This document summarizes a presentation about radical cross-collaboration at Cisco using design thinking and improv. The presentation covers: - The presenter's role as a design thinking manager who facilitates workshops to drive innovation, bring user-centricity, and accelerate development. - The typical product development lifecycle at Cisco and how design thinking is being used to bring user research earlier. - The three phases of radical cross-collaboration - early meetings, establishing a common language through activities, and check-ins. - Examples of workshops conducted including a security policy analytics workshop that aligned 5 cross-functional teams. - Tips shared for facilitating effective workshops including assigning roles, being vulnerable, and celebrating ideas.

1. ASLI ORS [Us-luh Ers]
When work & play tangles, magic happens…
..
www.asliors.com
Radical Cross-collaboration at Cisco
with Design Thinking & Improv

2. • About me
• What I do in my current role
• Stages of radical cross collaboration
• Testimonial
• Q & A
Agenda

3. About Me

4. Hello, Merhaba o /

5. My superpower

6. My superpower
Soil
Water
Sun
• Authentic connection
• Play
• Emoting & expression
• Vulnerability
• Empathy
• Understanding
• Being seen
• Being heard
• Trusting
• Feeling safe
• Good food
• Inspiration
• Knowing what comes next
• Contributing with passion
• Clarity
• Agreement
• Sense of direction

7. What I Do

8. Design Thinker
• Design Thinking Manager
• Workshop Designer/ Strategist
• Facilitator
• Trainer/ Mentor
Drive Innovation
Empower & energize teams to create empathic solutions built on intelligent networks w/dt
• Event Planner
• Project Manager
• UX Designer & Researcher
• Bridge Maker/ Ice breaker
Enterprise Networking

9. © 2018 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential
© 2018 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential
Often Times
Typical Product Development Lifecycle
Often times…

10. “What’s Next”
Investment
Decision
Discover Define Explore
Validate with Users
Make Things
High Fidelity
Concept
Raw Ideas
THE
OPPORTUNITY
THE PROBLEMS
TO BE SOLVED
CREATIVE
POSSIBILITIES
Execute
Cisco Design Thinking Framework
Cisco Product Development Lifecycle

11. Enterprise Networking
Bring User
Centricity
Drive Innovation
Accelerate
Development
Educate & Evangelize

12. Gut checking our product assumptions
Bring User Centricity

13. Iterating fast with Google Design Sprints: Map, Sketch & Decide,
Storyboard, Prototype, Test in 5 days
Drive Innovation

14. Aligning cross functional teams on vision, identifying next steps &
owners
Accelerate Development

15. Training Cisco customers, partners & internal cross functional teams
Educate & Evangelize Design Thinking

16. Customer & Partner Workshops
• Build empathy among diverse teams
• Invite users into process
• Map end-to-end journey
100+
35+
Internal stakeholder workshops &
design sprints
• Quickly answer critical business questions &
validate concepts
• Encourage divergent thinking
• Enable fast iteration
• Align disparate teams
• Clarify points of confusion
• Assign ownership of action items
8
Trainings
• Cisco Live Tech Seminars with Customers: Barcelona, San Diego
• Partner Training: Milan, Germany, Switzerland
• Sales: San Jose, CA
• UX: San Jose, CA
75+
People consulted in DT Office Hours
• Mentor and consult cross functional teams to
run their own workshops during office hours
Design Thinking Activities since 09/17

17. 3 Phases of Radical Cross Collaboration:
1- Early on
2- Establishing Common Language
3- Check in

18. Phase 1:
Early on

19. Security Policy Analytics (SPA) Workshop

20. • Meet with stakeholders (in person if possible)
• Understand & help understand workshop goals
• Set expectations for commitment
Meet, Greet & Understand

21. • Align the disparate teams on a unified product vision and customer
experience by defining north star and building common understanding
• Rationalize duplications, conceptual models and terminology
• Bridge gaps between user workflow touch points
– Build more assistance in the UI
– Central landing pages
– Multiple entryways
Workshop Goals

22. • Product Managers
• Technical Marketing Engineers
• Engineers
• Architects
• Product Owners
• User Experience Designers
Participants: 25

23. • Silo design and development
• Org structure reflected in the UI
• Touchpoints and experience cliffs
• Overlapping functionality, conflicting conceptual models and
terminology
• Critical moments of customer journey been completely missed
Challenges

24. Phase 2:
Establishing Common Language

25. • Break the ice
• Establish code of conduct
• Delight & surprise
Ice Ice Baby!

26. Design Thinking Activities

27. Design Thinking Activities

28. Key Decisions Made
ü Consolidated personas
ü Consolidated use cases
ü Agreed on Journey Maps &
Logical flows
ü Agreed on terminology and
navigation
ü Agreed on end to end
designs
Workshop Outcomes
ü Aligned 5 cross functional teams
on a vision
ü Accelerated development by
clarifying points of confusion
ü Identified concreate next steps,
action item and owners
Workshop Key Decisions & Outcomes

29. Be an
extraordinary
host!

30. Assign someone
as a rabbit hole
guard

31. Be vulnerable

32. Enforce
capturing
ideas

33. Use a talking
stick or chick

34. Take the
room
temperature
frequently

35. Celebrate
good ideas

36. Capture
elephants

37. Don’t leave
the room
without
identifying…

38. Invite
reflection

39. Sanjeev’s Testimonial

40. Phase 3:
Check in

41. Check in: How can I help you? (and, mean it)

42. Q & A

43. Hello Tracy J
Thank you J