DesignOps ( Design Operations ) is a means of managing and optimizing design processes that helps organizations to make design work more efficient, improve collaboration and ensure design consistency. If your design team is growing or you notice that the coordination of design work is starting to produce challenges, it is a good moment to think about how to start developing DesignOps capability.

Start with a needs mapping

Each organization’s DesignOps path is different, so before you take action, it’s important to map the current situation and understand where your design team or organization faces challenges. Ask yourself and your team:

• At which stages do planning processes slow down or stop?
• Is communication between teams effective?
• Are all team members aware of the tools and design systems used?
• Are the design standards and principles clear to everyone?
• How smooth is the cooperation with other departments, such as development and business?

This initial mapping helps identify the areas where DesignOps can bring the greatest benefit.

Define clear goals

Once you have identified the needs, set clear and measurable goals for DesignOps. These goals may include, for example:

Improving efficiency: How can you speed up the design process without sacrificing quality?

Increasing consistency: How do you ensure that the design work of different teams is consistent and follows the organization’s design systems?

Improving collaboration: How can you facilitate collaboration between teams and reduce bottlenecks between design and development?

Clear goals help keep the focus on the right things and provide a dashboard to track the impact of DesignOps.

Choose the right tools

Tools are the backbone of DesignOps. The right tools will help you manage design processes, make teamwork smooth, and ensure that design quality remains high. Here are some tools and platforms to consider:

Design tools: Figma, Sketch and Adobe XD are popular user interface design and collaboration tools. They support component reuse and community design.

Prototyping tools: InVision and Marvel make it easy to build interactive prototypes and conduct early user testing.

Management of design systems: Design systems, such as InVision DSM or Figman design library, help to create and manage uniform design elements and styles at the level of the entire organization.

Project management: Jira, Trello, and Asana are good tools for managing design projects, as they help track the progress of work and ensure that different teams work harmoniously.

The tools should be chosen so that they support the organization’s goals and processes – not create more complexity.

Create and maintain a design system

The design system is an integral part of DesignOps because it provides consistent principles, components, and styles that the entire organization can use. With the design system, designers do not have to start each project from scratch, but can use ready-made components and design models, which saves time and reduces errors.

Start by creating basic elements such as colors, typography, buttons and form fields. Once these are ready, you can move on to more complex components and UI elements. It is also important that the design system is a living document – ​​it is constantly updated and its maintenance is clearly defined for a responsible person or team.

Optimize processes and workflow

Streamlining the design process is one of the most important tasks of DesignOps. This means, for example, that you create a clear process of how to proceed from an idea to a finished plan. This may include, for example:

Kickoff meetings: Set a clear starting phase where all team members are aware of the project’s goals and boundary conditions.

Iterative Design: Adopt an iterative approach where the design is continuously tested and improved over short cycles.

Regular reviews: Organize regular reviews where the team evaluates the progress of the design work and makes necessary corrections in time.

Collaboration frameworks: Clear workflows in collaboration with other departments, such as development teams and marketing, ensure that design is seamlessly integrated into the wider development pipeline.

Enable DesignOps roles

If your organization is large enough, you can consider dedicated roles for DesignOps.

These can be, for example:

• DesignOps Manager : This person is responsible for ensuring that design processes and tools work efficiently and support the teams’ goals. He also manages the maintenance of design systems and ensures that resources are available.
• Design systems administrator : This role ensures that the design system is up-to-date and that it is used correctly in all projects.
• User Experience Researcher (UX Researcher): While not a purely DesignOps role, UX Researchers can work closely with DesignOps to ensure that users are at the center of the entire design process.

Track and measure results

Once DesignOps is implemented, it is important to measure its impact.

For example, follow:

• Time saving: Has the design turnaround time been accelerated?
• Reduction of errors: Has the number of errors or change requests decreased during the development phase?
• Consistency and quality: Do the designs look consistent and do they follow the design system?
• Improvement of teamwork: Is the cooperation between teams smoother and clearer?

The value of DesignOps becomes apparent over time, so remember to review the results regularly and develop operations as needed.

Develop and Adapt continuously

DesignOps is not a static process, but requires continuous development. As your organization grows and design needs change, it’s important that DesignOps adapts to these changes. Continuous iteration and improvement ensures that DesignOps remains relevant and delivers value in the long term.