As part of a cross-functional initiative to improve internal operations, I led the revamp of a department’s standard operating procedure (SOP) for budget approvals, which supported 18 national boards. The existing SOP was cumbersome and contributed to frequent delays, errors, and inconsistencies in budget submissions for approval, creating unnecessary friction for both staff and reviewers.

To diagnose the root issues, I conducted interviews with all of staff, reviewed error trends, and benchmarked practices from other departments. The analysis revealed a need for greater standardization, clearer expectations, and a simplified tool.

I redesigned the SOP to include a universal one-page budget summary template, created an accompanying training guide and checklist for accuracy. To support implementation, I facilitated virtual workshops for over 40 staff members and leadership and established clear submission timelines aligned across departments. This not only improved process clarity but also increased confidence in the new system.

As a result, we reduced the average approval time from five weeks to ten business days and improved first-pass accuracy from 40% to 90%. Within the first year, all 18 boards had fully adopted the new process. This project reinforced the value of collaborative design, practical tools, and targeted learning interventions to drive operational improvements.