The Challenge
A multi-site bathroom e-commerce retailer with 300 employees across three locations was struggling with manual onboarding and offboarding processes. HR would submit requests via email or forms, requiring IT to manually create accounts, set permissions, and coordinate access - a process prone to errors including misspelt names, incorrect job titles, wrong start dates, and inconsistent access permissions based on individual IT staff knowledge of each department's requirements.
Each onboard or offboard took approximately three hours of IT time, with an estimated 10-15% error rate requiring follow-up corrections. New starters would sometimes arrive without accounts ready, or with incorrect access. Offboarding gaps created security risks with access not being revoked consistently. The lack of standardisation meant access permissions varied depending on which IT staff member processed the request and their familiarity with that department's needs.
The Solution
Our Approach
Conducted discovery sessions with IT, HR, and line managers to map the existing process and requirements. With IT, we documented their service desk tools, Active Directory structure, Azure environment, hardware provisioning, and third-party services. With HR, we understood their timescales, communication workflows, and pre/post-employment touchpoints. With line managers, we captured department-specific access requirements, software needs, and first-day setup expectations. This cross-functional input informed the design of an automated workflow that standardised access by role and department, eliminating reliance on individual IT knowledge.
Technologies & Implementation
Built a SharePoint-based intake system that triggered ManageEngine service desk tickets via API integration. PowerShell middleware scripts handled the heavy lifting - reading ticket data to automatically create or disable Active Directory accounts, assign appropriate security groups, configure Office 365 access, and send templated communications. The system queried the internal CMDB to identify third-party services requiring manual action, automatically generating follow-up tickets with clear instructions for IT staff.
The Results
Reduced onboarding/offboarding time by 83% (3 hours to 30 minutes)
Eliminated manual data entry errors (previously ~10-15% error rate)
Standardised access permissions by role and department
New starters productive from their first hour with accounts and hardware ready
Improved governance through automated ticket creation and audit trails
Increased visibility of third-party service provisioning via CMDB integration
"The automation Daniel implemented transformed our onboarding process. What used to take hours and regularly resulted in mistakes now runs smoothly with minimal IT intervention. New starters hit the ground running from day one, and we finally have proper oversight of who has access to what."
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