Introduction
Before this project, onboarding a new employee at De Jong Verpakking was slow, manual, and highly error-prone. Managers submitted requests using a Word document, which HR then forwarded to the servicedesk — often incomplete, inconsistent, or missing critical details.
The result: the servicedesk couldn’t prepare accounts or hardware in time, HR had no reliable trigger for activation, and new employees regularly started without the essentials they needed.
This case study shows how I redesigned the entire onboarding and offboarding chain — creating one unified, automated, and secure flow from manager request to device pickup, including CMDB cleanup and digitized agreements.
The Core Problem
My analysis revealed a single fundamental issue:
the onboarding flow was unstructured, incomplete, and depended entirely on manual follow-ups.
The old process caused massive inefficiency and security risks:
- Managers submitted onboarding requests via a Word form
- HR forwarded the form manually → servicedesk received inconsistent or missing data
- Key basics were often missing:
- No start date
- Missing employee name or personal email
- Unknown job role
- No indication of whether the employee needed a laptop, phone, or software access
- Servicedesk needed 5–10 emails to chase missing information
- Hardware could not be prepared in advance
- Access could not be created on time
- No predictable planning → employees often started unprepared
- No system-generated change → onboarding was incorrectly handled as an “incident”
- Missing data caused logging, security, and ownership issues downstream
- CMDB device ownership was outdated or incorrect due to manual paperwork
In summary: the entire onboarding journey was slow, unreliable, and non-compliant.
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Discovery & Research
Stakeholder Interviews
- New employees, HR, Servicedesk, Applicatiebeheer, and functional beheer
- Reviewed historical onboarding cases, device handovers, emails, and CMDB data
Key Findings
- Word forms caused inconsistent data and endless follow-up emails
- No standard intake → every onboarding looked different
- No automatic notifications to HR (AFAS / Workday)
- CMDB ownership mismatches due to unscanned paper agreements
- Huge workload for servicedesk due to missing data
- No single source of truth for onboarding status or responsibilities
Process Mapping
- Documented the full as-is flow from manager → HR → IT → device pickup
- Mapped failure points and friction across every step
- Identified gaps in registration, logging, and auditability
Security & Compliance Review
- Identified ex-employees with active accounts
- 672+ devices with missing or incorrect ownership
- Paper agreements → no audit trail
- No consistent governance around access and devices
What I Delivered
1. Fully Automated Dynamic Onboarding Form in Topdesk
- Replaced the Word form with a dynamic, mandatory-field Topdesk change form
- Managers fill in all required data upfront:
- Start date
- Full employee details
- Personal email
- Job role
- Required hardware/software
- Form → automatically creates a structured change (not an incident)
- Eliminates the “10 emails back and forth” problem — 100% complete on first submission
2. Integrated HR Activation (AFAS + Workday)
- HR receives automatic notifications
- Personal email triggers communication to the new employee
- Ensures timely account creation and HR readiness
3. Power Apps Device Pickup Planner
- Built a Microsoft Teams Power App that:
- Lets managers schedule pickup appointments
- Automatically creates calendar events
- Shows servicedesk expected arrivals
- Servicedesk is always prepared — no surprises, no chaos
4. CMDB Cleanup & Device Ownership Restoration
- Analyzed and corrected 672+ laptops & phones
- Fixed missing owners, duplicate devices, incorrect statuses
- Aligned CMDB with ITIL best practices
5. Digital Device Agreements with DocuSign
- Removed paper agreements
- Digital signing via DocuSign at device pickup
- Automatic linkage to Topdesk + CMDB owner updates
- 100% traceable & audit-proof
6. Structured Offboarding Flow
- Standardized device returns and access deactivation
- Eliminated ex-employee risks
Business Results
The new onboarding process drastically improved operational efficiency and security:
- 70% faster onboarding cycle time through full automation
- 672+ device risks resolved through CMDB normalization
- 100% digital compliance with DocuSign (no more lost paper forms)
- Zero follow-up emails — servicedesk no longer chases missing info
- Audit-ready onboarding flow with traceable approvals & device registration
- Consistent governance with clear ownership across HR → IT → Servicedesk
- Predictable capacity planning through automated appointment scheduling
- Higher employee satisfaction due to a seamless first day
- Significantly reduced workload for HR and IT
- Security restored through structured registration, logging, and risk reduction
De Jong Verpakking now operates with a scalable, automated, and fully secure onboarding ecosystem that finally matches the needs of a growing industrial organization.
Outcomes & Impact
Closing Thoughts
This redesign turned De Jong Verpakking’s onboarding from a manual, error-prone process into a secure, automated, and predictable workflow.
HR, managers, and the servicedesk now work from one unified flow, with complete data, automated triggers, and reliable CMDB registration at every step.
The result: fewer risks, faster activations, and a smoother start for every new employee — supported by a scalable digital foundation that strengthens security and operational efficiency.