Challenge : 

 I am a consultant and was brought in by a client to improve their new product development testing   process . They had issues with three key areas in the development process . They had trouble forecasting   resources , tracking test samples and reporting test lab performance . Many departments were involved   in the testing process including design engineering , project management , information technology ( IT )   and test engineering . There were already established processes that were sub - optimized .   Most of the   processes were not documented and people could describe their role but not the entire process .   I had   one month to define the overall problem they were facing and gain cross - functional approval for   potential solutions . 

 Selection : 

 I selected the visualization tool to address this challenge because of the complexity . There were so many   steps to the process it was hard to follow verbally . Most of the users of the process did not understand   the complete scope . They knew the parts they were involved with but not the entire system . In the   visualization video from week 1 , Angela Myer suggested using this tool as non - verbal way show people   what you are thinking . Once people know what you are thinking , you are more likely to achieve a sense   of agreement .   Agreement is key to gaining approval for the potential solutions . 

 Application : 

 To create the visualizations , I needed to understand the new product development testing process   myself .   I met with key stakeholders and used MS Visio on a screen and started creating a process flow   diagram using their input . When the process went beyond the knowledge of the stakeholders , I   scheduled meetings with subject matter experts for those areas . Once the entire process was mapped , I   shared it and made updates accordingly . 

 Once the current state process was mapped , I used the process map visualization to identify issues .   I   numbered each step in the process . We then walked through each step and listed issues encountered to   get a complete picture of the problems . 

 Insights : 

 Mapping the process and sharing it with the team opened a lot of people ’s eyes on how big and complex   the process was .   It also made us realize there was more to the problem than fixing the initial issues   identified . It also got IT more involved in the problem - solving process since they were never involved   with testing new products . They supported the software but did not know how it was used and its   positive and negative impacts . Having a visual also created a common reference point and alignment   that allowed people to communicate more effectively .   Finally , it helped create a common purpose to   move forward with solutions . 

 Approach : 

 Next time I would use the same visualization tools because it did an excellent job gaining agreement on   how the process worked . To improve on this , I would get more people involved early in the mapping 

 process . I had to continually correct / refine the map every time someone was added to the team . If they   were involved at the onset , it would have taken fewer iterations and less time . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: 
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Challenge : 

 I am a consultant and was brought in by a client to improve their new product development testing   process . They had issues with three key areas in the development process . They had trouble forecasting   resources , tracking test samples and reporting test lab performance . Many departments were involved   in the testing process including design engineering , project management , information technology ( IT )   and test engineering . There were already established processes that were sub - optimized .   Most of the   processes were not documented and people could describe their role but not the entire process .   I had   one month to define the overall problem they were facing and gain cross - functional approval for   potential solutions . 

 Selection : 

 I selected the visualization tool to address this challenge because of the complexity . There were so many   steps to the process it was hard to follow verbally . Most of the users of the process did not understand   the complete scope . They knew the parts they were involved with but not the entire system . In the   visualization video from week 1 , Angela Myer suggested using this tool as non - verbal way show people   what you are thinking . Once people know what you are thinking , you are more likely to achieve a sense   of agreement .   Agreement is key to gaining approval for the potential solutions . 

 Application : 

 To create the visualizations , I needed to understand the new product development testing process   myself .   I met with key stakeholders and used MS Visio on a screen and started creating a process flow   diagram using their input . When the process went beyond the knowledge of the stakeholders , I   scheduled meetings with subject matter experts for those areas . Once the entire process was mapped , I   shared it and made updates accordingly . 

 Once the current state process was mapped , I used the process map visualization to identify issues .   I   numbered each step in the process . We then walked through each step and listed issues encountered to   get a complete picture of the problems . 

 Insights : 

 Mapping the process and sharing it with the team opened a lot of people ’s eyes on how big and complex   the process was .   It also made us realize there was more to the problem than fixing the initial issues   identified . It also got IT more involved in the problem - solving process since they were never involved   with testing new products . They supported the software but did not know how it was used and its   positive and negative impacts . Having a visual also created a common reference point and alignment   that allowed people to communicate more effectively .   Finally , it helped create a common purpose to   move forward with solutions . 

 Approach : 

 Next time I would use the same visualization tools because it did an excellent job gaining agreement on   how the process worked . To improve on this , I would get more people involved early in the mapping 

 process . I had to continually correct / refine the map every time someone was added to the team . If they   were involved at the onset , it would have taken fewer iterations and less time .
### Output: 