Mae Berglas Service Designer & Design Strategist
Improving Federal Grant and Loan Processing
Mapping application and review processes to inform Salesforce modernization.
Challenge
USDA Rural Development relied on manual processes and fragmented tools to manage applications and awardees. Redundant tasks and inconsistent understanding of responsibilities made the process difficult to navigate and modernize.
My contribution
I synthesized stakeholder interviews, mapped the current application and review process, and worked with the delivery team to identify opportunities for improvement.
Result
A shared view of the process, its dependencies, and pain points, giving the team a foundation for Salesforce solution planning.
Areas of Focus
Research synthesis, process mapping, cross-functional collaboration, and service modernization
Team
Service designer, UX/UI designer, Salesforce architects, and business analysts
Client
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development
The team needed to understand the process before redesigning it.
The client wanted to streamline grant and loan processing through Salesforce. Understanding the existing service was essential to determining where technology could help.
I synthesized stakeholder interviews into a high-level process map showing the key milestones and participants. This established an initial view of how applications moved through review and where different people contributed.
*Images have been edited to maintain confidentiality
Mapping the details exposed fragmentation and unclear responsibilities.
I expanded the map to capture activities, tools, pain points, and unanswered questions. Comparing stakeholder accounts revealed differences in how people understood the process and the responsibilities of those involved.
The research identified ten tools and platforms used throughout the review process, often supporting redundant tasks. It also exposed misalignment about who owned particular activities. These findings helped distinguish opportunities for automation from issues that required clarification of roles or processes.
A shared process map connected research with technical planning.
I refined and validated the process map with stakeholders, then worked with the Salesforce architect and development team to explore improvements.
Together, we identified opportunities to reduce manual steps and duplication through automation and integrations. The map connected those opportunities to the wider workflow, helping the team discuss how proposed changes would create a more efficient and improved experience.
The work established a foundation for modernization
Clarified the current service
The process map brought stakeholder activities, tools, and dependencies into a shared view.
Identified improvement opportunities
The research surfaced redundant tasks, fragmented tooling, and unclear responsibilities.
Informed solution planning
Collaboration with the technical team translated findings into opportunities for automation and integration, supporting a plan for process improvement.
My contribution helped the team connect its Salesforce planning to the operational process the technology needed to support.