Aligning DesignOps at Every Level

For many growing companies, DesignOps is becoming an essential aspect of scaling design effectively and smoothly. The value of DesignOps is evident to many designers as it streamlines functions and provides a sense of universality to digital tools, methods, and styles for expanding design teams. When integrating DesignOps functions into your organization, it’s integral to have team members at all levels buying into the DesignOps mindset and aligning their operations accordingly. 

Whether you take a top-down or bottom-up approach to DesignOps integration, one thing will always be true: the systems and processes you build will only be successful if everyone shares the same commitment to the values, processes, and practices of DesignOps. 

Design teams want a say in their systems

Having the design team on board with DesignOps is necessary, as these are the people who will be utilizing the design system and working through the processes day-to-day. Design architects should first get feedback from all designers about what issues they have on a day-to-day basis, as well as what tools or methods they find most useful. Allowing the design teams to play an active role in the creation of the design system will give everyone an opportunity to visualize exactly how DesignOps can benefit them in the long run. After showing the value of DesignOps and its potential effects on daily operations, design architects can further align designers with new systems and processes by gradually introducing new guidelines, standards, and tools as they are completed. This will allow designers to ask questions for clarity and give continual feedback on what can be improved upon as the system is created and implemented.

Middle management as mediators

The middle management positions can serve as a mediator between designers and C-suite management in larger companies, so aligning these positions to fit DesignOps goals is key for successful implementation. Middle management can achieve alignment by meeting consistently with design architects to understand the process of creating a design system and design processes, and why it benefits products or projects overall. Additionally, middle management can advocate for more resources for design teams as needed. Time is as important of a resource as money in these instances; by giving teams ample time to be educated on the design system and DesignOps purposes/values, middle management would be aligning with the goals and helping their organization achieve those goals even if they will not be using the system directly.

C-suite management needs to buy-in

Having support from the highest levels in an organization is extremely important, especially if a design architect or team is taking a top-down approach to integrating DesignOps. Highlighting the value of adopting a DesignOps mindset collectively is the best way to align C-suite management to the DesignOps integration process. They can communicate the ethos of the organization and their messages can shift to show how DesignOps processes and goals reflect the mission and values of the organization wholly. By having C-suite management on board, design architects will in turn have the necessary resources to implement a comprehensive DesignOps process and system that will be able to scale with the company as it grows and design becomes more in demand.

Understanding different connections for alignment

Each level within a company will have a different relationship with the DesignOps process. Knowing how all team members are related to DesignOps as a whole will help improve alignment. Consider these tips when working on integrating DesignOps in your organization:

1. Intentional collaboration - Design architects should work closely with designers throughout the creation of design workflows and systems so it can be tailored to their needs as closely as possible. Heavy collaboration can help improve communication and transparency within an organization, which will eventually be incredibly helpful when aligning everyone.
2. Utilize middle management for keeping everyone on the same page - These team members should be looked to for guidance about effective collaboration and open communication across all levels. Though they may not directly use the tools within the design system, they can serve as a strong base for maintaining consistency and contact between teams as the design processes and systems are built and implemented. 
3. Quick wins - In order to get resources approved by C-suite management, design teams should employ an early version of a design system or process to produce a few “quick wins” or positive outcomes to prove the value of DesignOps as a whole. Tangible results are the best way to have upper management recognize how impactful DesignOps can be and allocate more resources towards its development.