Process Improvement Case Study
Part of the Business Analyst Roadmap
In short
Find a slow, annoying process, prove why it's slow, and propose a better one with numbers. Few portfolio pieces show business impact this clearly, and you can do it with any office around you.
Document a real or hypothetical process improvement — As-Is mapping, gap analysis, and a To-Be recommendation with expected impact, showing Phase 4's process modeling skills.
Think of it like this
Fixing the ticket counter queue
One long line at the railway booking window, because seniors, tatkal and enquiries all wait together. Split it into an enquiry desk and two booking lines, and waiting drops. Your case study does this: show the jam, fix the flow, measure the gain.
Watch it happen
The case study structure
1/5Map the current process as a swimlane diagram after watching it happen and talking to the people doing it.
The big ideas
What you need to know
Before and after maps
Put As-Is and To-Be diagrams side by side. The reader should spot the change in seconds.
Numbers, even rough ones
Time a few real cases. 'About 4 days, based on 12 requests I tracked' beats 'it's slow'.
Root causes, not symptoms
Explain why the delay happens: a missing form, an extra approval, unclear ownership.
A realistic rollout
Add who needs to agree, quick wins first, and how you'd track whether it worked.
See it in code
Walk through the code
1B2: 4.2 (As-Is avg days per request)2C2: 1.5 (To-Be estimated avg days)3D2: 60 (requests per month)4E2: =(B2-C2)*D25 (days of waiting saved per month)6F2: =(B2-C2)/B27 (percentage improvement, format as %)1/3Inputs: your measured baseline, your estimate and the volume.
A tiny impact model. Simple, transparent maths is fine, as long as you say where each input came from.
Save yourself the pain
Common mistakes
Oops
Only showing the To-Be process.
Do this instead
Show the As-Is with its problems first. The improvement only makes sense next to the before.
Oops
Claiming '80% faster' with no data.
Do this instead
Base estimates on observed cases and list your assumptions. Honest maths builds trust.
Your mission
Milestone 1: the As-Is
Quick check
Your To-Be removes one approval step. What makes the case study convincing?
Go deeper
- 1Choose a process you have genuine insight into, ideally one with a real inefficiency.
- 2Show your As-Is and To-Be maps side by side with clear reasoning for the changes.
- 3Estimate the expected impact (time saved, cost reduced) of your proposed improvement.
More projects at this stop
End-to-End Requirements Case Study
Business Case & ROI Analysis Project
Data Analysis & Dashboard Project
Agile Backlog Management Case Study
Stakeholder Management Case Study
Portfolio Website or Document Showcase
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