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<aside> 💡 I have been managing design projects for small, mid and large scale companies since 2012. This document covers my notes, tips and tricks that I have gathered over many years.

Please feel free to suggest modifications, and ask questions.

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What is a design manager?

Key responsibilities:

• Project management
• Design strategy for a client or a project
• Setting up creative process
• Encouraging the culture of creativity

Project management:

• Knowing: Creating a scope document
  • Product definition
  • Key stakeholders - CXOs, PMs, etc
  • Known constraints - Timelines, Budget,
  • About the end users - Location, traits, current understanding
  • Use case case document - can be a different document
  • Product flow map - a rough draft, showing 10k ft. view of the product
  • Low-fi wireframes - key screens, giving a visual representation
• Planning: Creating a project plan
  • Gantt chart - indicating the timeline and key activities
  • Milestone plan
  • Highlight dependencies and risks
• Execution: Resource identification
  • Task list - Kanban board using Trello or JIRA or Excel - Backlog, In Progress, Done, Blocked, On Hold

Why is a design manager needed?

Imagine an execution, without at least some amount of planning. You are imagining a high failure rate, slow improvement and a badly designed product.

A design manager ensures all the designers are on the same page, are aware of the scope, constraints, and everything that already exists.

Daily client communication, daily design reviews, weekly/bi-weekly feedback sessions, etc are some mechanisms to ensure that the project goes smoothly, and the design team is able to deliver a product with the utmost quality.

How to become a design manager?

As a design manager, you are not only required to help clients/stakeholders with planning and executing the design project, you are also expected to build a good level of personal and professional understanding with your peers.

Being good at any kind of management, starts with building empathy.