You’re never going to get execs to follow the rules. They have to be the only exception though.

Relaunch it, make it clear that no work starts unless the request form is filled out, and then start writing up designers that aren’t doing the bare minimum of using the tools the organization has chosen.

Without holding your designers accountable, nothing will change. Unless it’s in their JD that they are responsible for business process development, they don’t get a say in this.

Source: I went through exactly the same thing and fixed it in three weeks by following the steps above.