Design Operations is all about helping designers do the best work of their lives. Our job is to clear the path so designers can focus on what they do best: design.

At many tech companies, you’ll find a more traditional embedded model—one Design Program Manager (DPM) per major product area. But in a lean team environment, our small but mighty Design Ops team has shifted toward a model built for scale, speed, and strategic impact.

Why? Because in today’s tech landscape where business impact is under a microscope and resources are finite, we’ve learned that making a big impact means working smarter. Whether you’re running Design Ops at a startup, navigating a reorg, or simply operating with fewer hands on deck, here’s how we drive meaningful impact across business, people, and product.

Driving the Business: Tina, Strategy & Prioritization

In today’s tech climate, business impact isn’t just important—it’s everything. Tina Wang leads our team and business strategy efforts by ensuring that everything we take on is aligned to company goals and org-wide priorities.

“When you’re a small team, you have to be ruthless about what you say yes to. I constantly ask: Is this initiative aligned with our company’s goals? How many designers will this actually impact? Is this the best use of our time right now?”

Our Design Ops team meets regularly with design leadership, including monthly check-ins with our SVP of Design, to test ideas and adjust focus. These meetings aren’t just updates—they’re strategic alignment sessions. They help us spot what’s coming, elevate what matters, and pivot fast when needed. The faster the business shifts and evolves in the age of AI, the more frequently we work with design leadership to identify new gaps and opportunities, and evolve the DPM role.

Tina’s north star: Focus on fewer, more impactful efforts. And make sure every program scales beyond a single team or moment.

Slack Tip:
We utilize Slack Canvas as an additional resource to ensure the team stays in alignment between meetings with leadership. It’s the perfect surface to collect, discuss, and disseminate relevant information, as it can scale from a scratch pad for meeting notes up to a detailed documentation and resource repository for teams. Because it can live as a tab in a channel or stand alone, it’s easy for teams to access and collaborate on key information without the struggle of having to search for it.

Empowering the People: Sheila, Programs & Experience

Design Ops is about more than systems and processes—it’s about people. And at Slack, we approach people programs the same way our designers approach products: with care, intention, and a deep understanding of our users.
Sheila Kazan leads our learning, growth, and culture-building efforts by designing experiences—not just programs. Our designers are our users, so every offsite, onboarding moment, or L&D initiative is crafted with their needs, context, and creativity in mind.

“A good Design Ops program should feel as considered as a great product. Clear communication, thoughtful details, and a strong emotional arc all matter.”

That mindset also extends externally. Part of helping designers thrive is amplifying their work and voices beyond Slack—through our Slack Design blog, our Instagram, and LinkedIn. These channels aren’t just about visibility—they’re about community, recognition, and inviting others into the culture we’re building.

Something we’ve learned is the most impactful initiatives don’t have to be super formal. A perfect example is Design Lightning, our monthly hang with the design team where we hear what’s top of mind from design leadership, a rotating MC shares a fun 5-minute talk on something totally outside of work, and designers give rapid-fire updates on what they’re working on. It’s a culture staple that builds connection, surfaces work in progress, cascades top-down communication, and is everyone’s favorite meeting.

In her words? “We’re not just checking boxes. We’re building a design org that people want to be part of.”

Slack Tip:
We keep our team connected through two key Slack channels:

• #announce-product-design – Our formal announcement channel for design org updates
• #design-studio – Our casual, watercooler-style channel where designers swap tips, ask questions, and share the occasional meme

One of our most beloved rituals is the async AMA (ask-me-anything) series in #design-studio, where one or two designers are spotlighted during a set window and the team can ask anything—from design tips to hot takes—while the guests respond asynchronously, creating a low-lift, high-connection moment that brings our culture to life.

Powering the Product: MJ, Systems & Rituals

If Design Ops is a bridge between creativity and execution, MJ Livingstone is our architect. She leads the charge on building scalable processes that ensure our product development pipelines are smooth, repeatable, and adaptable.

“When you’re a small team, one of the biggest advantages is being nimble and not beholden to stringent processes. Our power lies in creating programming that provides both structure and flexibility—teams never have to start from scratch but can adjust a process or template to work best for their needs.”

MJ’s focus is on creating consistent rituals and reusable development frameworks so these systems build confidence, clarity, and connection among designers. From kickoff to launch, her work ensures that designers (and their cross-functional partners) know what to expect every step of the way. Her works sets up everyone for success by helping the team feel assured they’re always focused on the right priorities and aligned with company goals, even on the largest or most ambitious endeavors.

The result? Designers aren’t surprised by process—they’re supported by it, confident their work is contributing directly to the bottom line.

Slack Tip

• We love using AI writing assistance in Canvas (coming soon*) to kick off project plans, leadership reports, and design digests. The AI-generated templates are super helpful—they provide a solid starting point and save us a ton of time and effort when it comes to structuring an outline or project plan. With just a few prompts, we can fast-track straight to the meat and potatoes of our work, instead of getting bogged down in formatting or setup.
• Slack Lists have become an essential tool for tracking design progress across multiple teams. The ability to organize trackers using different color-coded views lets us quickly pull the data we need—whether filtering by design status, company objective, or design lead. Being able to @-mention designers directly within an entry whenever there’s a question is so helpful, and we’re able to keep the conversation in a single, easy-to-navigate place.

How We Work Together

While we each lead a lane, the real magic happens in how we collaborate. Besides staying tightly aligned through regular syncs and open communication, we gut check each other’s ideas, co-create when programs span more than one area, and celebrate wins and solve pain points as a team.
Because great Design Ops doesn’t just support individuals—it amplifies the whole organization.
We operate like a mini design team ourselves: prototyping, iterating, and building off each other’s momentum. If one of us spots a gap—whether it be in onboarding, planning, or delivery—we work together to fill it.
We also make space for honest feedback and healthy pushback. And when things work? We don’t just move on—we document, share, and scale. We make it easy for others to plug in and keep growing the impact.
Our model is flexible, human-centered, and always evolving. And while we may be a small team, we’re proof that small teams can make a big, lasting impact—especially when they work as one.

Final Thought

Whether you’re launching Design Ops at a startup, navigating a reorg, or just trying to do more with less, know this: if you prioritize face time with senior leadership, approach people programs with intention, and focus on creating easily replicable product development pipelines, a small team can absolutely deliver world-class design operations.