Maturity Models: A Core Tool for Creating a DesignOps Strategy
Summary
We will see how we developed a design maturity model, adapting models from invision, McKinsey and papers measuring design impact from IBM to our particular context, in order to discover the main growth opportunities we had in our design practice and how we used outcomes/OKRs to define a detailed strategy for the designOps team.
Key Insights
-
•
Organizational restructures can leave design teams feeling lost and without clear guidance, similar to being physically disoriented.
-
•
Creating a design maturity model based on recognized industry reports helps provide a map and compass for teams to regain direction.
-
•
Individual one-on-one conversations are critical to gain team buy-in when introducing complex models or change initiatives.
-
•
Early versions of strategic tools may feel nebulous and need iterative refinement with team involvement to become useful.
-
•
Combining behavioral indicators from multiple sources (McKinsey, Ambition, IBM) strengthens the relevance and applicability of a maturity model.
-
•
A collaborative evaluation of team maturity encourages transparency about current state and highlights key areas for improvement.
-
•
Dividing priority areas into smaller groups and assigning objectives fosters ownership and focused action within large teams.
-
•
Using OKRs or other goal frameworks aligns design teams towards measurable progress within a broader organizational context.
-
•
Understaffing in design ops teams is common even in large organizations but can be overcome through clear strategy and collaboration.
-
•
A maturity model evolves from a theoretical framework to a practical GPS-like tool that guides ongoing team development and strategy.
Notable Quotes
"It was like giving a map that you could not read or even understand."
"We were lost in the forest and you come across this compass, maybe all time rusty, but still something a little bit useful."
"I was not able to come up for them to be involved so I had to learn how to structure it in a way that we could share how this was important for the team."
"After four years we were able to see in a concrete way what happened, the changes that we have been able to do for the organization."
"We finally instead of using the compass and the map we finally were able to build a GPS."
"It was like arriving to your home after a long day and just right to rest but at the same time you know you could not wait to continue working."
"Understaffing is consistent in design ops no matter where in the world you are."
"We chose to focus on research because we wanted to mirror, a bit more robust, the capability of the design teams to understand client needs."
"The model was the work of everybody, it was not just my job."
"I believe that maturity models could help define the strategy of the design team."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"At the turning point, the team realized they were in charge of their own process and got engaged."
Carl TurnerYou Can Do This: Understand and Solve Organizational Problems to Jumpstart a Dead Project
March 28, 2023
"Most employees take at least 90 days to onboard and another 90 days to become productive — that’s half a year before you see impact."
Karen PascoeDeveloping Experience Teams and Talent in the Enterprise
June 8, 2016
"Continuous onboarding is like drinking water in sips throughout the day, not a gallon all at once."
Jilanna WilsonDistributed Design Operations Management
October 23, 2019
"Reliable access to veterans and other users is fundamental to running quality, inclusive research across many teams and products."
Shawna Hein Kevin HoffmanCreate a Cohesive Civic Design Practice Across Agency, Vendors, and Contracts
November 17, 2022
"The scoping of Canada’s COVID app protected people with new phones, but left vulnerable populations unserved."
Barb SpantonDoing Work That Matters: A Look Beyond The Idealistic Notion of 'Doing Meaningful Work'
June 10, 2022
"Generative fill is now the most used tool in Photoshop, with 3 million users and over 2.3 billion images generated."
Briana ThomasThe Quiet Force: Uncovering Hidden Leadership in High-Impact Design Teams
September 24, 2024
"Therapists create space for clients to reflect and discover insights in a safe environment."
Gina MendoliaTherapists, Coaches, and Grandmas: Techniques for Service Design in Complex Systems
December 3, 2024
"UX researchers should learn Python or R and how to leverage AI APIs to process unstructured data."
Lija Hogan Milan Mijatovic Sam Proulx Louis RosenfeldThree Years Out: Perspectives on the Near-Term Future of User Research
March 15, 2024
"DPM loneliness and siloing happen because of wearing too many hats and inheriting mismatched responsibilities."
John Calhoun Rachel PosmanTwo Sides of the DesignOps Coin: Teams Ops and Product Ops
January 8, 2024
