Challenge

A critical design update was needed to improve overall usability and streamline user interactions. The update was supported by designers, product owners, engineers, and QA, all of whom agreed it was necessary, yet previous attempts to implement it had not received approval. The release manager raised concerns that introducing the change could put the major release at risk, citing potential timeline delays, technical challenges, and the possibility of adding enough risk to compromise the release. To address these concerns, I led a structured presentation to leadership and the release manager, advocating for the update and showing how it could be completed safely and effectively before the major release.

Preparation

In preparing for the presentation, I worked closely with product owners, all front-end engineers, and QA to develop fully fleshed-out, implementable designs. The effort was estimated as a medium T-shirt size, and QA noted there could be some risk, but despite the site-wide nature of the change, the overall risk was low. During the presentation, I walked through the designs in detail while also highlighting the high-level rationale and feasibility. I emphasized the cross-functional vetting that had taken place, demonstrating that the update was thoroughly reviewed from both technical and product perspectives.

Approval

To support approval, I framed the update as a “lift and shift,” a term I coined to present the change as feasible and less disruptive than it appeared. I showed the release manager how fully prepared I was, even to the point that I had the requirements already written down and ready to go. After the presentation, the release manager approved the change, allowing the team to move forward immediately. The update was completed on schedule and performed as expected after release.