Teams from across UNSW came together through the Guided Innovation program to redesign the way contractors gain access to UNSW systems.
A longstanding challenge at UNSW has been reimagined – not by one team, but through a shared effort across the University. What began as a process issue has become a strong example of how cross-University collaboration and human-centred design can deliver meaningful change.
Starting with the real experience
When contracted staff and visiting academics commence employment, the OSA02 process and associated form needs to be completed so they can gain access to systems. For years, this has been a known pain point – hiring managers and admin teams describe it as ‘clunky,’ ‘confusing’ and ‘difficult to complete. It’s often a reason that when new starters arrive, they can’t access UNSW systems.
While the form appears simple, behind each step was a ripple effect: applications moving back and forth between teams, delays stretching across days, and staff from IT and People & Culture spending significant time resolving avoidable issues. With more than 6000 submissions each year and a high rate of rework, the impact was significant, for hiring managers and support teams, and it was definitely not a great way for some to begin working at UNSW.
A different way of solving the problem
Rather than treating this as a system fix, the IT Service Centre, led by John Rechwan, partnered with UNSW IT’s Innovation Enablement team to take a different approach.
“I wanted to take this through a Guided Innovation program, so that we could shift our focus from simply ‘fixing the form’ to understanding the experience behind it. As executive sponsor, I treated the outcome as my responsibility – stepping in to resolve issues, make decisions and support the team throughout,” said John.
“When people from faculties, research institutes and divisions put their hands up to contribute and bring their perspectives, I felt greater confidence that we could reach a solution because we were connected by the same challenge.
What followed was a deliberate shift in mindset. Instead of designing around systems, the team designed around people – their roles, needs and the realities of how work gets done at UNSW.
Turning insight into a working solution
The result is a redesigned OSA02 onboarding experience that is more structured, transparent and aligned to user needs. A digital platform now replaces the static, form-based process, providing a clearer and more intuitive way to prepare and submit applications.
At the centre of the solution is guided, front-end data capture, with built-in prompts and validation to support anyone entering the right information the first time. This directly addresses the primary source of errors, reducing the need for rework and improving flow across the entire process.
Clear pathways now exist for new applications, extensions and terminations, ensuring responsibilities sit with the right roles and reducing unnecessary back-and-forth between teams. Supporting this is a OSA02 Onboarding hub where you can access everything you need in one place – including guidance, FAQs, support pathways and feedback channels, creating a consistent and reliable source of truth.
Together, these changes represent a shift from a fragmented, manual process to one that is clearer, more supported and easier to navigate, setting everyone who needs to use OSA02 up for success from the outset.
The OSA02 redesign reflects what can happen when teams step beyond traditional boundaries and work together towards a shared outcome. It is also a story of collaboration at scale, bringing together IT, People & Culture, Finance, faculties, institutes and affiliates to shape a solution that reflects the complexity of the environment it supports. It also highlights the commitment of UNSW staff who wanted to improve the experience for new starters, for those who need to submit the form and for those who support the process –particularly in the IT Service Centre.
What is ‘Guided Innovation’?
Guided Innovation is UNSW IT’s human-centred approach to solving complex challenges, bringing teams together to define problems, co-design solutions and deliver outcomes grounded in real user needs. It builds practical innovation capability while supporting teams to turn ideas into action.
Want to participate?
To find out more, attend a Human-Centred Design workshop or explore the Guided Innovation program and other Innovation Enablement opportunities offered by the IT Digital Design Studio.
Main image: Teams from across UNSW worked on the redesign of the OSA02 process.
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