Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
Organizations often start thinking about implementing operations support when they get to a certain size - when things start breaking or something goes massively wrong, when it becomes an imperative for existence. But there is massive benefit from building a research ops function much earlier on in your team growth. Saskia Liebenberg will explain how she's implemented research ops at Deliveroo in a team of 10 researchers, and how she's used the ResearchOps framework to build a strategy that supports the team in their specific context.
Key Insights
-
•
Starting research operations proactively with a small team (5-10 researchers) creates big impact before complexity becomes overwhelming.
-
•
A project manager background can translate effectively to research operations without deep prior research methodology expertise.
-
•
Manual, hacky systems like spreadsheets and Trello boards are highly effective initial tools for tracking research projects and resources.
-
•
Standardizing folder structures and applying project codes greatly improve data organization, retrieval speed, and GDPR compliance.
-
•
In a small, co-located team, research Ops can be fully integrated, closely collaborating via one-on-one interviews and frequent check-ins.
-
•
Dedicated recruitment coordinators supporting researchers with participant sourcing and logistics significantly boost research throughput.
-
•
Research Ops roles are most effective when carefully distributing workload to avoid team burnout and keeping well-being top of mind.
-
•
Research and design operations teams benefit from early collaboration and shared infrastructure in growing organizations.
-
•
Scaling research Ops requires hiring specialized roles, e.g., knowledge managers and tools integrators, beyond a single generalist.
-
•
Implementing governance and reusable processes early increases research capacity, morale, and retention within research teams.
Notable Quotes
"Proactive research Ops means starting before something breaks, not reacting when everything is already overwhelmed."
"It was daunting and controversial to rename project folders, but it helped me learn the work and improve consistency."
"If you solve the problems your users experience, they will trust you and come back to you."
"Our project codes make GDPR compliance easier and help track qualitative data context alongside quantitative data."
"Research Ops is not a one-person job; you will need more headcount sooner than you expect."
"Working embedded in a smaller team made it easier to consult the whole research team and create solutions together."
"The biggest thing I look for when hiring is someone who enjoys helping people with a self-directed and organized mindset."
"Researchers running like mad want to focus on craft, not logistics, so Ops removes that mental load from them."
"Aligning with other departments like legal is slow work, and you won’t always be a priority."
"Starting small and manageable allows rapid impact, enabling teams to move faster and be more efficient from day one."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Teaching product managers heuristics took 15 minutes, and now they use that shared language to articulate design."
Standardizing Product Merits for Leaders, Designers, and Everyone
June 15, 2018
"There’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all methods; what works in one part of the map doesn’t work in another."
Simon WardleyMaps and Topographical Intelligence (Videoconference)
January 31, 2019
"There’s a gap between intentions and impact; humility is needed to close it."
Sandra CamachoCreating More Bias-Proof Designs
January 22, 2025
"I held Jeff accountable by expecting criticism to come with rationale and intentional improvement."
Darian DavisLessons from a Toxic Work Relationship
January 8, 2024
"Stakeholder communication is crucial to professional strategy because without it, we run the risk of activity without impact."
Fisayo Osilaja[Demo] The AI edge: From researcher to strategist
June 4, 2024
"There is a common thread in craft: dignity, purpose, utility, and beauty."
Uday GajendarThe Wicked Craft of Enterprise UX
May 13, 2015
"Relying on a single content strategist was a strategic mistake that created a single point of failure."
Davis Neable Guy SegalHow to Drive a Design Project When you Don’t Have a Design Team
June 10, 2021
"Launching a design system is not a sprint, there’s no end, it’s always a continuous process."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
"Finding a single source of truth for design documents and artifacts is extremely hard because most tools operate in silos."
Aurobinda Pradhan Shashank DeshpandeIntroduction to Collaborative DesignOps using Cubyts
September 9, 2022
