Designed and implemented a scalable DesignOps model that embedded UX earlier into roadmap planning and Agile delivery. By creating a tiered UX support model, operationalizing intake in Jira, and moving design ahead of development estimation, I helped Product, Design, and Engineering work more proactively, reduce rework, and create a more predictable path from idea to implementation.
My Role
In a fast-moving, engineering-driven organization, UX was often brought into initiatives too late. Development planning was already underway before Design had sufficient time for discovery, exploration, or validation. This created reactive UX requests, compressed design timelines, unclear requirements, avoidable rework, and difficulty planning design capacity across multiple product workstreams.
I partnered with Product and Engineering to move UX upstream and integrate it directly into the existing Agile operating model. I established a tiered UX support model based on feature complexity and customer impact, made UX demand visible within Jira, and advocated for sufficient design and research to occur before development estimation. This created clearer expectations for when and how UX should engage throughout the product lifecycle.
Integrate UX into Planning
Participated in roadmap and PI planning to identify upcoming customer-facing initiatives, assess their business and customer impact, and anticipate UX capacity before development began.
Triage UX Support
Established a scalable intake model that classified initiatives as UX Consult, UX Design, or UX Design + Research based on complexity, risk, and customer impact.
Make UX Demand Visible
Operationalized the model through Jira labels and shared planning views so Product, Design, and Engineering could see which initiatives required UX involvement and the appropriate level of effort.
Design Before Development Estimation
Championed completing enough discovery and design to define the experience before Engineering committed to estimates, giving developers clearer requirements and more complete UI/UX specifications.
Collaborate Through Delivery
Maintained UX involvement through implementation and UX QA, creating continuity from initial product planning through release and reducing downstream surprises and rework.
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Aligned Design and Research with the organization's existing PI and sprint cadence rather than creating a separate UX process. This enabled UX work to begin earlier while remaining integrated with how Product and Engineering already planned and delivered software.
Introduced a tiered support model that matched UX involvement to the complexity, risk, and customer impact of each initiative, allowing the team to apply the right level of design rigor without unnecessary process.
Embedded UX directly into the team's existing delivery infrastructure by labeling and tracking initiatives requiring UX involvement in Jira. This gave Product, Design, and Engineering shared visibility into UX demand and signaled when additional design or research lead time was required.
Created a centralized view across product initiatives, stakeholders, Jira stories, sprint cadence, research participants, and project status. This helped anticipate demand, manage capacity, identify dependencies, and coordinate UX across multiple product streams.
Changed the sequencing of work so enough discovery and design occurred before Engineering committed to implementation estimates. Engineering entered development with clearer workflows, requirements, and UI/UX specifications.
Connected UX work with product priorities, epics, sprints, development status, and ownership rather than managing Design through a disconnected process. UX became visible as part of product delivery itself, enabling more proactive collaboration across Product, Design, and Engineering.
Earlier UX Engagement
Moved Design and Research upstream so teams could understand and validate customer problems before implementation decisions were locked in.
More Predictable Delivery
Created visibility into UX demand and required lead time earlier in planning, reducing last-minute requests and delivery bottlenecks.
Less Rework
Provided Engineering with clearer and more complete UX requirements before implementation, reducing ambiguity and downstream design changes.
Stronger Product Partnership
Shifted UX from a reactive service supporting development to a strategic partner participating throughout product planning and delivery.
The biggest change wasn't the Jira labels or a new process. It was changing when Design entered the conversation.
By embedding UX into the existing product operating model, Design became part of how teams decided what to build, understood the customer problem, scoped the experience, and prepared work for Engineering.
Design wasn't simply a step before development. It became part of how the organization planned and delivered products.