Summary
Determining a staffing model for the success of your design teams is one of the key elements for driving success. By reviewing the differences between dedicated and agency (or flexible) staffing models, Alicia Mooty will walk the group through a case study of applying these types of models in her work at Adobe.
Key Insights
-
•
Dedicated staffing provides deep expertise but can limit cross-discipline exposure.
-
•
Agency models allow for flexibility and quick adaptation to project needs but may require more ramp-up time.
-
•
A hybrid staffing approach can balance the strengths of both dedicated and agency models.
-
•
Constant communication is critical when changing staffing models to manage expectations.
-
•
Designers need to feel involved in the process early to avoid becoming just order takers.
-
•
Monitoring designer bandwidth is essential to prevent burnout and ensure workload balance.
-
•
Team preferences should guide staffing choices to enhance job satisfaction.
-
•
Pre-staffing meetings can build trust and align expectations before reallocating resources.
-
•
Not all gaps can be filled immediately; sometimes, it's necessary to say no to maintain quality.
-
•
Clear communication with stakeholders is vital to ensure understanding and cooperation during staffing transitions.
Notable Quotes
"We're living in a changing space and we need to adapt our design staffing accordingly."
"The dedicated model creates vertical expertise, while the agency model yields horizontal mastery."
"It's crucial to consider your team's preferences when determining the best staffing approach."
"We identified critical gaps in design staffing that couldn't wait for traditional headcount allocation."
"Design debt was a consequence of reallocating resources from fully staffed teams."
"Creating initial stakeholder meetings helped build trust before reallocating designers."
"With constant changes in priority, ongoing communication is non-negotiable."
"Not every project can be allocated a designer permanently; some require short-term assistance only."
"The importance of relationship building cannot be overstated when implementing new staffing models."
"Design isn’t just about delivering; it's a continuous commitment to improvement."
More Videos
"If we take some old presidential advice to do what you can, where you are, with what you have, that's a great way to show that you can actually deliver."
Ted Booth Sam Ladner Fredrik Matheson Russ UngerDiscussion
June 8, 2016
"Design has been in the DNA of MailChimp really since day one."
Jacqui FreyFlow and Superfluidity for Design Orgs
November 7, 2018
"Turn on your cameras so we can humanize the experience a little more."
Victor Lombardi Ted Booth HK Dunston Andrew OtwellBridging Design and Climate Science
February 14, 2024
"A trillion dollars is enough to buy a million dollar home for a million people."
Kat VellosOpener: The Other L Word
January 8, 2024
"Climate change isn't just a problem; we have a finite time to solve it."
Greg PetroffSoftware as Material—A Redux
June 6, 2023
"We found that everyone wanted to know the official pattern to use, to avoid confusion."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
"It's not just about practicing research, but also enabling others in our organizations."
Megan Blocker Amy Bucher Katie Hansen Ricardo Martins Nidhi Singh RathoreDay 2 Theme Panel
March 12, 2025
"Should we have spent more time communicating across teams?"
Chris MosesStretching the Definition of DesignOps with Product Development
November 7, 2018
"Design systems should allow you to explore ideas in a sketch format without jumping to high fidelity prototypes."
Dave Malouf Amy ThibodeauPanel: Design Systems and Documentation
November 7, 2017
