Mobilize
First things first. When you start a design-led project, make sure everybody knows and understands what it implies. Actually, it is an everyday job for designers and stakeholders.
Aligning the team and business stakeholders around a common understanding of the design methodology and value is essential.
Objectives
- Clarify and frame context, stakeholders, resources and its design needs
- Make sure stakeholders are engaged and understand what design is
- Understand business objectives
- Mobilize the perfect team for the project
- Align everybody on project stakes
- Ensure successful project launch
Tools and methods you’ll need and why
Are you design led?
Selling
Design presentation
The way we do it at ENGIE
We believe that a Design Lead is an essential stakeholder in every digital project and at very early stages, just like Tech and Business Leads. He/She is a part of the core team during the whole project.
When gathering a multidisciplinary team, you should plan enough time to identify the right people and make sure they will be available to participate in the workshops. Onboarding is a critical moment.
It is an opportunity to agree on an internal process and develop a team mindset before officially launching the project.
As a PO/BO, your role is to gather a team and ensure they have a design mindset and put users at the center of the service.
At ENGIE, we align all project stakeholders and contributors on a Common Vision during a special Design Kick-off meeting.
A successful kick-off must combine personal and collective expectations and identify the project constraints, the KPIs or success criteria. Design should be included in all relevant processes, rituals and meetings.
It is an everyday job to explain, convince and sell design approaches to team members and stakeholders. If you need some inspiration, check out our Medium Page, and the "Selling Design" presentation.
How to test at this stage
Test your first draft in the common vision workshop. Do your stakeholders share your vision? What can you learn from the different of perspectives, needs and ambitions? Use workshop design techniques to let people express their latent needs and opinions.