Dell Inventory Pipeline Tool
An internal SaaS tool for setting up and validating inventory pipelines
This case study is shared under NDA. Every visual is an original schematic with placeholder data: no customer names, account figures, or confidential details appear. Please don't redistribute.
Overview
I led the design of the revamp of an internal Dell tool used to set up and validate inventory pipelines. A pipeline defines how parts move between sites, and the visibility of every shipment depends on it being set up correctly. Dell's client businesses, its internal logistics teams and customer support all rely on that visibility.
My contribution
- Led the design of the revamp as the Senior UX Designer, working on-site at Dell.
- Led two designers on the project.
- Ran discovery with the engineering manager and the three product owners, who owned the APIs, the system build and what went into each release.
- Worked closely with the engineers through design and delivery.
- Led the design of the new flow: route setup, attribute mapping, the pipeline preview, its validation states and saving to a release.
Context
Dell already had an internal tool for setting up inventory pipelines. This was a revamp. The tool had an existing structure, and I built the new design on top of it.
When a pipeline is set up wrong, the data is wrong. Nobody can see how many shipments are happening, when they happen, what is breaking or how to fix it.
I worked on-site at Dell, inside the Dell team, as a consultant through EY. The project ran from January to May 2024.
Team and discovery
I led two designers and worked with three product owners, the engineering team and Dell stakeholders. I worked most closely with the engineers.
Discovery ran mainly with the engineering manager and the product owners. Between them, they owned the APIs, the system build and what went into each release.
The redesign
The new flow takes a user from setting up a route to saving a validated pipeline.
The user first sets the route: where the shipment comes from and where it goes, by region, country and site. Source and destination attributes are then mapped side by side.
The pipeline preview shows each part type as its own lane, running across the sites it passes through, with the steps between sites marked on the line. A table view shows the same pipeline as rows.
Validation sits on the preview. A pipeline either passes or fails, and a failed pipeline marks both the sites and the part where it broke, so it shows where the pipeline broke. The preview also covers the relief case, where the pipeline runs through to the customer.
A validated pipeline is saved against a release target and a project name.
This page is an approved overview under NDA. I'm happy to walk through the work in more detail in conversation.