GFL · Accounts Receivable platform

Designing a legacy AR replacement under a fixed 10-month deadline, validated with users every two weeks and adapted mid-project to a new ledger platform..

Company

GFL Environmental Services

Year

2026

· 10-month fixed deadline · 10+ financial flows mapped · 4 user groups · 2-week validation cycles ·

The Challenge

GFL's accounts receivable ran on legacy accounting software that was being retired. The company had a fixed 10-month window to replace it with a custom AR module, with no documentation of how the old system really worked and no room to disrupt daily cash operations across Canada and the US.

Undocumented workflows: The old process relied on fragmented databases and manual journal entries.
Complex data integration: The new platform had to ingest high-volume financial data from internal systems.
Zero disruption: The transition could not affect cross-border cash flow.

My role

Partnered with a Business Analyst to map the end-to-end Order to Cash lifecycle.
Interviewed the Accounts and Cash Application teams to define financial workflows.
Designed the interface and extended the internal design system for high-density financial screens.
Ran section-by-section validation with users in two-week cycles.
Moved the full design from Figma to Claude Design and used it to simulate financial calculations.
Worked with engineering to align how financial data flows into the new module.

Impact so far

Still in development, with design approval of the main sections this week. What the work has achieved so far:

Validated with users, in a company that rarely does: Established two-week review cycles, going section by section and collecting constant feedback from users on the four most important sections. Direct user validation is not common practice at GFL, so this changed how the project was run.
Reverse-engineered undocumented workflows: Mapped 10+ core financial flows through on-site inquiries and workflow sessions with the AR team, turning hidden accounting edge cases into standardized UI patterns.
Scaled the design system for financial density: Extended our Shadcn UI-based system with high-density components that adapt to invoices, payments and credit notes.
Made calculations tangible: Prototyped in Claude Design with working math, so stakeholders could see how write-offs, apply and payment distribution behave before development.
Absorbed a major architecture change: Redesigned affected processes, including the removal of batch-based work, when a new ledger platform changed how the system works.

The Process

1. Discovery and system mapping

2 Months

Mapped how the work really got done. With a Business Analyst, documented the end-to-end Order to Cash lifecycle and 10+ core financial flows, in a system with no prior documentation.
Defined who uses what. Modeled four user groups with distinct permissions, balancing audit-focused AR managers against high-speed transaction operators.
Aligned data flow with engineering, mapping how financial data would move from internal systems into the new AR module and scoping the MVP.

2. High-density UI and fast validation

3 Months

Validated from day one. Used AI tools to generate first-pass layouts, then reviewed one section at a time with users in two-week cycles, covering the four most important sections.
Extended the design system with high-density components that adapt to invoices, payments and credit notes.
Designed an inline pattern for overpayments and underpayments, letting operators reconcile accounts within line items without creating unmapped ledger balances.

3. Adapting to a platform change

5 Months

Absorbed a new ledger platform. When GFL added a third-party platform, the Business Analyst re-reviewed the data flows and I redesigned the affected processes, including the removal of batch-based work.
Moved the design to Claude Design, where I simulate the math behind write-offs, apply and payment distribution so stakeholders can see them work before development.
Held the scope with a strict MVP registry, and am now re-validating the changes with users ahead of design approval.

Isidora Escobar

GFL · Accounts Receivable platform

The Challenge

My role

Impact so far

The Process

1.

Discovery and system mapping

2 Months

Mapped how the work really got done. With a Business Analyst, documented the end-to-end Order to Cash lifecycle and 10+ core financial flows, in a system with no prior documentation.

Defined who uses what. Modeled four user groups with distinct permissions, balancing audit-focused AR managers against high-speed transaction operators.

Aligned data flow with engineering, mapping how financial data would move from internal systems into the new AR module and scoping the MVP.

2.

High-density UI and fast validation

3 Months

Validated from day one. Used AI tools to generate first-pass layouts, then reviewed one section at a time with users in two-week cycles, covering the four most important sections.

Extended the design system with high-density components that adapt to invoices, payments and credit notes.

Designed an inline pattern for overpayments and underpayments, letting operators reconcile accounts within line items without creating unmapped ledger balances.

3.

Adapting to a platform change

5 Months

Absorbed a new ledger platform. When GFL added a third-party platform, the Business Analyst re-reviewed the data flows and I redesigned the affected processes, including the removal of batch-based work.

Moved the design to Claude Design, where I simulate the math behind write-offs, apply and payment distribution so stakeholders can see them work before development.

Held the scope with a strict MVP registry, and am now re-validating the changes with users ahead of design approval.

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