UX Borrow Request for Plan Stage

UX Borrow Request Overview

This request uses the Borrow Lite issue template as it involves a single UX member (Senior Product Designer).

Note: This request requires approval by @mvanremmerden , Senior Product Design Manager.

Current Staffing and Priorities

  • Current team allocation: The Plan Stage currently has three Product Designers (Nick Leonard, Alex Fracazo and @nickbrandt ) supporting engineering teams with a 1:10 designer-to-engineer ratio. Nick and Nick are in the top 5 for MR reviews company-wide, indicating they are already at maximum capacity.
  • Ongoing UX projects: Three Tier 2 priorities for FY26 (Saved Views, Enhanced list view, GLQL Views), Planning workflows, Hierarchy improvements, and Vision work/GitLab 18 Run of Show.
  • Critical UX priorities: Saved Views feature release coincides with Nick Brandt's upcoming parental leave (starting in June for four months).
  • Resource gaps: The recent addition of new engineering headcount (IC and EM) is creating a fourth engineering team, further stretching design resources. Designer-to-engineer ratio exceeds internal guidelines.
  • Impact on existing work: Current design resources are operating at unsustainable workloads; Nick Leonard cannot cover for Nick Brandt during his parental leave, and Alex Fracazo is already committed to GLQL Views work.

Exit Criteria

  • Specific deliverables: Support for Saved Views feature through design, implementation, and launch phases during Nick Brandt's absence. Secondary support for Work item type customization and other ongoing Plan Stage priorities.
  • Quality standards: Maintain design quality consistent with Plan Stage standards to address current adoption challenges. The Plan Stage Strategy notes that "Plan adoption for paid customers is declining month-over-month."
  • Timeline: 6-month borrow period, focusing especially on the 4-month parental leave window starting in June.
  • Knowledge transfer requirements: Documentation of design decisions, patterns, and user flows to ensure continuity when Nick Brandt returns from leave.
  • Transition plan: Gradual handoff of responsibilities back to Nick Brandt upon his return, with 2-month overlap to ensure smooth transition.

Proposal

  • Resource request: 1 Senior Product Designer with experience in complex workflow design
  • Duration: 6 months (with emphasis on coverage during 4-month parental leave starting in June)
  • Time commitment:
    • Part-time in May 2025
    • Full-time (100%) allocation to Plan Stage during Nick's leave
  • Justification: Critical resource constraints and upcoming parental leave. Without this borrow, FY26 deliverables are at significant risk.
  • Expected impact: Maintain delivery timeline for Tier 2 priorities, ensure quality of user experience for critical features, prevent team burnout, and utilize expanded engineering capacity effectively.
  • Alternative solutions considered:
    • Contract designer: Rejected due to steep learning curve, limited product context, security concerns, and disruption to other work
    • Reduce feature scope: Rejected as it conflicts with Tier 2 priorities and strategic goals to improve Plan adoption

Issue Links

  • Related tickets: [Link to Saved Views feature issues]
  • Dependencies: GitLab 18 Run of Show, Enhanced list view, GLQL Views, Planning workflows, Hierarchy improvements

Onboarding Tasks

  • Required setup: Access to Plan Stage design systems, prototypes, and repositories; integration with the Plan Stage's Figma workspaces
  • Training materials: Plan Stage Strategy document, Saved Views feature specifications, current design documentation for tier 2 priorities
  • Initial meetings:
    • Introduction to Plan Stage team members (Nick Leonard, Nick Brandt before leave)
    • Kickoff with Caitlin Steele (Product Design Manager) and Gabe Weaver (Group Product Manager)
    • Engineering team introduction (including new IC and EM)
  • Points of contact:
    • Nick Leonard (Product Designer for ongoing support)
    • Caitlin Steele (Product Design Manager)
    • Gabe Weaver (Group Product Manager)
  • Ramp-up expectations: 1-2 weeks for context building, with full productivity expected by week 3-4 (critical to onboard before June)
  • Communication plan: Weekly check-ins with Nick Leonard and Caitlin Steele; bi-weekly updates to both borrowing and lending teams
  • Work handover plan: Documentation of all design decisions during Nick Brandt's absence, with comprehensive handover upon his return

Process Overview

  • Create issue outlining work change and reasoning
  • Share issue with impacted Group Product Managers (including Growth PM if the borrows may come from their team)
  • Engineering Managers+
  • Product Design Managers
  • Complete any scoping of the work to be done
  • Request review and approval from your manager
  • Identify any onboarding tasks needed for success
  • Incorporate feedback into the issue description
  • Execute
  • Retrospective - Create an issue (optional), or use an existing Retrospective issue (for example, if a Product Designer works with another Section for one milestone, they could share feedback on the experience in the UX Retrospective.)
Edited by Caitlin Steele