Summary
Starting DesignOps at an org feels exciting and daunting at the same time. People who’ve given you the green light are as excited as you - so there’s a bit of pressure to make this work well! In this talk, Michelle will provide a “starter kit” of 10 tips for beginning a DesignOps program—the 10 foundational things she's learned from establishing DesignOps at her org. Michelle includes how to prepare the program, manage expectations, ensure your success, and keep things sustainable for the long term.
Key Insights
-
•
Establish clear decision-making responsibilities to avoid confusion.
-
•
Communicate regularly across formats to ensure transparency and alignment.
-
•
Start with small pilots to test ideas before scaling them up.
-
•
Create and manage a backlog to prioritize tasks effectively.
-
•
Use templates to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency.
-
•
Build trust and confidence in the Design Ops practice by celebrating team wins.
-
•
Be adaptable in decision-making based on project context and urgency.
-
•
Involve stakeholders in discussions to clarify roles and expectations.
-
•
Foster open lines of communication through regular one-on-ones.
-
•
Be proactive in identifying pain points and addressing them strategically.
Notable Quotes
"Deciding on decision-making responsibilities clears up gray areas."
"Communicate everything, especially when operating in uncharted territory."
"Start small and scale up, that gives you flexibility to mess up."
"A backlog helps pace and define the design ops practice."
"Creating templates on the fly streamlines workflows."
"Mentoring and supporting team members is crucial for growth."
"Celebrate your team wins to maintain motivation and trust."
"People will be more willing to try new processes if they know it is a pilot."
"Being approachable encourages questions and boosts collaboration."
"Templates don't have to be masterpieces; they should be functional."
More Videos
"It's important to get feedback when designs are still being formed, not at high fidelity."
Teresa SwinglerLook, Up in the Sky! UX/UI for Aerospace
October 27, 2022
"Performance management needs to be transparent and involve regular check-ins."
Karen PascoeDeveloping Experience Teams and Talent in the Enterprise
June 8, 2016
"If we're focused only on things like design systems, we're all about scaling simplistic, repeatable processes."
Cornelius RachieruHandling Complexity: Framing a Scale of Design
June 9, 2021
"Public institutions face common challenges in delivering the best quality services."
Onur Kocan Ayhan EnsiciUnderstanding the Strategy for Civic Design in a Complex City: Istanbul
November 16, 2022
"The theme for today, Transforming Our Craft, will be explored in depth in our sessions."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
March 29, 2023
"You must pave the way to deeper and broader influence by establishing trust with stakeholders."
Megan BlockerGetting to the “So What?”: How Management Consulting Practices Can Transform Your Approach to Research
March 26, 2024
"I'm happy to be here. Good day. Good evening from Helsinki."
Niko LaitinenAdaptable Org Design for Resilient Times
June 10, 2021
"This AI interaction is just a different factor to get to the same ideas."
Peter Van Dijck Louis RosenfeldCoffee with Lou #4: Taking a Peek Under the Rosenbot's Hood
June 14, 2024
"We should think of these as tools to augment human work and let us focus on what matters most."
Jorge ArangoScale Smart: AI-Powered Content Organization Strategies
September 24, 2024
