SAP ICSM: Collaborated Across the Industry to Transform Clinical Trials
Contributed the UX design for a clinical trial tool in collaboration with pharmaceutical giants, SAP, and Tenthpin—accelerating drug development and improving patient care.
Scenario Planning Demand Management: Enhanced kit type switch demand accuracy through dedicated tables in Scenario Planning, improving forecasting precision and efficiency.
Enterprise Software
2019-2020
UX Designer
Context
Between late 2019 and late 2020, I worked as a UX designer on SAP’s Intelligent Clinical Supply Management (ICSM) project. The goal of this project was to revolutionise how pharmaceutical companies manage their clinical trial supply chains, particularly in the context of growing complexity and inefficiencies within the industry. SAP collaborated with Tenthpin (a life sciences consultancy) and major pharmaceutical companies, including Roche, Eli Lilly, and Amgen, to create a solution that provided real-time visibility and streamlined processes for clinical trials.
Results
The ICSM project delivered significant improvements in clinical trial management. With the introduction of tools like the scenario comparison feature and manual demand forecasting, trial managers gained real-time control over their processes.
These advancements reduced inefficiencies, improved collaboration across teams, and enabled faster, more informed decision-making.
Improved
Trial management efficiency
Faster
Decision-making process
Enhanced
Supply chain collaboration
Pre-ICSM Setup: SAP S/4HANA On-Premise: A look at the complexities clinical trial managers faced using S/4HANA on-premise systems before transitioning to SAP ICSM for a more automated supply process.
Challenges
The pharmaceutical industry faced increasing complexity in clinical trials:
Lack of transparency: Pharmaceutical companies lacked end-to-end visibility in their supply chains, leading to difficulties managing inventory and preventing waste.
Outdated manual processes: Many processes relied on spreadsheets, emails, and outdated tools, leading to delays and frequent errors.
Pandemic disruptions: The COVID-19 pandemic made in-person workshops and collaboration with six companies in the USA, Switzerland, and the Netherlands difficult, forcing us to rethink how to engage stakeholders effectively across geographies.
High costs and risks: Delays in managing trials, especially for high-cost oncology treatments like CAR-T cell therapies (costing up to €373,000 per dose), could lead to wasted resources and compromised trial outcomes.
My Role
As a UX designer, I contributed the design of key features, focusing on the scenario comparison tool. I worked closely with solution architects, subject matter experts, and customer participants from leading pharmaceutical companies to ensure the design addressed real-world user needs. My responsibilities included:
Conducting user research and field studies to understand user pain points.
Co-facilitating workshops to gather insights and collaborate with stakeholders.
Designing UI prototypes in line with SAP’s Fiori design system.
Iterating on designs based on user feedback and testing results.
The Team
The ICSM project was structured across five scrum teams, involving around 40 people. We followed Agile methodologies, with solution architects creating user stories that were assigned to UX designers for execution. The team included:
UX Designers
Product Owners (Solution Architects)
Developers
Customer Participants from Roche, Eli Lilly, and Amgen
Life Science Subject Experts from Tenthpin and SAP
Design Thinking Coach
Scrum Master
Roadmap
Our roadmap focused on developing features to solve the following core issues:
Scenario Comparison: Simplify the decision-making process by allowing trial managers to compare trial scenarios side by side.
Manual Demand Forecasting: Create more flexibility for trial managers to quickly adjust to changes.
Optimise Processes: Eliminate redundant manual steps and improve communication between teams.
Support for Multiple 'What-If' Scenarios: Scenario-level demand planning allows clinical supply managers to simulate and compare different parameters, optimising the demand plan for efficient medication kit production and distribution.
Process
Our design process was built around user feedback and collaboration, with an iterative approach to ensure the solution met user needs.
Remote Research and Collaboration
With in-person workshops restricted by the pandemic, I co-facilitated virtual workshops and user research sessions across six pharmaceutical companies. Feedback like, “Real-time supply visibility will save us significant time and resources,” directly shaped the design of core features, focusing on transparency and demand forecasting.
Synchronous and Asynchronous Workflows
To keep the project moving across time zones, we used a hybrid approach:
Synchronous sessions: Live workshops and reviews for real-time feedback and alignment.
Asynchronous loops: Stakeholders reviewed designs at their own pace, allowing for continuous iteration.
Designing for Complex Trials
Working with solution architects, I helped design a platform that handled the specific needs of clinical trials, including blinding, randomisation, and demand forecasting. The system was future-proofed to adapt to evolving trial demands, such as accelerated vaccine trials.
