Case Studies:
Evolving into a management role during the Covid 19 pandemic involved a variety of challenges. Over the past 5 years I have worked through a series of staffing changes, talent requirements, and many common concerns seen throughout today's professional environments. Here I have highlighted a few initiatives I I took to maintain a steady workflow, meet new needs, and generally keep the peace in my little corner of the world during a very tumultuous time in our history.
Leadership & Problem Solving
Challenge: Our department's art server showed signs of deterioration, risking creative assets and complicating access.
Action: I partnered with a colleague outside my department to create a remote-ready backup system. We used Dropbox to automatically sync files off-site and replaced the on-site hard drive. The system was daisy-chained to ensure seamless file access and protection.
Impact: The timing of this initiative was crucial. It launched just before the COVID-19 lockdown and allowed our team to transition to remote work with minimal disruption. This setup is still in use today, proving its long-term value and reliability.
Mediating Creative Process Conflicts
Challenge: I noticed serious communication breakdowns between leadership and one of our creatives. Tensions were high with no direct dialogue between the two. This environment stalled progress and demoralized the team.
Action: I developed a structured, phased workflow that broke down the creative process into manageable checkpoints. Each stage had specific deliverables that allowed for feedback without putting the full burden on the designer. This system effectively reduced conflict and improved efficiency.
Impact: The redesigned process preserved the working relationship, reduced turnaround time, and helped retain the designer, who later advanced into a leadership role. It also demonstrated my ability to diagnose systemic issues and implement creative solutions that support both productivity and team morale.
Scaling Project Management Systems
Challenge: As our design team fluctuated in size from 0 up to 3 people over the years, keeping projects on track with clear ownership and priorities became a moving target.
Action: I tested and implemented several project management platforms over time (Trello and Microsoft Projects), tailoring each system to meet the needs of the current team size and workload.
Impact: This flexibility allowed us to stay nimble and efficient despite staffing changes. It provides me with a dashboard for keeping track of long term projects and gives junior designers better structure and clarity in their expectations.