Summary
Design operations is not for the faint of heart. In many ways, design operations for the team-of-one is a choose-your-own-adventure game; it's essential to choose your own path in this new discipline. In this session, you will learn about the challenges encountered, and lessons learned from the perspective of a single-player design operations manager at EA, one of the largest gaming companies in the world. You’ll walk away from this talk with a strategy guide on how to navigate design operations in your organization, and the methods and best practices you can use to be a resilient team-of-one.
Key Insights
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Building a network through structured one-on-ones reveals organizational pain points and opportunities by applying user research techniques.
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Creating and maintaining a dynamic design ops backlog acts both as an intake form and a prioritization tool for managing requests and initiatives.
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Involving design leadership in backlog prioritization ensures alignment with strategic and urgent team needs.
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Linking design ops initiatives directly to company strategy increases visibility and buy-in from leadership and teams.
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Using organizational change management models helps solo design ops professionals effectively lead change across hierarchical levels.
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Loneliness is a common challenge for a design ops team of one but can be mitigated by building trust-based internal and external peer networks.
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Having a mindset that you already have a seat at the table empowers solo operators to advocate for their work confidently.
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Multiplying impact involves creating reusable materials and enabling others to perform design ops activities such as facilitating workshops.
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Prioritizing work requires a structured system, including categorizing work into pillars or themes to balance focus effectively.
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Self-care and recognizing personal recharge techniques are critical to prevent burnout in highly social and demanding roles.
Notable Quotes
"Being a design ops team of one is automatically set to heart mode."
"I like to think of what I do as doing UX for the UXers, applying design thinking to organizational problems."
"Your relationships are one of your strongest tools you have in your tool belt."
"Build a design ops backlog that anyone can contribute to and keep revisiting it as priorities change."
"Become familiar with organizational change management methods like John Kotter’s eight-step process and the Prosci ADKAR model."
"Assume you already have a seat at the table. Don’t count yourself out before you’ve had a chance to swing."
"Presenting the value proposition of your design ops work is key to getting visibility."
"Reduce, reuse and recycle wherever you can to multiply your impact as a design ops team of one."
"When you get lonely, battle that loneliness by identifying allies and people you can trust in your organization and community."
"Think scrappy so you can extract the most amount of value with the least amount of effort."
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