - Requester
User goal:
Track project status and adjust scope based on review board feedback.
Workflow:
The requester uses the platform’s project request tab to check the status of submitted projects. If the review board recommends a scope rework, the requester updates the project capacity directly in their dashboard and resubmits the project for execution with the revised scope.
Scenario : Review Board (Capacity Augmentation)
User - Review board chair
User goal:
Ensure feasibility of CXO-initiated projects by adjusting team capacity where needed.
Workflow:
The Review Board Chair reviews incoming project requests on the platform and schedules a meeting with impacted stakeholders. During the discussion, participants evaluate feasibility options. If the decision is capacity augmentation, the Chair initiates updates to existing ACT capacities within the platform — for example, adjusting capacity levels if prior reports indicate misalignment. This enables the organization to create the necessary bandwidth for the new project to proceed.
Scenario : Review Board (Reduce estimate)
User - Requester
User goal:
Monitor project status and adjust estimates based on review board recommendations.
Workflow:
The requester accesses the project request tab and navigates to the execution section to review the status of submitted projects. If the review board recommends a reduce estimate adjustment, the requester updates project capacity, ACT allocations, or enterprise release (ER) timelines directly in their dashboard. Once the changes are made, the project is resubmitted for execution under the revised estimates.
User - Review board chair
User goal:
Facilitate feasibility of new CXO-requested projects by optimising resource estimates and timelines.
Workflow:
The Review Board Chair reviews projects requiring feasibility assessment on the platform and schedules a meeting with the impacted stakeholders. During the session, participants evaluate options for accommodating the project. If the decision is reduce estimate, the Chair requests that the requester lower the capacity required for certain ACTs or adjust enterprise release (ER) timelines. This allows execution to be spread across a longer or shorter duration, creating flexibility for the new initiative without overwhelming existing teams.
Impact & Results
Streamlined project feasibility — reducing initiation from weeks to days
Increased leadership confidence through transparent decision-making
Adoption across CXO and PMO teams, validating the platform’s value
Improved ROI by ensuring high-priority initiatives executed without derailing existing commitments
Reflection & Learnings
Lean UX works best for executive-driven projects where speed and alignment are critical.
Stakeholder mapping upfront was essential to untangle dependencies.
Building an MVP-first approach secured leadership buy-in early and allowed iterative scaling.
If repeated, I would integrate change management workshops earlier to smooth adoption across impacted ACTs.