The Many Faces of Operations
Summary
Crystal Philcox will draw on her experience helping lead operations at the IRS and GSA to show us how Operations can be most effective by adapting to the needs and expectations of an organization’s other major players. She’ll also help us resolve those different “faces” so that they remain aligned and true to the overall goals of an Operations organization.
Key Insights
-
•
The IRS had zero dedicated UX or design experts despite serving 150 million households annually.
-
•
Government’s risk-averse culture often stems from reactions to isolated incidents, leading to persistent procedural roadblocks.
-
•
The IRS video review board, established in response to a $60,000 video spoof controversy, still governs all video productions seven years later.
-
•
Building multiple communication 'faces' tailored to different organizational stakeholders is essential to advance design operations inside government.
-
•
Deep understanding of program details, such as Earned Income Tax Credit transaction codes, builds credibility and confidence in leadership.
-
•
Assessing risk appropriately and using political capital strategically enables pushing back on restrictive policies without jeopardizing trust.
-
•
Forming alliances both inside (CFO, CIO, legal, HR) and outside (community groups) the organization can extend capacity and influence.
-
•
Soliciting feedback is crucial not only for improving solutions but for preparing people mentally and emotionally for upcoming changes.
-
•
Operational excellence means making your organization easy to work with internally, externally, and in delivering value, involving everyone in the effort.
-
•
In large transformations, mixing internal staff with consultants and gradually involving employees helps manage capacity and skills gaps effectively.
Notable Quotes
"There was zero UX experts at the IRS, not even a job description for that role."
"Sometimes government rules grow from a single mistake that leads to congressional hearings and new regulations."
"The video review board still exists seven years later, so producing any video at IRS requires prior approval."
"You have to put on many faces — different skills and mindsets — to communicate with purchasing, finance, legal, and HR."
"I felt like a fake when I didn’t know the details of the Earned Income Tax Credit program, but later I dug in hard and changed that."
"Use your risk budget wisely; push back only when it truly matters and you can manage the consequences."
"Building coalitions with people who share your goals and have power is critical to navigating high-risk innovation environments."
"The most important part of asking for feedback is not just the feedback itself, but introducing folks to the ideas and getting them on board."
"Operational excellence means making everything easy — for your team, your customers, and others to understand your value."
"When your whole operating model changes, you have to step back, breathe, restart, and rely on the best practices you’ve learned."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"The ultimate purpose with AI-augmented note-taking is to think more effectively, not to outsource thought."
Jorge ArangoAI as Thought Partner: How to Use LLMs to Transform Your Notes (3rd of 3 seminars)
May 3, 2024
"We replaced the exhausting time estimation game with data-driven models that give us more reliable results."
John Paul de Guzman10k Screens Later: How We Became a Data-Driven Design Organization
September 24, 2024
"Delivery gets missed at the right time often; sequencing, deployment, and adoption planning are critical."
Sean McKayWhole Product Thinking: Expanding beyond problem and solution space thinking
March 14, 2024
"WCAG does not apply to native mobile apps, which is how slow progress can be on this topic."
Megan Clegg Michael Haggerty-Villa Alexis MorinSpace for Everyone: Reframing Accessibility Through a Wider Lens
June 10, 2021
"Future-facing regulatory structures can avoid post-traumatic innovation by anticipating technology’s social impacts."
Bria Alexander Ariel Kennan Charlotte Lee Sarah Brooks Emily Lessard Gordon Ross Joanne DongReflect and Chart Forward
December 10, 2021
"The people here want to be here. They want the company and customers to succeed and to change the world."
Kurdin Bazaz Liz Rytting Alex KarrCulture, DIBS & Recruiting
June 10, 2021
"Agents are business owners who are incredibly spread thin and scrappy in how they manage everything."
Kayla Farrell Chelsey Glasson Sean Fitzell Jared LeClercWhat It's Like To Be a User Researcher at Compass
March 12, 2021
"Program managers are the unsung heroes who can back up design ops work in many organizations."
Gina Mendolia Jasmine ToyCoordinated collaboration: a Service Design & DesignOps love story
November 19, 2025
"Everything is an experiment."
Erin WeigelReal-world lessons to improve your conversion rates
June 26, 2024