Streamlining Disjointed Workflows
Before ICSM, companies relied on fragmented workflows with spreadsheets and emails, leading to errors and delays. By centralising these processes into a unified platform, we eliminated inefficiencies, making supply tracking and collaboration far easier for trial managers.
“It’s nearly impossible to track trial changes across versions without making mistakes.”
Clinical trial manager
User interview quote
Planned vs Actual Enrollment Analysis: Detailed view in the Demand Forecast application, showing a comparison between planned and actual enrollment figures, providing insights for precise demand forecasting.
Key Features
1. Scenario Comparison Tool
Pain Point: Trial managers struggled to manage and compare multiple trial versions, relying on manual spreadsheets and emails that slowed decision-making and introduced errors.
Research Insight: Field studies revealed that manually tracking changes across scenarios led to delays and miscommunication. One trial manager said, “It’s nearly impossible to track all the changes across versions without missing something critical.”
Solution: I designed a scenario comparison tool that allowed trial managers to view multiple versions side by side, highlighting key differences. This eliminated the need for spreadsheets and enabled faster, more informed decisions.
Outcome: The tool became essential, speeding up decision-making and increasing confidence among trial managers.
2. Manual Demand Forecasting
Pain Point: Trial managers struggled with accurate demand forecasting due to the unpredictable nature of clinical trials, often leading to excess supply or shortages.
Research Insight: User interviews highlighted the need for flexible planning tools that could quickly adapt to trial changes. One user noted, “We need to respond quickly when things change, but our current tools don’t allow that.”
Solution: We introduced a manual demand forecasting feature, enabling trial managers to adjust supply needs in real time.
Outcome: This feature reduced waste and ensured that the right supplies were available when needed, helping trial managers react faster to developments.
3. Streamlined Trial Management Process
Pain Point: Reliance on outdated methods like emails and spreadsheets often led to miscommunication and delays.
Research Insight: Observations showed that trial managers frequently lost track of tasks, and using spreadsheets caused version control issues.
Solution: I worked with the development team to integrate all communication and tracking into the ICSM platform, creating a central hub for trial-related data.
Outcome: The system streamlined task management and communications, reducing delays and improving data accuracy.
Compare Studies with CTMS Repository: Align study data with CTMS for consistency, allowing trial managers to easily identify discrepancies and sync study information for streamlined planning.
Results
The ICSM project led to significant advancements in clinical trial supply management, contributing to:
Improved trial management efficiency: By consolidating workflows and enhancing real-time visibility, trial managers experienced a more streamlined approach to managing trial supply needs.
Faster decision-making process: The scenario comparison tool empowered trial managers to make more informed decisions, reducing the time taken to compare multiple study scenarios.
Enhanced supply chain collaboration: Integration with CTMS and end-to-end transparency improved collaboration among stakeholders, ensuring trial materials were delivered efficiently and in sync with evolving study requirements.
Reduction in waste and costs: Accurate demand forecasting and real-time scenario planning helped reduce waste and avoid shortages, ultimately supporting cost-saving initiatives in clinical trials.
User adoption and alignment: Key stakeholders from pharmaceutical companies like Roche, Eli Lilly, and Amgen fully adopted the platform, validating its real-world effectiveness and supporting improved patient outcomes.
Learnings
One of the biggest lessons from the ICSM project was the importance of balancing complex industry requirements with intuitive design. Managing clinical trial supplies involves intricate processes, but the feedback we received from trial managers reinforced that simplicity and clarity are key to success.
Another key takeaway was the value of flexible collaboration models. The combination of synchronous and asynchronous workflows not only kept the project on track during the pandemic but also proved essential for cross-functional teams spread across different geographies.
Centralised Clinical Trial Management on Fiori Launchpad: Bringing all ICSM tools into one place—from demand forecasting to study definition—this streamlined clinical trial workflows, improving efficiency and fostering cross-functional collaboration.
Conclusion
The SAP ICSM project provided a transformative approach to clinical trial supply management, addressing the increasing complexity and inefficiencies faced by pharmaceutical companies. By implementing tools for accurate demand forecasting, scenario comparison, and better alignment with clinical operations, we empowered trial managers with improved visibility, control, and responsiveness.
This collaboration among industry leaders, Tenthpin, and SAP has set a new standard for managing clinical trial supplies, contributing to a more effective, cost-efficient, and streamlined process—ultimately supporting faster drug development and better patient outcomes.
