Bringing Order to Chaos

Our designers were swamped and a meltdown was coming.

They were overwhelmed, and priorities were unclear. It seemed like the entire company had unrestricted access to them, constantly requesting work on a whim. The pressure was getting to them.

And so, the head of design escalated the issue to the director of product, who then informed me that our current system was sorta falling apart. This surprised me, as I thought our processes had been going great. Somewhere along the way I had become head of the "process police." I’m the guy who darkens your door and reminds you that “we have a certain way of doing things”.

I had become the very thing I despised.

To provide some background, a loooong time ago during my early years at Adobe Systems, I never understood why they had to have so much process. Everything moved slowly, hampered by bureaucracy. Adobe was made up of agile, small teams aiming for quickness. They were speedboats, quick and nimble. The larger corporate structure however was cumbersome, like an ocean liner—slow to move and slower to change direction.

After leaving Adobe for Sporcle, I missed the resources (and stock options) but I finally could move quickly. We were a small team without the big corporate overlords. We slung code. Failed fast and recovered faster. It was great.

Seventeen years in, and we're not zipping through the waters like we once did. As the years rolled by and the company grew, I've come to realize the necessity of having some processes in place. Adobe, in my view, had too many unnecessary processes, but as you mature as a company, you really need some structure and guidelines to work efficiently.

This takes me back to our design team. A couple of years ago, I put together a solid process using a Trello board with an inbox, labels to track projects, and a weekly meeting to go over requests. It was all running so smoothly that I felt confident enough to hand it off and shift my focus to other priorities.

But when finally I checked back in, I found everything had turned into a mess. Here’s the breakdown:

• No one was using the labels correctly—if they were using them at all.

• The labels became confusing and lost their value, leading to their neglect.

• To cope, more columns were added to our board to sort various projects, further complicating things since the original labels weren’t working.

• The inbox was practically abandoned.

• Design reviews were too narrow and didn't cover new incoming work.

• Team members started bypassing the system, assigning tasks directly to designers because it seemed quicker and more straightforward.

The end result? Our design team was getting overwhelmed and burnt out. They felt buried under endless tasks, unsure of who had the final say on certain projects, as work kept piling on without any filter for incoming tasks.

As I reviewed the bedlam and was considering who to publicly flog I realized something. This was my fault. I had entirely caused this process chaos.

Sure, I had established what seemed like a solid process, and it appeared to be running smoothly. However, I dropped the ball in several key areas:

1. I never properly explained the importance or purpose of the labels.

2. I failed to clarify why we needed a review process.

3. I didn't provide enough guidance on how to set and prioritize tasks.

4. I allowed too many people direct access to the designers, leading to chaos.

But the biggest mistake was that I set everything up, assumed it was fine, and didn't check back until everything had spiraled out of control.

So why am I giving you this behind-the-scenes look? There are several key takeaways here:

• Context matters. You can’t just set up a process without making sure everyone involved understands its purpose. No one here was deliberately doing a poor job or had ill intentions. In fact, many of the changes were intended to enhance access and speed things up. If stakeholders had a clearer understanding of the rationale behind the setup, they might have made different decisions.

• The process needs to be written down. I'm not suggesting we write down every minor detail, but a brief guide or readme can keep everyone aligned and serve as a handy reference.

• Focus on providing visibility, not access. Often, those who seek access to information are just as satisfied with being able to see what’s going on. We didn't just have too many cooks in the kitchen—we also had the waitstaff, the managers, and half of the diners crowding the space. There's great value in limiting access to a few while making the process transparent so that everyone feels included.

• Know who makes the call. Every process should clearly define who has the final say—whether it's assigning tasks, sounding the alarm, or making decisions. Well-defined roles are essential for a good process.

• There is no “set it and forget it”. No matter how confident you are in a process, you can’t simply hand it off and never look back. Regular reviews or oversight are necessary to ensure things are running as smoothly as you believe they are.

Don’t worry though, all is not lost. We are working together as a team to right the ship and to make sure we don’t get into this situation again. We have just enough process in place to keep everything running smoothly but without making everyone crazy. And while we may not be whipping around on speedboats anymore, we aren’t the Pacific Princess either.

One more thing…

In each post, I like to reflect on gratitude. Last week, I wrote about Ultimate Frisbee. As my family begins to move away from the sport— at least at the high school level—I'm constantly reminded of its impact on not just my kids, but on my wife and me as well. It's been wonderful having something that brings both triumph and heartache, yet with relatively low stakes. The community that has welcomed us through this sport has been an incredible gift. So today, I am thankful for this unique sport that remains under-appreciated by many. It has truly been a remarkable addition to our lives.

And in that vein, my daughter’s team qualified for the national championships. If you are in a position to contribute, they have a campaign going to raise funds. It’d be great if you could help out.

As always, thanks for reading.