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Cutting through the Noise
Summary
Bad news cycles, an old friend asking why you work somewhere, endless meetings, shifting priorities, peers with louder voices - there is a lot of noise to break through to stay focused on your day to day work. In this talk, Maggie Dieringer, Sr Design Program Manager, discusses how she’s helped the Design Operations function grow and find their voice through the noise at Uber.
Key Insights
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Maggie discovered design operations six years into her career, highlighting the role’s nascency even in large companies.
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Uber’s design ops team grew quickly from 2 to 14 in one year, supported by early tactical wins and strong VP advocacy.
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Early skepticism about design ops was overcome by demonstrating distinct value separate from product managers or executive assistants.
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COVID-19 forced Maggie to shift teams rapidly, managing new priorities and resourcing cuts while keeping teams sane and motivated.
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Remote team engagement benefits from lightweight rituals like Screenshot Thursday and optional breakout sessions rather than mandatory Zoom calls.
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Design operations at Uber involves hiring support focused on cultural fit and process mindset, not portfolio vetting.
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Diversity and inclusion efforts are gaining more organizational focus recently but remain an ongoing challenge requiring intentional strategies.
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The design ops team at Uber is predominantly female, reflecting skills such as empathy, multitasking, and communication traditionally attributed to women.
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Collaboration between design ops, product managers, technical program managers, and engineering is crucial but still evolving toward a more integrated operational approach.
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Maggie advocates for servant leadership in design ops, balancing behind-the-scenes support with the need for organizational recognition and influence.
Notable Quotes
"I found a place I could activate my passions in design operations about six years into my career."
"We started small with two people and grew to fourteen because we proved our value through tactical work and strong VP support."
"People initially asked what’s the difference between a design program manager and an EA or product manager."
"During COVID, the roadmap that worked one day was completely uprooted and we had to quickly adapt."
"Screenshot Thursday in Slack became one of the most engaging and anticipated rituals on the team."
"We had to reduce optional virtual social meetings after burnout hit, which showed the importance of balance."
"Our design ops hiring focuses heavily on cultural fit and process thinking rather than portfolio skills."
"Being a predominantly female team brings stereotypes and challenges, especially in male-dominated product organizations."
"We try to build bridges between design ops, product ops, TPMs, and engineering for a holistic program management approach."
"Design ops is servant leadership — if everything goes well, no one notices, but if it goes poorly, we are the first to be blamed."
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