Isolation flow
Tests and Vaccinations on (internal) Staff Profiles
Uploading tests in-app
SITUATION
In March 2020, at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a leading UK carer agency faced a critical challenge. As the country entered a series of lockdowns, care homes and hospitals ceased hiring agency staff to reduce infection spread. This sudden change threatened the agency's operations and the livelihoods of its care staff. The pandemic also necessitated a shift to remote work, adding an extra layer of complexity to addressing this challenge.
TASK
As the Product Manager with a UX background, I was tasked with rapidly designing and deploying a comprehensive, multi-platform COVID test and vaccination tracking system, all while working remotely. This system needed to:
1. Enable staff to self-isolate when necessary.
2. Record and verify staff COVID test results.
3. Track staff vaccinations.
4. Provide evidence to clients that staff were safe to work.
2. Record and verify staff COVID test results.
3. Track staff vaccinations.
4. Provide evidence to clients that staff were safe to work.
The project had to be completed quickly to meet urgent market demands and evolving government regulations across England, Scotland, and Wales, with all collaboration and implementation occurring in a virtual environment.
ACTION
Research and Planning
1. Conducted thorough research on legal requirements for agency staff across the three devolved administrations, utilising online resources and virtual meetings with legal experts.
2. Engaged with clients via video conferences to understand their evidence requirements for staff testing and vaccination.
3. Formed a cross-functional task force including Clinical Governance, Operations, Technology, HR, and Marketing Communications teams, coordinating efforts through virtual platforms.
4. Established a daily virtual meeting cadence and created a Confluence wiki to ensure alignment on current policies and system capabilities, crucial for maintaining clear communication in a remote setting.
Design and Development
1. Leveraged my UX background to design user journeys and wireframes for four key processes, sharing and iterating designs through online collaboration tools:
• Self-isolation reporting.
• Test result uploading and recording.
• Vaccination status tracking.
• Client-facing evidence display.
• Test result uploading and recording.
• Vaccination status tracking.
• Client-facing evidence display.
2. Collaborated with developers via video calls and shared coding environments to implement a flexible solution using embedded webpages in the React Native staff app, allowing for rapid updates without app store submission cycles.
3. Integrated Amazon Textract service to automate the extraction of test result data from uploaded images, with a manual verification process for low-confidence results, all managed through remote workflows..
4. Designed an evolving system for recording vaccinations, progressing from photo uploads to QR code scanning, adapting to the changing landscape of vaccination evidence.
5. Created the "COVID-Shield" concept to quickly communicate staff eligibility status to clients, presenting and refining the idea through virtual stakeholder meetings.
Implementation and Communication
1. Worked with HR to update staff contracts and implement in-app agreement processes, coordinating efforts through video conferences and shared document platforms.
2. Collaborated with Marketing Communications to keep clients and staff informed about new laws, guidance, and system usage, utilising email campaigns, virtual town halls, and in-app notifications.
2. Ensured the system was scalable to handle approximately 12,000 staff members taking tests twice weekly, stress-testing the system through remote simulations.
Flow Chart for Self-Isolation
Web-App Page
Results
1. Successfully deployed a comprehensive COVID tracking system within tight time constraints, enabling the agency to continue operations during the pandemic, all while coordinating efforts remotely.
2. Maintained compliance with rapidly changing government regulations across three administrations, demonstrating agility in a remote work environment.
3. Restored client confidence in agency staff safety, preserving business relationships and staff employment opportunities, despite the challenges of remote communication and implementation.
4. Automated test result verification, significantly reducing manual workload and potential for human error, crucial for managing large-scale data remotely.
5. Created a flexible system capable of adapting to evolving pandemic-related requirements, such as booster shots and seasonal flu vaccinations, showcasing the ability to innovate and iterate in a virtual setting.
PCR Upload
PCR Manual Check Failure
Upload Vaccinations
Displaying vaccination status in internal systems
Additional Work
• Automated in-app staff contract updates, to include the company's new policy on COVID testing and vaccination, streamlining processes in a remote work environment.
• The inclusion of seasonal flu vaccinations, as requested by clients who had become used to the reassurance of seeing vaccinations in staff profiles, demonstrating responsiveness to client needs even in a virtual context.
• The winding down of isolation policies across the three devolved administrations, managing complex policy changes through remote coordination.
Award
In April 2022, I received an award "for outstanding services to the business" in recognition of my key role in this project, highlighting the significant impact of the COVID tracking system on the agency's operations and success during the pandemic. This achievement underscores the effectiveness of remote project management and cross-functional collaboration in times of crisis.
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