In this handbook for design leaders, we share our expertise in increasing the success of design. We regularly update the content of this handbook. Please e-mail us if you have any questions, remarks, or suggestions.

Handbook part I: Way of working
The first part of this handbook describes how to increase the success of design. The method ICA/RUS that we have developed for this purpose is based on a capabilities strategy for successful product development (McKinsey, 2017). Each development step consists of three subsequent activities:
- Prepare the development step: define and analyse conditions for fulfilling your ambition.
- Execute the development step: take action towards fulfilling your ambition.
- Complete the development step: evaluate advances in fulfilling your ambition.
Prepare the development step
Overview
Define and analyse your ambition regarding each design service that you want to develop:
- Analyse the situation.
- State your ambition in its development.
- Check whether all preconditions for executing the step are met.
Situation
Analyse the situation of the design service:
- Describe its organisation.
- Design: what is the plan?
- Existence: is the plan in execution?
- Operation: is the execution according to the plan?
- Analyse its critical success factors.
- Macro-environmental factors (in a PESTEL analysis)
- Meso-environmental factors (in a five-forces analysis)
- Micro-environmental factors (in a SWOT analysis)
- Indicate its maturity (in a VRIO analysis).
- Competitor’s advantage (if valuable, but non-existent)
- Parity (if existent and valuable, but not rare)
- Temporary advantage (if existent, valuable, and rare, but not inimitable)
- Unused advantage (if existent, valuable, rare, and inimitable, but not organized)
- Sustained advantage (if existent, valuable, rare, inimitable, and organized)
Ambition
State your ambition in the development of the design service:
- Formulate a measurable objective.
- Minimise
- Reduce
- Normalise
- Stabilise
- Restore
- Increase
- Maximise
- Indicate the intended benefit of its development.
- Value
- Impact
- Performance
- Demand
- Results
- Advantage
- Define at least one and preferably three balanced indicators to measure the intended benefit of its development, with a target value range and the current value.
- Analyse whether your ambition is worth pursuing.
- Desirable
- Feasible
- Viable
Preconditions
Check whether all preconditions for executing the development step are met:
- Describe what has been done or is being done to fulfil your ambition.
- Assess whether the quality of results of the preceding development steps is sufficient.
- Check whether all required resources for execution are available.
Execute the development step
Overview
Take action towards fulfilling your ambition:
- Perform a development service to fulfil your ambition.
- Assessment
- Advisement
- Realization
- Second opinion
- Troubleshooting
- Management
- Study the results.
- Process obtained insights.
Perform a development service
For each design service that you want to develop:
Assessment
Analyse competencies critical to fulfilling your ambition:
- Identify competencies critical to fulfilling your ambition.
- Compare the effectiveness of critical competencies.
- Assess the maturity of critical competencies in fulfilling your ambition.
ICA/RUS
Identify
Identify competencies critical to fulfilling your ambition.
- Development
- Promotion
- Delivery
ICA/RUS
Compare
Compare the effectiveness of critical competencies regarding organizational aspects.
- Reputation
- Organization strategy
- Stakeholder needs
- Technology
- Ethical conduct
- Regulatory
ICA/RUS
Assess
Assess the maturity of critical competencies in fulfilling your ambition.
- Absent
- Individual
- Group
- Organizational
Advisement
Propose to develop critical competencies and build strategic capabilities to fulfil your ambition:
- Route the development of critical competencies.
- Unite critical competencies to form strategic capabilities.
- Secure strategic capabilities in your organization.
ICA/RUS
Route
Propose how to route the development of critical competencies based on their effectiveness and maturity.
- Apply focus
- Refocus
- Add resources
- Repurpose resources
ICA/RUS
Unite
Propose how to unite critical competencies to form strategic capabilities.
- Invent
- Optimize
- Vary
- Innovate
- Transform
- Adapt
ICA/RUS
Secure
Propose how to secure strategic capabilities in your organization (in line with the McKinsey 7S framework).
- Strategy
- Structure
- System
- Specialisms
- Skills
- Shared values
Realization
Realize strategic capabilities to fulfil your ambition:
- Execute the plan to develop critical competencies and build strategic capabilities.
- Track the progress and results of executing the plan.
- Evaluate fulfilling your ambition.
Second opinion
Compare the results of a second assessment and advisement with the first advice:
- Make your own assessment.
- Draw up your own advice.
- Compare your own advice with the first advice.
TroubleÂshooting
Resolve setbacks in realization:
- Analyze setbacks in realization.
- Propose how to overcome setbacks.
- Carry out the proposal.
Management
Arrange fulfilment of your ambition.
- Steer
- Organize
- Facilitate
Study the results
Analysis
Analyze the execution of the development service:
- Examine the execution log.
- Assess the quality of the execution.
- Efficacy
- Efficiency
- Experience
- Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the execution.
Process obtained insights
Synthesis
Capture obtained insights into increasing the success of design.
- Describe
- Depict
- Demonstrate
Complete the development step
Overview
Evaluate advances in fulfilling your ambition:
- Draw conclusions about the results.
- Prepare recommendations on the next development steps.
- Present the main points.
Handbook part II: Library
The second part of this handbook describes practical problems and concepts for increasing the success of design. They originate from scientific and professional literature and practical experience. This non-exhaustive overview will be updated from time to time.
Business success
Problem
How can my design team create business value?
Concept
Explore user experiences, discover user motives, and define user requirements — Interaction Design Foundation
Problem
How can my design team gain business impact?
Concept
Define a portfolio strategy, identify gaps and unmet or latent needs, and define segments for customers and users — McKinsey Design
Problem
How can my design team increase business performance?
Concept
Combine scale with agility to grow — David Butler & Linda Tischler
Team success
Problem
How can my design team prove its value?
Concept
Describe design work in terms of business goals, collect evidence of design results, and communicate the business value of design — BoagWorld
Problem
How can my design team gain impact?
Concept
Represent design at the top level of the organization, improve employee experience with design, and spread design practices — McKinsey Design
Problem
How can my design team improve its performance?
Concept
Turbocharge processes, speed up internal feedback loops, and improve handoffs — Invision Inside Design
Recognize and remove overly complex content, organize knowledge, and filter content — UX Collective
Set goals, determine ground rules, and provide facilities to acquire, create, and share knowledge — UNStudio
Team development
Problem
How can I build my design team?
Concept
Build up your reputation, spot talent through your network, and establish a flexible talent pipeline — Workable
Form a cross-disciplinary team, further knowledge integration, and implement decision-making through consensus — Purdue University
Problem
How can I evaluate my design team?
Concept
Define quantified metrics, build a holistic metrics system, and define supporting operational metrics — McKinsey Design
Problem
How can I advance my design team?
Concept
Determine the need to change, identify the willingness to change, and assess the ability to change — BCG
Demonstrate desired behaviours, provide motivators, and recognize and acknowledge displayed behaviours — PositivePsychology
Handbook part III: Posted articles
The third part of this handbook lists a number of links to posts with supporting expertise and background knowledge.
How to determine objectives in 3 easy steps
7 sorts of design knowledge to accomplish design work
Annex to handbook: Terms
See definitions for an explanation of the terms used in this handbook.