The Challenge
A critical payment app project at a leading Dutch insurance firm was on the verge of failure. Business stakeholders in the Netherlands and the technical team in India were interpreting text-based requirements differently, causing constant rework, missed deadlines, and escalating tensions between international teams.
My role
As the Business Analyst leading this workstream, I was responsible for ensuring clear requirements and successful project delivery. When I diagnosed that dense, 100-page documents were creating more confusion than clarity, I knew we needed a fundamentally different approach to communication.
The Process in Action
Phase 1: Identifying the Root Cause
Through stakeholder interviews and project analysis, I discovered that both teams were highly capable but were essentially speaking different professional languages. Cultural and functional divides were turning detailed requirements into sources of ambiguity rather than clarity.
Phase 2: Designing a 'Single Source of Truth'
I led the initiative to map the entire end-to-end payment system visually. This comprehensive diagram connected every user action to its corresponding back-end process, database entry, and API call. The visual map replaced fragmented text documents with one definitive reference that both business and technical teams could trust.
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*Simplified representation of one of the technical process flows
Phase 3: Transforming Team Collaboration
The visual map became the foundation of all project discussions. Instead of debating text interpretations, teams could point to specific diagram elements and ask "Is this correct?" This transformed our meetings from frustrating miscommunication sessions into productive collaboration, allowing business teams to understand technical complexity while helping developers grasp business logic.
The Outcome & Impact
The visual process map delivered immediate, measurable results that saved the project:
Eliminated ambiguity between international teams through shared visual language
Reduced meeting time spent on requirements clarification by over 50%
Restored project momentum, enabling successful final sign-off and delivery
Received direct commendation from client leadership for the breakthrough solution
sanshinedesign@outlook.com
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