Key Insights

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  Design operations as a formal practice is only about six years old but remains immature in Latin America and Italy compared to English-speaking markets.

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  Only 30% of design teams in Latin America and Italy have a dedicated design ops role, while 12% consider it unnecessary.

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  Team size correlates strongly with design ops presence; larger teams more often have design ops support.

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  Italian design leaders tend to focus more on strategic tasks, while Latin American leaders spend more time on operational and communication duties.

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  Inefficient collaboration in Latin America and stakeholder management struggles in Italy are key obstacles design ops can address.

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  There is widespread misunderstanding of design ops as a strategic discipline; many see it simply as task-based support.

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  The Italian and Latin American markets associate design ops heavily with design systems, unlike English-speaking markets where focus is broader.

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  French design ops discussions uniquely intersect with devops concepts, influenced by tools like Figma shaping organizational practices.

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  German design ops content is mostly tactical because German speakers have easier access to English resources.

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  To mature design ops globally, conversations must shift from isolated tasks to holistic, systems-thinking approaches tied to measurable business impact.

Notable Quotes