Field Buddy - Forensic Operations Platform

Mobile-first solution for field engineers reducing manual reporting time by 60%

Mobile

Forensic Engineering

Process Optimization

Case Study Overview

A comprehensive breakdown of the product management approach, from problem discovery to measurable outcomes, following proven PM frameworks.

Problem Discovery

Field engineers working in catastrophe response environments struggled with fragmented documentation workflows. They used handwritten notes, photos saved separately on devices, manual uploads, and weather lookups from third-party websites. This led to missed details, delays in reporting, and inconsistencies across inspection reports. We validated these pain points through shadowing sessions, structured field simulations, and retrospective interviews with engineers, technical writers, and QA leads.

Business Alignment

The Field Buddy platform aimed to:

Accelerate inspection-to-report cycles
Improve quality, consistency, and defensibility of CAT reports
Enhance collaboration across roles (Field Engineers, Engineering Managers, Writers, Reviewers)
Boost platform adoption through user-centered, offline-ready features

These goals directly supported revenue realization, operational efficiency, and reduction of revision cycles in high-volume catastrophe work.

Solution Exploration

Using an iterative discovery + delivery approach, we identified and shipped the following prioritized features:

Role-based dashboards tailored to job-specific workflows and pending tasks
Offline speech-to-text form input with real-time transcription and formatting
Photo uploading from both camera and library with annotation and captioning tools
Weather API integration to auto-insert historical conditions into field forms
AI-generated draft reports to streamline content reuse and narrative scaffolding
Commenting system with @mentions and real-time in-app/email notifications
Visual version history with comparison and revert options
List/map view toggle for assignment geolocation awareness

These features were prioritized based on job criticality, user friction, and integration complexity, ensuring MVPs delivered measurable value before scale-up.

Execution

I led product strategy, scoping, and delivery planning across all features. Key responsibilities included:

Driving discovery through user interviews, usability sessions, and asynchronous input from internal teams
Creating and validating UX flows across web and mobile platforms
Partnering with design, engineering, QA, and technical writing to define success criteria for each release
Orchestrating phased rollouts to field users and facilitating UAT feedback loops
Leading integration efforts with PEMO and downstream reporting systems

We maintained tight feedback cycles through sprint demos, roadmap reviews, and channel-specific testing with active field personnel.

Outcomes & Impact

Outcomes:

60% reduction in time from inspection to report generation
90% of engineers used photo editing and captioning features consistently
85% adoption rate of voice input in field forms
Substantial reduction in rework due to automated data population and structured workflows

Reflections:

In time-critical environments, reliability, speed, and clarity trump interface complexity
Speech and weather integrations unlocked workflow trust and lowered engineer fatigue
Embedding real collaboration into report drafting (comments, version history) turned a documentation app into an operational platform
Cross-functional buy-in was accelerated by building features around actual roles, not abstract personas

Project Artifacts

Supporting materials, frameworks, and deliverables created during the product development process.

Prioritization Matrix

document

Feature prioritization framework used for Field Buddy development

Offline Workflow Design

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Mobile workflow design for offline field operations

These artifacts demonstrate the systematic approach to product development, from initial discovery through execution and measurement.