Many design teams face similar challenges around: ● Scaling to meet demand; ● Maintaining quality; ● Maintaining culture; and ● Remaining profitable. Here are my insights on how to scale and maintain culture and quality in a sustainable way so that you’re still profitable at the end of the day.

1. How to build a
sustainable design team
Insights from Ali Sharp, GM at Meld Studios
alison@meldstudios.com.au
@alisharp
20May2016

2. SomethingsI’velearned
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22
Many design teams face
similar challenges around
scaling to meet demand,
and maintaining quality,
culture, and profitability.

3. Context:Levelsofdesignmanagement
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33
DESIGNING PROGRAMS OF WORK
Design strategy and direction
People and project management
Day-to-day operations
DESIGNING THE DESIGN TEAM
Vision and strategy
Operating models
Policies
DESIGN CRAFT
Application of methods and skills to
design for specific needs

4. Proposal Volvo Group Australia:Path to purchase customer journey mapping
Challenge#1
4
Design maturity is increasing.Opportunities
are flooding in.How do we scale to meet
demand?
Oh how quickly hurrah! becomes argh!
Staffing models and partner engagement

5. Staffingmodels
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55
And repeat…
PROJECT 2
Program Lead, Design Lead…
Service Designer
UX Designer
Visual Designer
Front-End Developer
Project Manager
THEME 1
Customer type or phase
PROJECT 1
THEME 3THEME 2

6. Partnerengagement
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66
• Engagement models are changing:less about educating and
building capability, more about increasing capacity as
design-driven companies want to keep projects in-house
• Some teams have more external than internal staff
• Creates challenges around culture and quality, but allows rapid
growth and flexibility
• Agencies can balance time onsite with Fridays back at HQ and
regular team rotation

7. 7
Challenge#2
–––
We’re meeting demand,but skill levels vary.
How do we ensure quality?
Prioritisation,design training,toolkits,collaboration and critique

8. Reflectionsforin-houseteams
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88
• How big do we get?
• Should we continue to grow a central team of design experts, or
is it time to democratise design and embed designers across
the organisation?
• How and when do we relinquish control?
Many teams choose both:
• Core team to focus on “top priority” programs
• Design training and toolkits for others to DIY

9. Prioritisation
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99
KEY QUESTIONS
• What do we care about most?
• How does this project align with our goals?
• Do we have the capability and capacity to deliver quality?
• What would happen if we didn’t do this?
• How might we gracefully decline or defer?
IT’S HARD TO SAY NO
• Desire to please
• Hate work going out without design input
Quality and health suffers when we’re spread too thin

10. Toolkits
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1010
EXAMPLES
• Guide to shaping design projects
• Journey mapping templates
• Style guides
• Pattern library (Lego)
• Overhead to create, manage, and monitor use
• DIY — democratisation of design
• Some design thinking better than none at all
• Free up the core design team

11. Designtraining
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11
FOR THE DESIGN TEAM
• Define hard and soft skills
• Skills assessment to understand strengths and gaps
• Training on and off projects
• Coaching and mentoring
FOR OTHERS
• Capability workshops
• Toolkits

12. Collaboration and critique
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12
• Structured activities for extra brainpower
• Generative workshops (design jams)
• Structured critiques
• How might we… ?
• What if… ?
• How does this design deliver against… ?
• Great for staff engagement and morale

13. 13
Challenge#3
–––
Things are changing fast.There are so many
new faces.How do we maintain the great
culture we started out with?
Dedicated effort and scalable policies

14. Cultureaudit
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• What makes our team a great place to be?
• Physical environment
• Type of work
• Growth opportunities
• Inspirational leaders
• Like-minded colleagues
• Big and little things
14

15. Ways to feel connected
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15
• Team days — learning + fun
• Breakfast, lunch, drinks, dinner — allow for flexible working
• Chat tools for sharing and banter
• Acknowledge personal milestones and preferences

16. 16
Challenge#4
Money! How do we remain profitable as we
grow?How do we justify costs?
Financial models and proof points

17. Financialmodels
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1717
• Cost, revenue, profit and utilisation targets
• Pipeline and conversion targets
• Margins to cover non-billable staff and culture policies
• Rules of thumb for estimating projects
• Cash flow strategy
• Revenue streams — diversification,‘bread and butter’

18. Proofpoints
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18
Averted investment
*losses* estimated
by client at $1.5bn.
Project cost:$80k
• Support industry statistics with your own stories
• Metrics — revenue, savings, adoption,
satisfaction rates, ROI, etc.
• Quantify value of extra brainpower on projects
• Highlight calibre of staff and thought leadership
• Lean approach to maximise use of client budget
• Tiered rate models based on volume of work

19. Summary
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HOW DO WE ENSURE QUALITY?
Prioritisation: focus on what’s important
Train designers to improve hard and soft skills
Provide toolkits and training to enable DIY
Structured activities for collaboration and critique
HOW DO WE SCALE TO MEET DEMAND?
Staffing models: dedicated team per theme
External partners for extra capacity and capability
HOW DO WE MAINTAIN CULTURE?
Culture audit:understand what people love
Find cost effective ways to keep connected
HOW DO WE REMAIN PROFITABLE & JUSTIFY COSTS?
Constant refinement of financial models
Proof points to demonstrate the value of your work

20. Thankyou
Keepintouch:
alison@meldstudios.com.au
@alisharp