Why has the average time to complete a signature request increased from 2 days to 5 days for DocuSign's enterprise customers using bulk send features?

Introduction

The increase in average signature request completion time from 2 to 5 days for DocuSign's enterprise customers using bulk send features is a critical issue that demands immediate attention. This analysis will systematically identify, validate, and address the root cause while considering both short-term fixes and long-term strategic implications.

I'll approach this problem by first clarifying the context, then ruling out external factors before diving deep into product understanding, metric breakdown, and hypothesis generation. We'll then conduct a thorough root cause analysis, propose validation methods, and outline a comprehensive resolution plan.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the user segment, I'm thinking this might be specific to enterprise customers. Is this issue affecting all enterprise customers or just a subset using bulk send features?

Why it matters: Understanding the scope helps focus our investigation. Expected answer: It's affecting all enterprise customers using bulk send. Impact on approach: If it's all, we'd look at system-wide issues; if subset, we'd investigate specific configurations.

• Considering recent changes, I'm wondering if there have been any updates to the bulk send feature in the last month?

Why it matters: Recent changes often correlate with performance shifts. Expected answer: A new version was rolled out three weeks ago. Impact on approach: This would shift focus to the recent deployment and its potential side effects.

• Thinking about user behavior, has there been any change in the average number of recipients per bulk send?

Why it matters: Changes in usage patterns could explain the delay. Expected answer: The average has increased from 100 to 500 recipients. Impact on approach: This would lead us to investigate scalability issues.

• Regarding system performance, have there been any reported issues with DocuSign's email delivery system or API integrations?

Why it matters: External system dependencies could be causing delays. Expected answer: No significant issues reported. Impact on approach: If yes, we'd focus on external integrations; if no, we'd look more at internal processes.