Summary
Changing orgs and structures seem to be happening all the time. How does DesignOps respond to the need to change how we work? In a case study of change management at Cigna / Evernorth Health, Amy Evans will walk through a use case of a new self-service operating model. From the beginning, Amy will share how they started change discussions, brainstormed on new models and launched a pilot process. She will also dive a little deeper into tactics that helped the team succeed in innovating the way the teams worked together.
Key Insights
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Nearly half of all change initiatives fail, highlighting how difficult effective change leadership is.
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Change is inherently messy, meandering, and requires tolerance for failure and flexibility.
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Design operations can drive strategic transformation by leading change and establishing governance.
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Implementing a self-service model enables product and business teams to manage simpler design requests, freeing designers for higher-value work.
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Categorizing work into must do, may do, and desire to do projects helps prioritize and identify opportunities for rerouting tasks.
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Design governance in self-service ensures brand, content, and accessibility standards remain consistent despite role shifts.
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Piloting and partnering early with stakeholders accelerates adoption and builds advocacy for new change models.
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Building controls such as qualification forms, legal agreements, and checklists mitigates risk in new workflows.
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Async communication decreases meeting and email overload, improving team efficiency.
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Starting small with one line of business and demonstrating success helps scale change organically across an organization.
Notable Quotes
"Almost half of all change fails. Would you feel confident leaving your project success to the flip of a coin based on that stat?"
"Change is messy and uncomfortable, like baking bread. You have to get your hands a little messy before it turns magnificent."
"Change is mysterious. We’re stepping into the unknown and need latitude to fail and learn along the way."
"Design takes on a new role of governance in self-service, overseeing branding, content, and accessibility."
"Ad hoc projects are fire drills that often interrupt higher value work, so rerouting them can save headaches and increase efficiency."
"We evaluated three operating models: hybrid, 100% outsource, and self-service—and chose self-service for fastest internal stand-up and biggest rewards."
"Our self-service platform starts with qualifiers and legal agreements to ensure proper governance and accountability."
"Async communications helped reduce unnecessary meetings and emails, maximizing free capacity."
"Piloting with intimate stakeholder sessions empowered teams to be independent and successful in self-service."
"Successful change doesn’t happen enterprise-wide overnight. You start small, succeed, and let others naturally want in."
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