Backbase

Brief

Timeline

2023 – 2024

Stakeholders

Gaia Armellin, CS Delivery Director, and CS Design Leads:
OKR planning and management for the CS Design Team, with active contributions to the OKRs.
Backbase Design Director, R&D Design Ops, and R&D Design Leads:
OKR planning and management for the R&D Design Team, with active contributions to the OKRs.

In 2023 and 2024, I took ownership of optimizing the planning and delivery of the global Customer Success Design Team.

I was responsible for project management, OKR execution, delivery model, and evangelization of the Design OKRs for the global Customer Success department in collaboration with the Backbase Design Guild, helping them optimize the internal OKR process and delivery for 2023 onwards.

This case study details how, in 2023 and 2024, we established a comprehensive framework for managing inter-departmental OKRs and KPIs that addressed the diverse needs of all stakeholders. As a result, my team and I successfully achieved 90% of the 2023 OKRs and 70% of the 2024 targets by mid-2024, delivering significant value to the global Customer Success Design and Delivery Teams, the Academy, R&D, and enhancing the Talent Development of the global CS Design Team.

Our Approach

At Backbase, the design departments—Customer Success, R&D, Marketing, Pre-Sales, and Innovation—face the challenge of defining OKRs annually. Given the interdependencies among these teams, it is essential to align their objectives with the company’s strategic vision. Design OKRs are distinct from traditional tech and non-tech OKRs, as they focus on optimizing user experiences for a diverse audience, including internal teams, partner design teams, and end-users. This complexity is heightened by Backbase’s B2B2C model, necessitating a nuanced approach to goal-setting.here was no offcial streamlined global recruitment process for the Customer Success Design Team. Each hub acted in autonomy.

1. Align with Backbase Strategy: Conduct team workshops focused on identifying improvement opportunities in line with the strategic pillars for the upcoming year.
2. Gather Insights: Collect findings from each design department to define critical OKRs and high-level KPIs for the year ahead.
3. Realign Objectives: Ensure that OKRs and KPIs are aligned across design departments and with Backbase’s strategic goals, making adjustments as necessary.
4. Define Contribution Model: Structure high-level OKRs, KPIs, and subtasks in Jira for transparency and reference. Design Leads will oversee high-level OKRs, compile reports, and share them with management.
5. Management Approval: Present both the high-level OKRs and the contribution model to management for approval, ensuring feasibility and commitment to the Design Team’s involvement.
6. Engage Stakeholders: Communicate the planning process to all Design Guild members and relevant stakeholders, encouraging their contributions as part of their Personal Development Plans. Task owners will be responsible for achieving their objectives, forming teams as needed, and updating Jira tickets for streamlined reporting.
7. Initiate Execution: Launch the execution phase with clear roles and responsibilities.

Challenges

Throughout the process, we encountered several challenges:

Daily Work Prioritization: Despite management’s assurance of dedicated hours for OKR work, team members struggled to balance daily responsibilities with OKR contributions. We focused on shifting mindsets, helping team members understand how their contributions aligned with broader goals and supported their daily teams, the Design Guild, and Backbase’s vision.

Duplicate Tasks: Multiple team members identified similar issues, leading to duplicate subtasks. We streamlined the board by merging tasks and teams to enhance execution efficiency.

Product Evolution: Backbase’s products were undergoing significant changes, resulting in blockers and delays in executing Design OKRs. We addressed these issues by either mitigating, accepting, or pausing tasks as necessary.

Result

Our strategic approach yielded impressive results:

• 2023 OKR Success: Achieved 90% of the 2023 OKRs, delivering valuable assets to the global Customer Success Design and Delivery Teams, Academy, and R&D.
• 2024 OKR Progress: By mid-2024, we reached 70% of the planned 2024 OKRs.

2023 Highlights:

• Academy CS UX Learning Path
• Academy CS UX Onboarding
• Customer Success Design WOW for Adopt and Build
• Customer Success Design Career Framework
• Customer Success Design Field Directory

2024 Highlights:

• Promotion of three team members whose contributions were pivotal to the CS Design OKR success.
• CS UX Visibility Index
• Establishing CS and R&D as Equal Product Experts
• Optimizing UX Operations & Costs
• Localization Overview of local differences in the Backbase Product Suite

Learnings

MUST HAVE

• Collaboration, clear communication, and alignment across departments.
• Fostering a culture of shared ownership and accountability is essential for achieving collective goals.

FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

Moving forward, we will continue to refine our OKR processes, enhance stakeholder engagement, and leverage the insights gained to drive further improvements in our design strategy. Our focus will remain on aligning our objectives with Backbase’s vision, ensuring that our design efforts contribute meaningfully to the company’s success.