Case Study 2: Adaptability in a Crisis
The Challenge
During the sudden shift to virtual learning, a software provider needed to immediately update its Point of Sale system for weekly parent meal pick-ups. The system was built for daily transactions and programmed to USDA regulations, which dictate that only the first meal of the day receives a student's free/reduced pricing. Ringing up five meals at once for the week would automatically trigger retail pricing for the remaining four. We faced the complex technical challenge of redesigning the system to process a single weekly transaction while still enforcing the strict daily pricing rules.
The Solution
With limited notice, we had to rapidly adapt our existing software rather than building a custom tool. To bypass the system constraints, I designed a UX enhancement that introduced a 'weekly mode. This allowed operators to designate which days of the week the meals were intended for, thereby satisfying the daily USDA compliance logic. After consulting with clients, I defined the work by creating the project Epic and user stories.
The Result
Through strong Scrum team collaboration and prioritization, we swiftly developed, tested, and deployed this critical feature right as students went fully remote. Ultimately, this rapid release allowed schools to safely and effectively distribute a week's worth of free meals to students during the height of the pandemic