UAS ASET

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is an interagency committee that reviews foreign investments for potential national security risks. CISA contributes to this process by assessing cybersecurity and supply chain threats.

 The CFIUS project team approached us to help transform their manual, spreadsheet-based workflow into a streamlined, web-based risk management tool. Their existing process involved inputting and calculating multiple risk factors in spreadsheets, manually generating reports, and assessing risk levels, judgment, and potential consequences based on form data.

Their primary goal was to develop a web-based system that would simplify these tasks, increase efficiency, and enhance overall usability—making it easier for users to conduct assessments and generate actionable insights with greater accuracy and speed.

 For this project, I worked closely with the federal team to gather detailed business and user requirements, define user workflows, and conduct in-depth user research. I translated these insights into wireframes and interactive prototypes, led user testing sessions, facilitated UAT demos, and collaborated with developers to build a secure, web-based platform.

The system transitioned stakeholders from a manual, spreadsheet-based process to a comprehensive assessment and risk management tool—significantly improving efficiency, usability, and accessibility for both internal and external users.

In the early stages, the project underwent multiple workflow changes. After initial discussions with points of contact (POCs), I designed wireframes based on the stated requirements and presented a proposed workflow. However, this exercise revealed that the original workflow didn’t truly meet their needs. I facilitated deeper conversations to understand what was and wasn’t working in their current process, which allowed us to realign the design direction.

Based on these insights, I redesigned the workflow and wireframes. Through several review sessions, we refined the process and user interface further. The client was extremely satisfied with the outcome. Once development was complete, a guided UAT session helped secure full buy-in from the broader user base.

Since launch, the CFIUS platform has expanded to include two additional workflows, new user personas, and an enhanced reporting and search system—further demonstrating the platform’s flexibility and long-term value.