Problem: Lack of clarity in financial reporting across the network
Financial reporting across our portfolio lacked clarity and consistency making it hard for the Teamshares team to review, compare, and identify key trends and solutions to grow EBITDA.
Understanding the problem
Met with Leadership, Industry Leads, and Finance team
Reviewed 40+ monthly financial commentaries across the network portfolio
Met with 3 network presidents to understand reporting frustrations and workflow
Mapped key frustrations faced by internal and external stakeholders
How might we help presidents report financial performance clearly and consistently, so our teams can quickly understand what’s driving company performance?
Pain Points
🏪 Company Presidents (External) | 🫡 Teamshares HQ (Internal) |
|---|---|
No clear structure or guidance on what to include in their commentary. | Couldn’t understand why companies were underperforming. |
Reporting process felt manual and disconnected from their daily workflow. | Received inconsistent and incomplete reports that made analysis difficult. |
Unclear which metrics mattered most to Teamshares leadership. | No visibility into whether presidents were even submitting reports on time. |
No feedback loop or acknowledgement after submitting reports. | Significant time spent chasing clarity instead of identifying solutions. |
Collaboration with engineers
Collaborated with Engineering and Finance to define rules for when commentary is required outside data thresholds.
Shared annotated Figma files and supported launch to ensure visual and interaction fidelity.
Conducted QA on staging builds to validate design and functionality before release to ensure the production UI matched design intent.
Explorations and Iterations
Throughout the exploration process, I gathered user feedback from our portfolio presidents, Teamshares finance team, Industry Leads, and CFO to guide further refinements to enhance the user experience and the accuracy of the finalized interface for the MD&A Commentary feature.
Design Solution
Impact & Outcome
The implementation of the MD&A Commentary feature has significantly improved the monthly financial reporting process for Teamshares' portfolio companies. By addressing the challenges faced by SMB presidents and incorporating user feedback, we created a streamlined solution that meets the finance team's needs.
Key metrics highlight the impact of this feature:
100% Adoption: All presidents across our network adopted this for monthly financial reporting
100% Report Submission Rate: Timely submissions have improved data accessibility for the finance team.
95% User Satisfaction: Presidents reported greater confidence in knowing what to include and how to communicate financial performance.
Consistent report structure across every portfolio company
Reports are now used in leadership reviews to track trends, align teams, and guide EBITDA planning across the portfolio.
Increase in Engagement: Integration with Slack has led to faster review turnaround for leadership, industry leads, and finance teams
This project emphasized the balance between organizational requirements and user experience. The insights gained will inform future design initiatives, ensuring that the MD&A Commentary continues to support Teamshares’ growth strategy while fostering accountability among portfolio companies.
