Thread by @andybudd

I’ve been struggling how to succinctly articulate the services we offer our clients at @Clearleft for some time now. Instead I’d list off all the things we can and have done for clients over the years. However a recent tweet by @daveixd cleared that up for me.

@clearleft @daveixd Clearleft offer 3 things.

We offer Digital Design as a Service (like all agencies)

We offer Product Strategy as a Service (like many good agencies)

We offer Design Operations as a service (few if any agencies currently do this).

@clearleft @daveixd We generally offer Design Services to teams with some sort of capacity gap. This could be because...

1. They don’t need a permanent team.
2. They’re temporarily under resourced.
3. They don’t have certain skills at the necessary level in-house.

@clearleft @daveixd The under resourcing is usually a temporary capacity issue. Either they’re struggling to recruit, need to bridge a gap while they recruit, or have a temporary project that doesn’t need recruiting for.

@clearleft @daveixd On the Strategy as a Service front, many companies are understandably optimised around delivery and people management. As such they often lack strategists. Especially when that strategy is focussed on a specific product, rather than part of a regular strategy schedule.

@clearleft @daveixd As such we’re often bought in to supplement the existing strategic capabilities around specific initiatives. For instance the development or articulation of a new product or company vision.

@clearleft @daveixd So far, so ordinary. However it’s the Design Operations as a Service things that’s interesting to me, and the one we’ve been struggling to articulate till now.

@clearleft @daveixd At @LDconf last year, several people running DesignOps teams inside large tech companies explained how that offeringargely came from acquiring agencies. This makes sense as design agencies have been scaling and managing designers for years, and have got very good at it.

@clearleft @daveixd @LDconf So if you’re a tech company, or a traditional business for that matter, it makes sense that you’d look towards agencies to help you scale design inside your organisations.

@clearleft @daveixd @LDconf However most companies can’t buy agencies outright, which is probably why a lot of out work the past 4-5 years has had a DesignOps feel about it.

@clearleft @daveixd @LDconf A lot of it started with the obvious “we need a design system” conversations, and we still do a tonne of this.

However a lot of our current work seems to be supporting internal design leaders with programs of work to support their growing teams.

@clearleft @daveixd @LDconf Over the last 5 years we’ve done everything including...

* Act as interim heads of design
* Hire and build new teams
* Train teams and put levelling systems in place.
* Improve internal processes and governance
* Promite design internally

@clearleft @daveixd @LDconf Up until today I’d basically feel off a list of these things to prospective clients. I knew we were essentially performing a DesignOps role for many of our clients, but for some reason I couldn’t articulate it.

@clearleft @daveixd @LDconf Then I saw @daveixd’s tweet this morning and it all made sense. The third service we’ve been offering clients the past 5-6 years has been DesignOps as a Service.

https://mobile.twitter.com/daveixd/status/1091593515648339968

@clearleft @daveixd @LDconf There are a few AMAZING consultants out there offering this as a service and I’d highly recommend checking them out.

@clearleft @daveixd @LDconf However I think we’re somewhat unique in offering this from an agency perspective.

@clearleft @daveixd @LDconf @threadreaderapp unroll