Psi Chi point tracking
An internal tool replacing a confusing manual submission process
Background
Members earn volunteer and membership points toward chapter requirements, but submissions arrived as texts, emails, spreadsheet rows, and photos across three systems. Records were lost, and members had no way to confirm whether a submission had been counted.
As volunteer chair I sat on both sides of the process: the reviewer chasing documentation and the point of contact fielding status requests.
The process was not complicated. It was just undefined, which meant every member solved it differently.
Understanding the problem
- Two point types are reviewed by two different chairs, so every misdirected submission had to be forwarded by hand.
- Members did not know how many points each category required, which generated most of the questions to officers.
- Photo documentation was requested after the fact, and that gap was where records were lost.
Product vision and solution
A single intake flow. A member selects the point type, completes a short form with photo documentation attached, and the submission routes to the reviewing chair, with the requirement for each category stated at the point of decision.
Record accuracy improved because submissions cannot arrive incomplete, and the support volume from status questions dropped.
Defining the MVP
- Clear category buttons: Asking for the point type first means nothing has to be re-routed by hand later.
- Put the rules where the point type is: Each type shows how many points are required next to it.
- Proof at submission: Required up front rather than requested afterward, which closed the gap where records leaked.
What I would do next
Members still cannot see their own running total, so the next version gives each member a point balance against their requirement. That removes the last reason to message a chair.