Carla Casariego and Sarah Spencer: “DesignOps in Wonderland” DesignOps Summit 2019 • October 23-24, 2019 • New York, NY, USA http://www.designopssummit.com

1. DESIGNOPS IN WONDERLANDAdventures in Creating and Sustaining an Agile DesignOps Organization
OCTOBER 2019
Carla Casariego & Sarah Spencer

2. CARLA CASARIEGO
Director, DesignOps
SARAH SPENCER
Sr. Manager, DesignOps
Your guides through Wonderland

3. Welcome to Wonderland!

4. Innovate for Better: 30 years and counting
1986
Express Scripts began in 1986 when five employees dispensed
prescriptions in a small cinder-block building. Today, 27,000 employees
across the country carry forward our commitment to creating a better
health care system, meeting every challenge with the same passion
and energy we've had from the start.
Express Scripts was acquired by Cigna in 2018 to create a total health
and well-being company with 70,000+ employees, collectively. Together,
we accelerate a new global health care model that maximizes value,
affordability and choice for our customers and clients.
2018

5. DX agile cadences
stabilize (scrumban)
3 years into Agile
transformation
DesignOps defined
3.5 years into Agile
transformation
DX agile cadences
begin (scrumban)
2.5 years into Agile
transformation
Producer Network
defined
2 years into Agile
transformation
DX Team created
1.5 years into Agile
transformation
Our journey line
2017 H1
2017 H2
2018 H1
2018 H2
2019 H1

6. Would you like an adventure now, or
shall we have tea first?

7. Business Technology ?
Navigate the organization and build
relationships
SEEK OUT
STRATEGIC
PARTNERSHIPS
• Learn where you fit within the
broader organization
• Align on complex experience
challenges
• Establish credibility and show
the value that infusing empathy
has on delivering exceptional
experiences
Product
Owner
Software
Engineering
Digital
Experience

8. Navigate the organization and build
relationships
ESTABLISH “FULL
KIT TEAMS”
• Prove out the power of
multidisciplinary teams
• Strategically align across critical
product priorities
• Establish a new model for
delivering exceptional
experiencesProduct
Owner
Software
Engineering
Digital
Experience
FULL KIT TEAM

9. Building the tunnel into Wonderland

10. Intake iteration 1: chaos
Request
6
Request
3
Request
7
Request
2
Request
1
Request
4
Request
5
Research
Content
Accessibility
User
Experience
Engineering
Content
EngineeringMember
Feedback & NPS
Design

11. Research backlog
Request
3
Request
2
Request
1
Intake iteration 2: sub-team alignment
Content backlog
Request
6
Request
5
Request
4
Design backlog
Request
9
Request
8
Request
7

12. Digital Experience team
backlog
Request
3
Request
2
Request
1
Intake iteration 3: DX team alignment

13. Digital
Experience
team backlog
Request
3
Request
2
Request
1
Intake iteration 4: Full Kit team alignment
Full Kit
team
backlog

14. Say “no”
“A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better and greater than a ’Yes’
merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble”
-Mahatma Gandhi
• Protect the end-to-end the
experience
• Analyze value
• Follow your instincts for
exceptions
FOR A BETTER
“YES”

15. Late for a very important date!

16. Evolve Agile, delivery expectations, timelines and
roadmaps
PILOT LOOKAHEAD
SPRINTS
• Introduce teams to new ways
of working
• Prove the value of User
Centered Design
• Deliver experiences validated
with user feedback
Framework
Timebox Team
Problem
Statement

17. Evolve Agile, delivery expectations, timelines and
roadmaps
ESTABLISH A
DESIGN SPRINT
CALENDAR
• Align to established sprint
cycles
• Build in lead time – stay 1-2
(or more) sprints ahead of
software engineering
• Be prepared to re-educate
partners

18. Evolve Agile, delivery expectations, timelines and
roadmaps
CREATE
EXPERIENCE
ROADMAPS
• Provide visibility into initiatives
supported by the team
• Serve as roadmaps for strategic
priorities
• Maintain and adapt to ever
changing needs

19. Protecting the Tea Party

20. Pivot the org structure: from Producer Network
Research Producer
Research
Experience, Research & Accessibility
Content Producer
Content
Digital Content & Engagement
Design Producer
Design
User Experience Design

21. Pivot the org structure: to DesignOps
Research
DesignOps
Content
Digital Experience
(DX)
Design

22. Centralize business foundations
Lab strategy
IDENTIFY VALUE
STREAMS
Governance
People
Processes
Tools
Client & sales
Contracting

23. Most everyone’s mad here.

24. Find commonalities with other organizations to solve
challenges and apply leading practices
REFLECT, REFINE,
PIVOT
• Look to strengths of the team
• Research emerging trends,
leverage trusted advisors and
peers in agencies or other
companies
• Learn from others’ journeys
and experiences

25. Find commonalities with other organizations to solve
challenges and apply leading practices
CREATE A
STRATEGY FOR
EXPERIENCE
OPERATIONS
• Garner support from leadership
and partners in the
organization
• Determine whether to align on
value streams or specific
experience disciplines
• Navigate the ever-changing
organizational landscape

26. Our reflections
1STRATEGICALLY NETWORK & PARTNER
2CREATE FORMALIZED & COLLABORATIVE INTAKE
3ESTABLISH AGILE CADENCES & ROADMAPS
4CENTRALIZE APPROPRIATE ”RUN THE BUSINESS” FUNCTIONS
5LEARN FROM OTHERS’ EXPERIENCES

27. “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought
to go from here?”
"That depends a good deal on where you want
to get to.”
"I don't much care where –”
"Then it doesn't matter which way
you go.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

28. Questions?

29. Stay in touch
CARLA CASARIEGO
Director, DesignOps
Email: carla@express-scripts.com
LinkedIn: carla-casariego
SARAH SPENCER
Sr. Manager, DesignOps
Email: sspencer@express-scripts.com
LinkedIn: spencersarah