Goal: Build an internal referral program that was transparent, compliant, and motivating—from submission through reward.

Team: HRIS, Recruiting and Payroll

Role: Sr Systems Analyst designing a cross-functional workflow that connected recruiting, HR, and payroll into a seamless experience.

Strong systems design creates alignment across incentives, visibility, and workflow. I connected multiple business functions into one user-friendly loop.

The existing referral process relied on emails and spreadsheets. Employees didn’t know where to submit referrals or track progress, and HR spent hours verifying eligibility and issuing payments manually. The lack of visibility reduced participation.

I started by analyzing the system dependencies across teams.

Partnered with Talent Acquisition to define referral stages and business rules.

Interviewed employees to learn what motivated them to refer—and what caused frustration.

Mapped the entire referral journey, identifying where visibility broke down between submission, hiring, and payment.

Created an integrated referral flow with transparency built in.

Designed a single-screen referral form with automated data validation.

Connected backend workflows so approvals, notifications, and payments moved in sequence.

Built dashboards showing referral status to employees and recruiters alike.

Authored clear communication templates outlining expectations at each stage.

The new system made referrals simple and rewarding. Employees could track their submissions, HR gained real-time oversight, and payroll processed rewards efficiently. The program became a visible, trusted part of the employee experience.

Operational clarity builds trust. This project reaffirmed how transparent design drives both compliance and engagement.