IRS Modernization & Automation

Overview

Over six years, I led UX for a multi-phase IRS modernization program that replaced outdated, highly manual case-handling processes — spanning examination, correspondence, and case management workflows — with digital-first, automated solutions built on the Pegasystems platform. In this role, I managed a large design team while driving strategy, scaling design practices, and ensuring usability compliance in one of the most regulated environments in government.

Challenge

The IRS relied on decades-old legacy systems that were costly to maintain and difficult for both employees and taxpayers to use. The agency processes millions of examinations a year, and that scale exposed the cracks: a high volume of fallout cases caused by incomplete automation criteria, redundant effort between HQ analysts, examiners, and case coordinators, heavy manual intervention for correspondence and case closure, and disparate tools that left taxpayer visibility fragmented across the ecosystem. Accessibility compliance was inconsistent, and modernization had to happen in an environment where security, scale, and regulation left little room for error.

Leading a large, multi-disciplinary team, I needed to balance innovation with stability while aligning multiple workstreams and stakeholders across IRS divisions, including SB/SE (Small Business/Self-Employed) and W&I (Wage & Investment).

Process & Solution

Discovery. I led working sessions across IRS departments and campuses to understand current processes, operational bottlenecks, and legacy technical systems such as AIMS and UCP. Working alongside a multi-disciplinary team, we co-created journey maps and service blueprints that documented the ecosystem across both divisions, running cross-functional workshops to align stakeholders on shared goals and surface where automation could reduce manual effort without sacrificing accuracy.

Automation without losing judgment. Rather than push for efficiency at any cost, I anchored the design strategy around preserving critical human decision-making while automating repeatable logic and reconciliation tasks. The approach centered on:

• "Microjourneys" — start-to-finish interactions such as intake, case assignment, or fallout resolution
• Clear persona roles, including HQ Analyst, Examiner, and Clerk, embedded directly in the Pega case structure
• Support for both bulk and single-case workflows to accommodate real-world variation across IRS operations

That same discipline carried into named initiatives across the program, including Innocent Spouse and ECM, where I oversaw design strategy and execution for a large, multi-disciplinary team.

Scaling through reuse. To support long-term scalability, I created a reuse map for the ACE examination system that identified functional areas, microjourneys, and case patterns already implemented within the IRS Pega environment, giving adjacent programs and new application builds a validated foundation to build from instead of starting from scratch. It reduced redundant design and development effort, kept UX and UI consistent across every Pega IRS application, and created a shared language for modular workflows that let parallel teams onboard faster and align on features like correspondence, intake, validation, and case closure. That same scalability mindset shaped the broader design system, aligned to Section 508 accessibility standards and used consistently across more than 20 enterprise applications.

AI-accelerated iteration. As the program scaled across multiple workflows, I brought in Generative AI and Pega's Blueprint technology to help define repeatable case structures and refine role-based personas, generating initial persona drafts by tax case type that the team then reviewed and validated, and translating manual requirements into structured, modular Pega case templates. This accelerated iteration and gave IRS analysts a living model to visualize and validate decision rules against, though the core journey maps and service blueprints stayed human-led throughout, authored through direct interviews and collaborative sessions rather than generated.

Impact

• Increased adoption across numerous IRS divisions through simplified, human-centered workflows
• Cut processing times by ~25%, saving thousands of staff hours annually
• Reduced backlog through automation audit loops that returned fallout cases to auto-resolution faster
• Improved correspondence tracking and taxpayer follow-through through stronger data integrity and timer-based automation
• Standardized UX across 30+ apps via a reusable design system, reducing rework and accelerating delivery

Deliverables

• Design system and component library used across IRS case management apps
• Journey maps and service blueprints documenting the case ecosystem across SB/SE and W&I divisions
• High-fidelity prototypes and user flows validated with IRS employees
• An enterprise reuse map identifying scalable case patterns for future Pega application builds
• Accessibility testing protocols to ensure Section 508 compliance
• Workshop artifacts aligning stakeholders and uncovering bottlenecks

Diagrams and visuals shown reflect internal planning and design artifacts. Data shown is representative and includes no taxpayer information or PII.