reducing Workflow Interruptions Through an Impersonation Feature
overview
In the world of audit and accounting, timing and precision are critical. This project aimed to strengthen Suralink's secure file-sharing platform by adding an impersonation feature, allowing firms to maintain consistent workflow even when key team members are unavailable. This feature empowered users on PTO or temporarily unavailable to delegate secure access to colleagues, ensuring uninterrupted file exchange and smooth project progression.
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Problem statement
When team members took PTO or were otherwise unavailable, secure document exchanges were often delayed, disrupting project timelines and creating potential risks around missed deadlines. In an industry where timeliness and continuity are critical, firms needed a reliable way to keep projects moving without compromising the security of sensitive information. Our task was to explore solutions that would enable teams to handle file access gaps seamlessly during absences, ensuring uninterrupted workflows.
Hypothesis
Key Challenges
To test our hypothesis, we conducted interviews with 15 users (accountants, auditors, and administrative staff) to understand their challenges around PTO workflows and document exchange. These interviews revealed critical insights:
Audit and tax deadlines are rigid, and any delay due to personnel absence can have serious consequences. Firms reported that missed deadlines due to unavailability directly impacted client trust and project outcomes.
In large firms, PTO usually follows a formal approval process, where a manager must first authorize the absence, and then an administrator assigns temporary access rights to a trusted colleague.
Users highlighted the need for transparency when delegating access. They wanted assurance that colleagues could manage files seamlessly on their behalf while providing clients visibility into who was handling sensitive data.
Ideation and Solution Exploration
With the insights in mind, we explored several design directions for a solution:
- Delegated Access RequestsWe considered a system where absent users could manually delegate file access. However, this option introduced complexities for users on extended leave, as it required pre-emptive planning and frequent access adjustments.
- Role-Based Permissions AdjustmentsAnother approach was dynamically adjusting role permissions during absences, but this would involve substantial administrative work to track and remove permissions accurately post-PTO.
- Impersonation as a Secure SolutionFinally, we arrived at the concept of an impersonation feature. This approach would allow a designated colleague to temporarily "impersonate" the absent user, enabling seamless file access without needing additional client-facing actions. This solution met our primary criteria of being easy to set up, secure, and transparent.
Solution Design: The Impersonation Feature
Administrators can assign impersonation permissions by selecting an absent user, designating a colleague as the replacement, and specifying the duration of coverage. This streamlined scheduling ensured clear start and end dates, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
Both the absent user and the designated impersonator receive notifications detailing the impersonation period, ensuring visibility and accountability. Clients are also notified, allowing for full transparency around who is managing their files.
We included a tracking dashboard to log all impersonation activity, enabling administrators to review permission histories for compliance purposes. This added visibility ensured that firms could maintain an audit trail, reinforcing trust and data integrity.
Validation and Iteration
Feedback Highlights
- Ease of Setup: Users appreciated the simple setup flow, reporting that it took less than two minutes to assign and schedule impersonation.
- Transparency:Notifications helped maintain client confidence, as clients felt informed about who accessed their files.
- Compliance Tracking:Administrators valued the tracking dashboard, highlighting its utility in managing and reviewing access permissions, especially for internal audits..
Outcomes and Impact
The launch of the impersonation feature significantly enhanced workflow continuity and user satisfaction.
Teams reported fewer delays in document exchange, directly improving project timelines and overall client satisfaction.
Customer feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with users noting the balance of accessibility and security, especially appreciating the transparent notifications.
By logging impersonation activities and ensuring an audit trail, the feature increased firms' confidence in their ability to meet compliance standards, further reinforcing trust with their clients.
Administrators spent significantly less time managing impersonation permissions, freeing them to focus on other priorities.
Conclusion
By beginning with a clear problem, workflow disruptions during absences, and approaching it through iterative research and user validation, we developed a tailored solution that was both secure and user-centered. The impersonation feature not only addressed PTO-related challenges but also reinforced client trust, enhanced operational resilience, and set a new standard for continuity in secure document exchange.
This case study highlights the value of a problem-first approach and the impact of user-centered design in delivering features that balance usability, security, and transparency.