Summary
Designers rarely work alone these days, and so the teams where we get our work done have an outsized impact on everything from how we feel day-to-day, to our ability to deliver our work, to our career trajectory. Rather than impose an operating model on my design team at [company], I borrowed heavily from the design process we use every day to co-create it in a way that solved real problems we were experiencing. Attendees will walk away with an understanding of how to lead teams that largely self govern, and the benefits of this model for team members, leaders, and the companies that employ them.
Key Insights
-
•
Design teams without embedded design ops support can still embed operational excellence by making every designer responsible for operations.
-
•
JP Morgan Chase’s small business credit card onboarding took over a year and 10 teams to deliver just four screens, illustrating scale challenges.
-
•
John Gall’s principle that complex systems evolve from simpler systems applies to building team operating models incrementally.
-
•
Three core principles for team operating models are simplicity, autonomy, and transparency.
-
•
Regular one-on-ones focused on development and driven by the direct reports’ agendas foster autonomy and trust.
-
•
Pulse surveys done monthly help baseline team alignment and surface deviations signaling areas for improvement.
-
•
Retrospectives are crucial cultural rituals where teams commit to direct yet kind conversations to surface friction for growth.
-
•
The team improved delivery from 50% of planned work in early sprints to over 90%, nearly doubling capacity without headcount growth.
-
•
Emergent cultural practices, like playing Wordle in standups, can shorten meetings and build unique team culture.
-
•
Operational models must be resilient to real-life disruptions like PTO and new team members to maintain sustainable momentum.
Notable Quotes
"Designers have a stake in design ops too—what would the world look like if that was the day-to-day for a team?"
"It took over a year and 10 teams just to ship four screens—scale is both a tremendous opportunity and a weakness."
"We have to go slow to go fast—highlight problems first, then iteratively evolve the process to solve them."
"Simplicity comes first—complex systems that work evolved from simpler systems that work, according to John Gall’s law."
"Autonomy means the team needs real control over how they work; enabling that unlocks buy-in and co-creation."
"Pulse surveys aren’t about making everything dark green, but about establishing baselines to spot meaningful changes."
"Retrospectives require a commitment to direct, kind conversations that come from a place of caring."
"We started with twice-weekly 15-minute standups and evolved everything together based on feedback."
"Context switching across eight initiatives made my brain explode; prioritization was a huge problem to solve."
"Process is scaffolding for culture—setting simple processes can reset culture and allow positive norms to grow."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Design operations ensures the processes and systems are in place so designers can create their best work."
Angelos ArnisNavigating the Rapid Shifts in Tech's Turbulent Terrain
October 2, 2023
"You have to grow design ops capabilities in tandem with the design team to avoid organizational mismatches."
John Calhoun Rachel PosmanBring your DesignOps Story to Life! The Definitive DesignOps Book Jam
October 3, 2023
"If design is not viewed as a player moving the needle on business strategy, designers feel disempowered and frustrated."
Alfred KahnA Seat at the Table: Making Your Team a Strategic Partner
November 29, 2023
"Personas need minds of their own that push back, not perfectly behaved models."
Dan WillisEnterprise Storytelling Sessions
June 3, 2019
"The pain you feel in driving change is the pain of growth—you have to sign up for it and keep going."
John Maeda Alison RandAbout Design Organizations (Videoconference)
May 13, 2019
"We had four different supply chains fighting for priority, with different business teams and conflicting systems."
Anat Fintzi Rachel MinnicksDelivering at Scale: Making Traction with Resistant Partners
June 9, 2022
"Craft should evolve from making a beautiful final object to serving as a facilitative anchor in enterprise UX."
Uday GajendarThe Wicked Craft of Enterprise UX
May 13, 2015
"The audience tripled from 200 to 600 in the second year, which absolutely blew us away."
Kristin SkinnerTheme 1 Intro
September 29, 2021
"We changed from a production mindset to a consumption mindset: my job isn’t done until my customer’s job is done."
Maish NichaniSparking a Service Excellence Mindset at a Government Agency
December 9, 2021
