Organization Structure Standardization

Project Overview

Client

Siskinds LLP

Timeline

2019-2022

Role

Senior Programmer Analyst

Technologies

Business Process DesignData ManagementStakeholder CommunicationProject ManagementSystems Integration

Project Summary

Led a cross-functional initiative to standardize organizational structure across all business applications and processes, driving data consistency, enabling accurate reporting, and improving operational efficiency across the enterprise.

The Challenge

The organization faced significant challenges due to inconsistent organizational structure representations across various business applications, leading to data discrepancies, reporting inaccuracies, and process inefficiencies.

Key challenges included:

Inconsistent organizational hierarchies and naming conventions across multiple business applications
Difficulty in generating accurate cross-system reports due to structural data inconsistencies
Inefficient processes requiring manual reconciliation of organizational data between systems
Lack of clear data ownership and governance for organizational structure information
Resistance to change from multiple departments with established processes
Complex stakeholder landscape with competing priorities and requirements

The Solution

I championed and led a comprehensive initiative to standardize organizational structure across all business applications and processes, establishing a unified approach that improved data consistency and operational efficiency.

I developed a comprehensive solution to address all the key challenges.

Current State Analysis

Conducted a thorough assessment of organizational structure implementation across all business applications. Identified inconsistencies, documented varying approaches, and created a comprehensive map of how organizational data was being used across the enterprise.

Standardization Framework

Developed a unified organizational structure framework that could meet the needs of all business applications while maintaining data integrity. Defined standard field definitions, hierarchical relationships, and naming conventions that would be applied consistently.

Stakeholder Alignment

Facilitated communications between stakeholders from multiple business applications to build consensus on the standardized approach. Conducted workshops to address concerns, demonstrate benefits, and secure buy-in for the initiative from all affected departments.

Implementation Strategy

Created a phased implementation plan that minimized business disruption while systematically updating each system to the new standardized structure. Developed a comprehensive testing strategy to validate consistency across applications throughout the implementation.

Development Process

Discovery & Assessment

Spent eight weeks thoroughly documenting the current state of organizational structure implementation across all business applications. Interviewed key stakeholders, analyzed data models, and identified critical interdependencies between systems.

Framework Design

Collaborated with representatives from each business application to design a standardized framework that could accommodate all legitimate use cases while eliminating unnecessary variations. Created detailed specifications for field mappings, data transformations, and validation rules.

Stakeholder Engagement

Conducted a series of stakeholder workshops to demonstrate the proposed standardization approach, address concerns, and refine the implementation strategy. Established a governance committee with representatives from key departments to oversee the initiative.

Technical Planning

Identified necessary fields within each business application to unify required data. Developed detailed technical implementation plans for each system, including data migration scripts, API modifications, and configuration changes needed to adopt the standardized structure.

Testing & Validation

Created a comprehensive testing plan to validate consistency across applications. Established data quality metrics to measure improvement and developed automated validation scripts to verify organizational data integrity across systems.

Phased Implementation

Executed the implementation in phases, starting with less critical systems to refine the approach before tackling core business applications. Maintained detailed tracking of progress, issues, and resolutions throughout the implementation.

Results & Impact

100%

Consistency achieved across business applications

75%

Reduction in data reconciliation efforts

60%

Improvement in reporting accuracy

The project delivered significant benefits for the client:

Improved efficiency and reduced processing time
Enhanced data security and compliance
Better user experience for staff and clients
Scalable solution for future growth

Technical Highlights

Unified Data Model

Designed a comprehensive organizational data model that served as the single source of truth for all applications. This model captured the full organizational hierarchy, reporting relationships, and business attributes needed across the enterprise.

Cross-System Validation

Developed automated validation processes that regularly verified organizational structure consistency across all integrated systems. These checks flagged any deviations for immediate correction, ensuring ongoing data integrity.

Change Management Process

Established a formal change management process for organizational structure updates that ensured all systems were updated consistently. This included request workflows, approval mechanisms, and synchronized implementation procedures.

Integration Architecture

Created a hub-and-spoke integration architecture that propagated organizational structure changes from a master system to all connected applications. This design eliminated the need for manual updates in multiple systems while maintaining data consistency.

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