Scalie (MVP)

Scalie.com aims to boost operational efficiency in managing bench resources. In the past, the process was entirely manual, with admins receiving vendor calls and updating Excel sheets.

The introduction of panels for vendors, clients, and admins streamlines the process. Although currently in the MVP stage, Scalie is designed for scalable expansion.

The Problem: Explained

Previously, The organization was managing bench resources through a manual and inefficient process. Vendors communicates with company executives, listing available bench resources through phone calls or emails. Subsequently, this data was stored manually in Excel spreadsheets. When a client required resources, they contacted the executive, who shared the entire list of bench resources for the client to manually sift through and select suitable candidates.

This manual process resulted in various challenges:

1. Ineffective Data Management: Storing bench resource information in Excel sheets led to data inconsistencies, version control issues, and a lack of centralized and easily accessible information.

2. Limited Visibility and Accessibility: Both managers and bench resources lacked real-time visibility into available skills and preferences, leading to delays and missed opportunities.

3. Time-Consuming Resource Matching: The process of manually sharing the entire list of bench resources with clients caused delays, making the resource selection process time-consuming and laborious.

4. Risk of Errors and Inefficiencies: Manual handling increases the risk of errors, such as outdated information, overlooking suitable resources, and inaccuracies in the data shared with clients.

User Profiles

I categorized the stakeholders into three distinct groups based on their roles and interactions within the bench resource management process:

1. Clients: Clients engage with the company to select bench resources for their projects.

2. Vendors: Vendors represent external parties providing bench resources to the organization.

3. Admin (Internal team): The Internal Team or Admin serves as the intermediary managing bench resources within the organization

Qualitative Interviews

For the user research phase, I conducted qualitative interviews with vendors, clients, and the company executive, aiming to grasp their perspectives on the existing manual process.

• "The process of listing bench resources has been a bit tedious. It's mostly done over calls and emails, and sometimes, it's hard to keep track of all the available resources at once." ~ Vendor

• "Every time we need resources, we receive a comprehensive list of available candidates. It's challenging to sort through all the options and find the right fit for our projects." ~Client

• "We receive resources from vendors, and I compile this data into Excel sheets. When clients require resources, I share the entire list with them." ~ Company Executive
  
  

  
  

Competitive Analysis

I conducted an in-depth competitive analysis for Scalie, examining competitors' offerings to identify gaps where we can strategize on those areas and fill market needs.

Key Observations

• Each competitor has a unique focus, some emphasizing remote staffing, others on talent acquisition, and a few offering project management tools.

• Some competitors leverage AI for resource management, but transparency in their algorithms might be limited.

• While some specialize in certain aspects like remote staffing, others lack in providing comprehensive tools for internal bench resource management.

• Varied levels of user experience and scalability were observed across different platforms.

Gap Analysis

There is a gap in the market for a comprehensive tool to manage idle employees in companies. Sometimes, businesses have employees without projects, and they can't let them go or pay them without work. Scalie fills this gap by letting employers list these idle resources, find projects, and manage payroll efficiently

The Solution

Scalie makes it easy for Companies to manage their idle resources

• Users can simply add resources to the panel

• Get interviews scheduled easily

• View active and ended contracts.

  
  

Conceptualization

I started creating the information architecture and low-fi concepts for primary use cases. After having a go-ahead from the CEO, developers, and Stakeholders on the mockups, we began to conduct usability tests with the low-fidelity mockups. Once we had confidence in the design, we began digitalizing designs.

Information Architecture (IA)

Vendor Panel

Client Panel

Admin Panel

Features and Hi-fi Design

Vendor Panel

The Vendor Panel empowers Companies to seamlessly manage and showcase their bench resources. Vendors can efficiently add and update resource details, ensuring real-time accuracy.

In the Panel, users can access a snapshot of total resources.

• Set costs

• Specify resource availability

• Can Offer trial periods.

Scalie Ratings will be given based on their skills once verified by admin.

The automated resume builder simplifies profile creation.

Just Fill in all the details; it will automatically create an organized resume for the resource.

This is the sample Resume created by the Scalie resume builder.

1. Users can view all the Active and inactive Contracts.

2. Can view the Upcoming, Completed, and even Cancelled Interviews for their resources.

Client Panel

In the current MVP stage, no specific panel is available for clients. However, clients can actively participate in initial user testing by signing up on the website and submitting their resource requirements seamlessly.

There are 3 steps to fill out requirements from the clients.

1. Relevant technology for their project.

2. Required years of experience and the number of developers needed.

3. Personal details of the client.

The internal team will reach out to clients for their requirements.

Till then Clients can explore the bench resources available.

Admin Panel

The Admin Panel offers thorough control and supervision of platform operations. Admins can easily access valuable analytics and reports. Admins can perform operations akin to both vendors and clients, ensuring comprehensive management capabilities.

Administrators can effortlessly create contracts by inputting both vendor and client details.

Additionally, they can securely upload legal agreements in PDF format directly onto the panel.

• Admins can schedule interviews with resources listed by vendors.

• Upcoming interviews are seamlessly reflected on both vendor and client panels.

• Admins possess the authority to cancel or reschedule interviews as required for optimal coordination.

• The leads tab allows admins to effortlessly view client-submitted requirements.

• Business Development Executives (BDEs) can manually input requirements.

• Each submission is saved with the BDE's name and lead status for efficient tracking.

User Testing & Feedback

During user testing, I asked Vendors, Clients, and the Internal Team to use the platform for their daily tasks.

For 30 days, I interviewed them regularly to gather different feedback.

This helped me understand how they use the system and allowed us to make improvements based on their insights.

Feedback from the users

Users gave positive feedback on the MVP.
Several bugs were encountered during testing, and continuous fixes in the design were implemented, which resulted in a more usable product.

The features or changes listed below have been incorporated based on the user's feedback during testing:

• Admins can now rate each resource.

• Users can view and add personal info like Aadhar and PAN cards for resources.

• Clients can now see the history of their resource requirements.

• Option to upload PDF files in contracts.

• More filters were added to make it easier to find resources in all panels.

Results & Impact

40% ↓

Reduced resource allocation time by 40%. Increased operational efficiency, allowing for quicker project kick-offs.

25% ↓

Reduced administrative workload by 25%. Freed up time for the Internal Team/Admin to focus on strategic tasks.

20% ↑

Achieved a 20% improvement in data accuracy. Real-time updates reduced errors and ensured up-to-date resource information.

30% ↓

Decreased communication lag by 30%. Improved collaboration and reduced workload for the Internal Team/Admin.

35% ↓

Bench resource idle time reduced by 35%. Improved resource utilization, minimizing downtime and maximizing productivity.

Future Considerations

1. Client Panel: As in the MVP stage there was no Client panel, Developing a dedicated panel for clients should be a priority to provide a more tailored and seamless experience.
   
   

2. Enhancing Automation: Integrating advanced automation for resource allocation and project matching will reduce manual efforts.
   
   

3. Iterating User Feedback: Continuously gathering users' feedback for iterative improvements and feature enhancements.
   
   

4. Mobile Application Development: Developing a mobile application to extend the platform's accessibility can help in business growth.

Thank you for reading!! ❤️

I encourage you to visit Scalie.io, where I've also contributed to the website design. Explore the features, and feel free to share your feedback directly with me on any platform. Your engagement and contributions play a crucial role in our collective success.

For inquiries, collaborations, or further information, please reach out to creativsingh@gmail.com.