Problem Statement

The Army ECMA faced budget inefficiencies and compliance risks due to outdated, manual software license tracking across 20+ inconsistent spreadsheets. This led to wasted hours, duplicate purchases, and increased audit vulnerabilities, highlighting the need for an automated, user-friendly solution.

• Redesigned software license tracking – Replaced 20+ inconsistent spreadsheets with an automated dashboard, reducing compliance risks and administrative overhead.
• Developed user-friendly procurement workflows – Streamlined device and software acquisition to eliminate redundant purchases and enhance budget efficiency.
• Enhanced data visualization – Built dashboards to provide leadership with real-time insights into software usage, compliance, and cost management.
• Led stakeholder workshops – Facilitated cross-functional design sessions to align product features with mission objectives and operational needs.
• Maintained a traceability matrix – Ensured all requirement changes were tracked, keeping program objectives aligned and audit-ready.

• Project Management- Defined and prioritized user stories and maintained product backlog.

ECMA Executive Leaders: need visibility into the entire procurement process, including request status, approval timelines, and resource allocation. Their focus is on ensuring efficiency and preventing bottlenecks while maintaining control over decision-making processes.

ECMA Procurement Managers: Their needs focus on a more automated workflow that allows for quicker decision-making and processing, without compromising accuracy or oversight.

ECMA Environment Managers: These are the individuals who directly interact with the system to request tools, licenses, or IT equipment. Their primary need is for a streamlined, efficient, and transparent process that enables them to independently manage and track their requests.

ECMA Managers: Responsible for managing budgets, approvals, and tracking expenditures, finance teams play a crucial role in ensuring that the procurement process stays within financial constraints. They need real-time access to spending data, approval statuses, and budget allocations to efficiently manage and approve requests.

Through our research synthesis we determined:

• Procurement inefficiencies were caused by manual processes, lack of visibility, and rigid workflows.
• Manual approvals led to delays; automating requests for pre-approved tools reduced wait times.
• Users were frustrated by the lack of request status updates, highlighting the need for real-time tracking and transparency.
• Automated notifications for license renewals and expirations were crucial to prevent lapses.
• While automation was beneficial, users needed adaptable workflows.
• Automatically routing approved license requests to procurement teams improved turnaround times.

Key takeaways:

• Focus on user-centric solutions
• Clear communication fosters trust
• Provide accessible, flexible tools for independent task completion

As a result, we developed the Software License Management Tool (SliM) within the ServiceNow ITSM platform. This tool automates license tracking, reclamation, and budget management, eliminating the need for manual updates. We made the following design decisions:

Product Road-Mapping: A product roadmap with a clear, phased approach guided SliM from initial research to successful deployment on ServiceNow. Major milestones include test environment migration for validating core features in a controlled test environment, user acceptance testing (UAT) to gather feedback for refining workflows and automated license bundling, and mid-server testing to ensure reliable data

communication between SliM and ServiceNow. This structured rollout ensured a smooth transition, minimizing risks while optimizing usability and efficiency. 

We applied Nielsen Norman usability heuristics to guide our design initiatives. For wireframes and interactive prototypes, we engaged user groups early, allowing us to refine key interactions. In usability tests, we recruited representatives from key user groups to conduct scenario-based testing where users completed common tasks such as submitting license requests and navigating the centralized dashboard. Insights from these tests led to enhanced filtering options, clearer status indicators, and streamlined workflows for license reclamation.

 The implementation of the IT Asset Management Tool led to a 70% reduction in time spent managing software assets and provided 100% visibility into license utilization. It achieved 30% cost savings by eliminating duplicate purchases and improved compliance through automated tracking and reporting.