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Distributed DesignOps Management
Summary
Struggling to manage Design Operations in a distributed environment? ZenDesk's Jilanna Wilson knows your pain; join her for a discussion that'll cover a variety of topics that are challenging Design and Research Operations managers, including: Selecting meeting/project collaboration tools Maintaining healthy team culture Inclusivity Managing critical meetings Dealing with feelings of isolation Consistent documentation and processes
Key Insights
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A dedicated design ops function becomes essential once a design team reaches about 10 members.
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Discovery through interviewing staff helps identify key operational pain points before building an ops team.
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Design ops at Zendesk is organized into four pillars: project management, research ops, business ops, and community coordination.
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Distributed teams face unique challenges like communication gaps, cultural isolation, time zone coordination, and version control of documentation.
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Instituting a cameras-on policy during remote meetings helps reduce feelings of isolation in distributed teams.
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Establishing 'office hours' aligned with time zones supports remote collaboration and encourages healthy work-life balance.
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Investing in high-quality, often costly, digital collaboration and asset management tools is critical for efficient distributed design workflows.
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Travel and periodic in-person meetups remain important to build relationships and understand teammates' local contexts.
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Maintaining team culture requires intentional activities including onboarding buddies paired across global locations and virtual social events.
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Design ops protects designers’ time and headspace to focus on creative work by handling operational burdens and improving workflows.
Notable Quotes
"When you have 10 designers, that's when you should start considering a design Ops function."
"Our mission is to support the methods and processes devoted to producing high quality design."
"We protect the time and headspace of everyone on the design team so they can focus more on their craft."
"There's no such thing as over-communication when you're distributed; silence breeds assumptions."
"Cameras on in Zoom meetings is a small act with a powerful impact against isolation."
"We try to find ways to have fun together remotely — like virtual holiday parties or online games."
"Each organization's design ops team looks a little different, but the foundations are the same."
"Travel is impactful to let your remote teammates experience your context, which helps build empathy."
"We act as the connective tissue that runs in our teams and help them run more efficiently."
"We are designing the ways our teams work together — design ops itself is a design challenge."
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