The Challenge
In July 2025, Rohde & Schwarz North America faced a critical business disruption. The SharePoint-based agreements database—supporting all contract workflows, board resolutions, and legal document management—was experiencing intermittent failures that threatened business continuity.
The immediate crisis:
— Workflow stalls with no user visibility into failure points
— Failed approval notifications requiring manual intervention
— Broken hand-offs between legal and board resolution processes
— No systematic error detection or recovery mechanisms
The bigger picture:
— Legacy SharePoint 2019 platform approaching end-of-life
— Mandatory cloud migration by 2026 conflicting with legal compliance policies
— Growing operational complexity from 20+ years of workarounds and custom code
— User frustration undermining confidence in critical business processes
Project Context & My Entry Point
The Legacy Challenge
The existing system represented layers of technical debt from multiple migrations:
2021: IBM Lotus Notes → SharePoint 2016 (before my involvement)
2022: Legacy system retirement (before my involvement)
2023: SharePoint 2016 → 2019 migration (before my involvement)
2025: Critical workflow failures requiring intervention
When I Joined the Story
Barbara Bunting (Head of Contracts) and Chuck Floyd (Sr. Developer) reached out in July 2025 as workflow failures reached a crisis point. Their request was clear: help us understand if SharePoint is still the right solution, and if not, what should replace it.
My mandate expanded to include:
Immediate: Diagnose UX issues causing workflow breakdowns
Strategic: Define requirements for future-state platform selection
Compliance: Navigate complex legal constraints around cloud adoption
Strategic Approach
1. Crisis Diagnosis Through UX Lens
Rather than diving into technical troubleshooting, I focused on user experience failures that were creating business impact:
Lack of Progress Visibility
— Users couldn't see where workflows stalled (Frank's approval stage)
— No clear feedback when system errors occurred
— Manual follow-up became the default rather than exception
Failed Feedback Loops
— Automated reminders not triggering for pending approvals
— Broken transitions between workflow stages
— Users left guessing about next steps or recovery options
Systematic Communication Breakdown
— Technical errors hidden from business users
— No self-service recovery options
— Escalation as the only resolution path
2. Stakeholder Alignment & Requirements Discovery
I facilitated comprehensive stakeholder workshops to understand the full ecosystem:
Key Stakeholders Mapped:
— Approvers: Barbara, Gregor, Frank (high influence, may block platforms)
— End Users: Contracts Managers, Legal Team, Sales Teams (daily system use)
— Technical: Chuck, Munich IT leads (implementation constraints)
— Governance: Policy/IT Governance, Security/Compliance (regulatory requirements)
Discovery Process:
— Current state workflow analysis with Christine and Jack
— Pain point identification through user interviews
— Technical constraint mapping with Chuck
— Compliance requirement analysis (legal, export control, data sovereignty)
3. Requirements-Driven Platform Strategy
Instead of defaulting to SharePoint upgrades, I led comprehensive requirements gathering to evaluate all options:
Functional Requirements:
— Centralized intake with dynamic form fields
— Real-time workflow visibility and status tracking
— Automated validation and metadata capture
— Role-based access with granular permissions
— Integrated redline tracking and expiration management
Non-Functional Requirements:
— Regulatory compliance (SCA/CLOUD Act considerations)
— Performance targets (sub-2s validation feedback)
— Accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA)
— Integration capabilities (SAP, ServiceNow, M365)
Key Deliverables & Impact
Requirements Documentation
Created comprehensive requirements framework covering:
— User personas and role-based task mapping
— Functional specifications for intake, workflow, and reporting
— Technical constraints and integration requirements
— Compliance framework addressing data sovereignty concerns
Stakeholder Alignment Tools
— Influence/Interest matrix identifying key decision-makers and potential blockers
— Current state process mapping revealing inefficiencies and failure points
— Future state vision balancing user needs with technical constraints
Strategic Business Case
— Developed cloud storage analysis addressing executive concerns:
— Legal risk assessment for different R&S entities (RSA, RSC, German parent)
— Platform alternatives including European sovereign cloud options
— Cost-benefit analysis with 18-24 month ROI projections
— Implementation roadmap with phased migration strategy
Crisis Response Framework
— Immediate UX improvements: Status indicators and manual recovery prompts
— Automated fallback alerts for stalled workflows (48-72 hour triggers)
— Error surfacing directly in user interface rather than hidden system logs
Results & Strategic Value
Immediate Crisis Resolution
— Restored user confidence through improved visibility and communication
— Reduced manual intervention by 40% through better error handling
— Established monitoring framework for proactive issue detection
Long-Term Platform Strategy
— Comprehensive requirements baseline supporting vendor evaluation and selection
— Compliance framework enabling informed cloud adoption decisions
— Stakeholder alignment across technical, legal, and business teams
Organizational Impact
— Process improvement methodology now applied to other legacy system challenges
— Requirements template reused for similar platform evaluation projects
— Cross-functional collaboration model adopted for other transformation initiatives
Lessons Learned & Best Practices
Crisis as Catalyst for Strategic Change
The workflow failures created organizational urgency that enabled comprehensive platform reevaluation rather than incremental fixes.
UX Perspective Reveals Root Causes
Technical teams focused on system errors; UX analysis revealed that user experience failures were amplifying technical problems and creating business risk.
Requirements Drive Technology Decisions
Rather than defaulting to familiar platforms, comprehensive requirements gathering revealed that business needs should drive platform selection, not technical convenience.
Compliance as Design Constraint
Legal and regulatory requirements aren't afterthoughts—they're fundamental design constraints that shape platform architecture and vendor selection.
Stakeholder Mapping Prevents Project Failure
Understanding influence and interest levels across stakeholder groups enabled targeted communication and avoided potential roadblocks from key decision-makers.
Current Status & Future Outlook
Platform Evaluation Phase
Using the requirements framework to evaluate:
— SharePoint Online with modern workflows and Power Automate
— Dedicated contract lifecycle management (CLM) platforms
— Hybrid approaches balancing functionality with compliance requirements
Cloud Strategy Implementation
— Business case approved for tiered approach:
— European sovereign cloud for entities with jurisdictional protection
— On-premises preservation for most sensitive RSA contracts
— Hybrid architecture supporting different risk profiles across R&S entities
Ongoing UX Leadership
— Platform vendor evaluation using UX criteria alongside technical specifications
— Change management planning for eventual platform migration
— Continuous improvement of current system while transition planning proceeds
My Role & Key Contributions
This project demonstrates UX leadership in crisis management and strategic transformation:
Problem Diagnosis
— Applied UX methodology to identify root causes beyond technical symptoms
— Connected user experience failures to business risk and operational impact
— Provided framework for systematic problem-solving rather than reactive fixes
Requirements Leadership
— Facilitated cross-functional stakeholder alignment across technical, legal, and business teams
— Translated complex compliance requirements into actionable technical specifications
— Created reusable methodology for platform evaluation and vendor selection
Strategic Thinking
— Elevated tactical crisis response to strategic platform modernization initiative
— Balanced immediate needs with long-term organizational transformation goals
— Navigated complex regulatory constraints while maintaining focus on user needs and business outcomes
Change Management
— Built stakeholder confidence through transparent communication and systematic approach
— Established sustainable processes for ongoing platform optimization
— Created framework for future transformation initiatives across the organization
This case study demonstrates how UX leadership can transform crisis situations into strategic opportunities, using user-centered design principles to drive systematic organizational change while maintaining focus on compliance, usability, and business value.
