{"id":2788,"date":"2020-10-23T10:22:09","date_gmt":"2020-10-23T14:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/designopssummit2020\/?page_id=2788"},"modified":"2020-10-25T20:20:07","modified_gmt":"2020-10-26T00:20:07","slug":"designops-2020-design-staffing-for-impact-session-notes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/designopssummit2020\/designops-2020-design-staffing-for-impact-session-notes\/","title":{"rendered":"DesignOps 2020: Design Staffing for Impact (Session Notes)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Speaker: Patrick Commarford, Design Principal, IBM<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 Thank you everyone, and excited to be here.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Challenges for staffing approach and action we have taken and improvements experienced<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Hope you are experiencing similar challenges that strategies employe can help<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 Always want to staff projects with talent deserved, but don\u2019t have people<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Need to make sure you are maximizing the impact to your organization<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

An Introduction<\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 The IBM CIO provides centralized IT department and own strategy, tools, work-stations, devices and infrastructure<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 Company CIO is heavily focused on employee experience.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Less friction in IT activities allows IBMers to focus on providing solutions<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 Each domain has its own leader and portfolio and mission<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 CIO design is smallest with 150 practitioners and optimize with all others across portfolios<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Partner with role of design advisor akin to design program manager for each portfolio<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Build expertise within domain portfolio and figure out best way to elevate experiences in what they own<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ran into following problem where demand for support outpaced capacity.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 We continue to experience this as demand increases<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Created simple process for which projects are going to be staffed<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Design advisor would work with VP of domain and teams to create a request, and request would articulate needs of project<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Including solution and what designers do, and everything else<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 All worth doing, but needed to know whether they would approve or reject the work<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Worth it to allocate resources, as anything approved would go into queue<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Problems<\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 No criteria was formally documented or defined or published<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Many stakeholders felt decisions were mysterious, didn\u2019t know why Project A was accepted and B rejected<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Rejected project teams were in a state of limbo and unsure of what needed to be done<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014Since we wanted to support as much as possible we approved too much and had unacceptable wait times<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Had the design team become the DMV of IBM? This was not desired.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\u2014Outcome of long queue is by time designer arrived, time for meaningful impact had passed<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 No design team wants to be there<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 Designers were often stretched too thin in projects<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Bad for project teams and bad for team members<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 There was level of uncertainty as to whether right decision could be made in alignment with strategy<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 Took a step back and needed clear way to prioritize work<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Needed to measure that goals were being achieved.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Staffing to priorities. Needed to define certain things<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 First, which projects are we talking about (as CIO portfolio was filled with hundreds of project)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Focused on top 100\/150 projects that were on their radar<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Approve reject or approach, and listing out variables and approval decisions.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Two attributes stand-out from the rest: number of users, and frequency application was used<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 Design needed to figure out how many users out there, and how users were using the tool<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Frequently used tools would have bigger aspect on experience<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Clearly two most important variables. Most objective and quantifiable, and were subjective<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Built out to five-level of priority<\/div>\n
(Priority 1 to Priority 5)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Reviewed list with CIO and VP of each domain, and consensus arrived on modifying percentage of priority<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 For examples projects aligned with a specific focus area<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 Needed to figure out right way of staffing, and relied on design advisors<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Built out expertise and identify ideal staffing by skill<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Percent staff and sign divided by ideal<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2014 Design needed \u00a0a way to define success<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 (Ideal relationship) Higher priority and more staffing<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Created a design staffing score with priority and percent staffed<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2014 Ranges from correlation range of -1 to 1<\/div>\n
    \n
  • \n
    200 point scale similar to NPS<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \u2014 Anything below zero is where staffing is misaligned<\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    \u2014 Anything above 30 is good relationship<\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    \u2014 But for staffing to directly align needed a score of 80<\/div>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \u2014 After leg-work had prioritized set of projects<\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    \u2014 Went and calculated base-line score \u00a0of 44<\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    \u2014 Score was good, but had room for improvement and felt it could be pushed to 80<\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    \u2014 Now could move forward with improvements and actions<\/div>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \u2014 Identified users with lower priority projects, and filling in gaps people had<\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    \u2014 Beneficial to IBMers and their goal of supporting each other, and making as big an impact as they possibly can<\/div>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \u2014 Rather than leaving low priority projects hanging, gave clear direction and guidance<\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    \u2014 Had gold standard support model.<\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    \u2014 Reserved for priority 1-3 tools and services<\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    \u2014 Less time supportive options available for 4 and 5<\/div>\n
      \n
    • \n
      Even 45 minute consultation is better than nothing<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      Expectations properly set<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      <\/div>\n
      \u2014 If you can do something similar, it is highly recommended<\/div>\n

