Optimize the way we work at Delta Dental

Sr. Manager, UX: October 2020 to Present

The Challenge: The UX team faced a critical hurdle: the UX team, though talented, operated outside the fast-paced rhythm of Agile. Design deliverables took months, creating a bottleneck and raising concerns about both speed and impact. As the Director of Engineering bluntly put it, "It takes Design 6-8 months to deliver a solution. Why does it take so long?"

My Mission: I was brought in to bridge this gap, tasked with integrating UX seamlessly into the Agile framework. The objectives were clear: accelerate the UX team's velocity and elevate the quality of their work, transforming design from a potential roadblock into a driver of innovation.

The Solution: Recognizing the need for a fundamental shift, I proposed embedding Product Designers directly within Scrum teams. This fostered immediate collaboration with Engineering and Product Leadership, ensuring UX considerations were present from the very beginning. To guide this transformation, I partnered with an Agile coach and the UX Scrum Master, developing a tailored approach.

The Journey: Our strategy involved a two-pronged approach:

• Agile Education and Adaptation: We trained the UX team on Agile principles, but more importantly, we adapted the methodology to fit their unique design processes. This meant redefining Agile ceremonies, establishing design-centric best practices for user stories, and determining realistic project scope.

• Strategic Integration of Design Sprints: To ensure UX informed the overarching product vision, we incorporated Design Sprints into the initial stages of development. These sprints became the engine for driving product strategy, breaking down complex features, and establishing clear roadmaps and timelines