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Change Management

Building a Design Department’s Operating System

Building a Design Department’s Operating System

Cross-Functional Influence Design Leadership Design Quality Scaling and Transformation
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Building the operating system a design department runs on. The Proof: adopted by all three divisions, and still used today.

Post-Merger Product Unification

Post-Merger Product Unification

Business Impact Product Strategy Scaling and Transformation
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Unified ACG and Skills into one platform experience, ending three years of stalled attempts in 10 months. The Proof: lab engagement doubled.

Cross-Functional Influence Design Leadership Design Quality Scaling and Transformation
Building a Design Department’s Operating System

Building the operating system a design department runs on. The Proof: adopted by all three divisions, and still used today.

  • Design

    Built and run across the platform rebuild, 2024 to 2026

  • Client

    Pluralsight. B2B SaaS, EdTech. ~ 1,900 employees.
    PE-backed, in stabilization.

  • My Role Then

    Director of Product Design, then Director, UX Product Design and Research. One of three design directors under the VP of Design.

  • Scope & Span

    5+ delivery squads, product-area scope 6 to 12, across a three-division design department.

  • Team & Reach

    15-person org (8 direct, 2 managers). One of 3 divisions under the VP of Design. Delivery done in pods.

  • Platform Type

    B2B SaaS, multi-sided (Enterprise admin, individual learner, internal authoring)

  • Status (a/o Q4 '26)

    The ritual operating system still runs the department, under the director I developed.

  • Tags

    Change Management, Governance, Operating Model, Team Capability, Transformation

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Business Impact Product Strategy Scaling and Transformation
Post-Merger Product Unification

Unified ACG and Skills into one platform experience, ending three years of stalled attempts in 10 months. The Proof: lab engagement doubled.

  • Design

    October 2023 to May 2026

  • Client

    Pluralsight. B2B SaaS, EdTech. Acquired A Cloud Guru in 2021.

  • My Role Then

    Director of Product Design, then Director, UX Product Design and Research. Reported to the CPO.

  • Scope & Span

    Hands-On Labs and six Learning Experience product areas across 5+ product squads.

  • Team & Reach

    8 direct reports in a 15-person Learning Experience org with 2 managers. (Product, engineering, content, and platform partners did not report to me.)

  • Platform Type

    B2B SaaS, multi-sided (Enterprise admin, individual learner, internal authoring)

  • Status (a/o Q4 '26)

    Pluralsight describes ACG courses, labs, and sandboxes as part of one unified solution. (Legacy ACG plans are no longer sold.)

  • Tags

    Change Management, Cross-Org Alignment, Enterprise Adoption, Platform Coherence, Post-Acquisition Integration, Team Capability

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