Client Workflow Redesign
Bloomberg LP · 2024-06-01 00:00:00 +0000
The Challenge
An equity analyst at a mid-sized fund was spending 3–4 hours every morning on a repetitive data-gathering routine — pulling data from multiple Bloomberg Terminal functions, copying it into Excel, and running manual calculations. This preparation work consumed the majority of their morning before any actual analysis could begin.
The Approach
Rather than jumping straight to a technical solution, I spent time understanding the analyst’s actual decision-making process:
- Discovery: Shadowed the analyst through their full morning routine
- Diagnosis: Identified that ~80% of the time was spent on data collection and formatting — steps that added zero analytical value
- Design: Proposed an automated solution using Bloomberg API and BQL
The Solution
I built an Excel-based tool that:
- Automated data retrieval via BQL queries pulling directly into Excel
- Standardised calculations with pre-built formulas
- Added validation checks with automatic flags for anomalies
- Required only a single refresh to update all data points
Development was iterative — the client tested each version and provided feedback, ensuring the final tool matched their actual workflow.
The Results
- Daily process time: 3–4 hours → ~10 minutes
- Efficiency gain: ~95%
- Error reduction: Eliminated manual copy-paste errors
- Analyst impact: Freed-up hours redirected to actual analysis and investment decision-making
Key Takeaways
Technology solutions work best when they start with understanding the human workflow. The Bloomberg Terminal is powerful, but the real value comes from aligning it with how people actually work — not how the manual says they should.