Experience-based work sample / Illustrative method
Turn a business need into a tested rollout
The problem
A new system can meet a specification while still missing how people actually work.
My contribution
My approach connects discovery, business rules, acceptance checks, and preparation for the people using the system.
The example shows how a need becomes a requirement, a test, a correction, and an adoption plan.
02 / See the thinking in practice.
Explore an example.
01 / Understand
Find the friction before choosing the fix.
Start with how people submit, approve, and process an expense.
Today
Finance does the chasing.
- Receipts arrive by email.
- Policy issues surface late.
- Finance re-enters the data.
- Employees ask for status updates.
Proposed process
The system carries the handoffs.
- One place to submit receipts.
- Policy checks happen up front.
- Approved expenses flow to finance.
- Employees can see the status.
What this showsI connect the pain points to a practical process change.
02 / Define
Make the business rule testable.
Pick a need. See the rule, the design, and the test stay connected.
Catch an over-limit expense before finance has to chase it.
- The rule
- An expense above the policy limit needs a reason and a second approver.
- How it works
- Check the amount at submission. Ask for a reason when the limit is exceeded, then route the exception for approval.
- What I’d test
- Submit an over-limit meal: block it without a reason; with a reason, require the second approver.
See the requirement-to-test link
REQ-04 → policy check and exception fields → TC-12
Sample result: Pass
Get a request to the right decision-makers.
- The rule
- Standard expenses go to the manager. Higher amounts also need the department head.
- How it works
- Use the amount and cost center to choose the approval route.
- What I’d test
- Submit an expense above the threshold: require both approvals in the correct order.
See the requirement-to-test link
REQ-09 → amount-based approval matrix → TC-20
Sample result: Pass · reminder timing adjusted
Post approved expenses to the right finance account.
- The rule
- Every approved expense needs a valid account and cost-center mapping. Missing mappings must raise an exception.
- How it works
- Use a scheduled export and a mapping table maintained by finance.
- What I’d test
- Submit an expense with a new cost center: flag the missing mapping, correct it, and retest.
See the requirement-to-test link
REQ-15 → mapped finance export and exception report → TC-31
Sample result: Fail → fix → Pass
What this showsI turn a business need into something a team can build and verify.
03 / Test
A failed test is a problem to solve.
Test with the people who will use the system. Track the fix through a retest.
Over-limit expense
A reason and second approver are required.
Higher-value approval
Manager and department head approve in order.
New cost center
The approved expense reaches the right finance account.
Receipt capture
The user can correct text read from a receipt.
Illustrative results. The retest demonstrates the method; it does not run a live finance system.
What this showsI investigate failures, coordinate the correction, and verify the result.
04 / Adopt
Make the new way easier to use.
A launch needs more than a working system. People need a clear path through it.
Make the steps usable
Update the guide so people can follow the new process.
Practice the real tasks
Train people on submissions, approvals, and exceptions.
Give questions a home
Name the support owner and explain how to get help.
Check whether it sticks
Review usage and recurring issues, then improve the process.
What this showsI plan for the people using the change, including support and improvement after launch.
03 / Bring it back to the role.
What this demonstrates.
I keep requirements, testing, and adoption connected to the original business problem.
Project scope and example context
Fictional scenario grounded in my professional methods. Records, test results, and rollout details are illustrative.