       <\/p>\n

      The Results<\/h4>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \u2014 Prior project selection process caused confusion on part of the staff<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \u2014 Moved to new process with full transparency throughout, and when request came in priority was calculated, and people understood what to expect<\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n
      \u2014 When stakeholders meet, not just discussion of approval or rejection, but instead adjustment of priority<\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n
      \u2014 Once priority is confirmed or defined. Go to transparent prioritized queue.<\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n
      \u2014 Focus on level of support that can be received.<\/div>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \u2014 Breaking down gaps by skills and priority gives clear idea of what is needed to hire<\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n
      \u2014 Clear what needs to be done to fulfill gaps<\/div>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \u2014 Lot of hours and lot of people, and wondered if it needed to be done<\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n
      \u2014 Most certainly has been (things are now automated, and now it\u2019s a matter of regularly using application)<\/div>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      \u2014 Had satisfaction grow and now close to 80<\/div>\n
      <\/div>\n
      \u2014 Ultimate goal is not to put designers on projects, but maximize impact on IBMer experience<\/div>\n
        \n
      • \n
        Experience Index<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
      • \n
        Employee Engagement Analysis<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
      • \n
        Other Score that will be tracked with hope of prioritizing right projects, acceleration positive impact<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        \u2014 Often asked to talk through to how approach would be applied to their context<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        \u2014 Recommend you start with mission areas and goals of organization<\/div>\n
        <\/div>\n
        \u2014 Align on key objective metrics that will drive prioritization<\/div>\n
        <\/div>\n
        \u2014 Weight and map to priority levels<\/div>\n
        <\/div>\n
        \u2014 Farm decision making body and process for priority adjustments<\/div>\n
          \n
        • \n
          Create a decision making body (ideally leadership level) that can adjust priorities<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \u2014If committee adjusting high-level percentage of projects, you can tweak formula<\/div>\n
            \n
          • \n
            Shouldn\u2019t be a debate about subjective metrics<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \u2014 Continuously get feedback, assess and refine<\/div>\n
            <\/div>\n
            \u2014 Communicate what is done to stakeholders, do it frequently, and stay transparent throughout<\/div>\n

             <\/p>\n

            \n

            Questions<\/h3>\n
            <\/div>\n
              \n
            1. \n
              How to convince leadership that associate experience is as important as external customers?<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
              <\/div>\n
              \u2014 Lucky in that leadership didn\u2019t need to be convinced, and CIO has always seen role as providing productive environment for IBMers, and made it his North Star<\/div>\n
              <\/div>\n
              \u2014 Internal metrics on how much time different tests take and productive engagement of employees.<\/div>\n
              <\/div>\n
              \u2014 Path has been paved from leadership at top, focus on fulfilling mission<\/div>\n
              <\/div>\n
                \n
              1. \n
                How to frame conversations with leadership to fight \u201cDon\u2019t take my designers away from me\u201d.<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                <\/div>\n
                \u2014 Began with clear communication<\/div>\n
                <\/div>\n
                \u2014 Designing and delivering great experiences as part of top-level OKR that leadership agrees is important.<\/div>\n
                <\/div>\n
                \u2014 This has helped drive what\u2019s important and what needs to be done for the year<\/div>\n
                <\/div>\n
                \u2014 Number of problems before, where they had queues and there were fights about who got which designer<\/div>\n
                <\/div>\n
                \u2014 People were welcomed to create approach where priorities articulated, and people will be brought into the loop<\/div>\n
                <\/div>\n
                  \n
                • \n
                  Opportunity to review list with peers and question why a specific priority was assigned<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  \u2014 By time process done, people will go through a list<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                  \u2014 Some domains could lose a designer on lower priority project, but gain designer on higher priority project<\/div>\n
                  <\/div>\n
                    \n
                  1. \n
                    Program view of work? How does team look for company wide efficiency, i.e. preventing duplicative effort, and shared learnings across the team?<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                    <\/div>\n
                    \u2014 In terms of efficiencies and duplication at project portfolio. Portfolios focus on typical set of domains<\/div>\n
                    <\/div>\n
                    \u2014 Design advisors are focused on specific portfolio.<\/div>\n
                      \n
                    • \n
                      We have meetings once a week, where we talk about topics associated with a portfolio, and making sure teams are talking to each other and that missions are taking place<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                      <\/div>\n
                      \u2014For sharing knowledge, they have internal \u201cfocal points\u201d that are used for design and user experience review, and accessibility focal point<\/div>\n
                      <\/div>\n
                      \u2014 Responsible for providing assets and guidance for organization<\/div>\n
                        \n
                      • \n
                        Allow office hours for any week<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                        <\/div>\n
                        \u2014 Run design guilds and share across team<\/div>\n
                        <\/div>\n
                          \n
                        1. \n
                          If design resources allocated and scope of project changes, can you reassess on priority?<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                          <\/div>\n
                          \u2014 Yes, you rely on advisors, and the designers themselves<\/div>\n
                          <\/div>\n
                          \u2014 Designers are encouraged to speak out on what are highest priority to work on<\/div>\n
                          <\/div>\n
                          \u2014 Figuring out staffing records and what\u2019s up to date<\/div>\n
                          <\/div>\n
                          \u2014 Over-staffing what needs to be done<\/div>\n
                          <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                          Speaker: Patrick Commarford, Design Principal, IBM \u2014 Thank you everyone, and excited to be here. \u2014 Challenges for staffing approach and action we have taken and improvements experienced \u2014 Hope you are experiencing similar challenges that strategies employe can help \u2014 Always want to staff projects with talent deserved, but don\u2019t have people \u2014 Need […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":334,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","footnotes":""},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/designopssummit2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2788"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/designopssummit2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/designopssummit2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/designopssummit2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/334"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/designopssummit2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2788"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/designopssummit2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3348,"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/designopssummit2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2788\/revisions\/3348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosenfeldmedia.com\/designopssummit2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}