Problems With The Center Of Excellence Model

I think this one might annoy some of the readers out there, but the Center of Excellence (CoE) model is an anti-pattern, particularly when related to a service that every product team needs like Research, Design or DevOps.

DORA have proven this in the case of a DevOps CoE with statistical significant correlation between the CoE model and poorer business outcomes.

If you don't have the skills internally, then surely something is better than nothing? The problem is that the CoE becomes a process blocker, it hoards skills and knowledge and incentives can be skewed (focusing on what is best for the CoE instead of what is best for the customers).

Instead teams should focus on decentralising those skills throughout the organisation so teams can self-serve. I go into a lot more detail on the challenges and solutions in my article below. Let me know if you disagree in the poll.

This Week’s Updates

Enabling the Team

Problems With The Center Of Excellence Model by Rory Madden
Companies can create more agile, empowered, and effective product teams by shifting towards decentralisation, self-service capabilities, and a competitive service model.

9 Hard-earned Lessons From UXDX Emea 2025 That Still Echo In My Head by Allan Cardozo
Some lessons from UXDX EMEA 2025 include embracing adaptability, fostering psychological safety, balancing speed with quality, and anchoring teams in shared purpose to drive better collaboration and outcomes.

Product Direction

The Product Operating Model Explained by Itamar Gilad
The structured Product Operating Model is built around strategy, outcomes, and empowered product teams.Helping orgs connect business goals to team-level work using five key building blocks, including discovery and delivery.

When Is It OK To Have An Output As A Key Result? by Jeff Gothelf
While outcomes are ideal for OKRs, there are cases where output-based Key Results make sense, especially when outcomes are hard to measure or too long-term. The key is intentionality and transparency.

Continuous Research

UX Research Isn’t A Checklist — It’s A Conversation by Rashi Garg
Treating UX research as a rigid checklist can miss the nuance and depth of real user insights. Framing research as an open conversation leads to richer understanding, better questions, and more meaningful design decisions.

Learnings From The Trend Of Democratizing UX Research by Qiwen Zhao
AI is accelerating the democratization of UX research, shifting tasks like usability testing and data analysis to non-researchers. This forces researchers to evolve by focusing on strategy, stakeholder education, and advanced methods that AI cannot easily replicate.

Continuous Design

The Broken Promises Of Design Systems: Why Following The Rules Won't Get You To Great Products by Itai Vonshak
Design systems create consistency, but over-reliance on rules can stifle creativity and strategic thinking. Great products emerge when teams combine system constraints with critical judgment, adaptability, and user context.

The Power Of Storytelling: How UX Designers Can Present Their Ideas by Piyush Modi
Storytelling helps designers communicate complex ideas clearly and emotionally, making their work more persuasive and memorable. Framing design choices through narrative creates connection, builds trust, and drives alignment.

Continuous Development

Threat Modeling As A Design Practice by Riccardo Causo
Treating threat modeling as part of design encourages teams to anticipate and address security risks early. Integrating this practice helps shift security left without slowing down product development.

Job Interview Questions Engineers Should Ask (But Don't) by James Hawkins and Andy Vandervell
Many engineering interviews still rely on arbitrary questions and gut feel. Instead try to go for the structured approach by assessing candidates across skills like debugging, collaboration, and product thinking.

Step Into the Future of UX:
Meet the First Speaker for UXDX USA 2026

Data Visualization & Generative AI with Kent Eisenhuth

We're excited to announce Kent Eisenhuth, Staff Product Designer at Waymo, as the first speaker for UXDX USA 2026! As AI continues to evolve and shift the landscape of product design, Kent will explore how UX professionals can adapt and thrive in this new age of technology. In his session, "Data Visualization & Generative AI: Human-Centered Principles for Building GenAI Data Experiences", Kent will demonstrate how his team at Google used timeless UX principles to create human-centered AI experiences that are intuitive and engaging.

With GPT-5 and the future of AI pushing boundaries, UX is no longer just about where the user taps but it’s about how AI thinks, reasons, and interacts with the user. Join Kent as he provides insights into designing AI products with context, transparency, and trust at the forefront. This session will teach you how to bridge the gap between complex AI and user-centered design, giving you a roadmap to become irreplaceable in a world where AI-driven UX is the future.

Lock in your UXDX 2026 ticket now and be at the forefront of this revolution. Use the code below for the lowest price before the event!

FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS 

Check out more upcoming community events 

Video of the Week
Micro Frontend Architecture

This week, we're revisiting one of the most-watched videos on our channel from 2019. Join Luca, Chief Architect at DAZN (the Netflix of sport), as he presents his vision of Microfrontend architecture. In this session, Luca condenses two years of work into 30 minutes to guide you through the transition from monoliths to microfrontends.

Luca will break down what a Microfrontend is, the core principles behind it, and the technical implementations required to make this shift. Whether you're just getting started or looking to refine your approach to Microfrontends, this video is packed with valuable insights from one of the industry's leading experts. Watch now below:

The Results of Last Week’s Poll

The question: Do you think the statistics in the Chaos Report reflect what you are seeing in your organisation?

This week’s poll results highlight how teams view the findings of the Chaos Report in relation to their own organizations. 42% of respondents feel that their experience aligns with the statistics, indicating that the challenges and success rates described in the report resonate with what they are seeing in their own teams.

Interestingly, 33% of respondents believe they are experiencing higher success than what’s outlined in the Chaos Report, which suggests that some teams have found ways to overcome the common obstacles mentioned. On the other hand, 17% of respondents feel their situation is worse than the report suggests, pointing to potential struggles that may not have been fully captured. 8% of participants were unsure. These results highlight the diverse range of experiences teams have when it comes to product development challenges and successes.

If you're looking to align your team’s experience with better practices and improve the effectiveness of your workflows, consider checking out our “From a Team of Functions to a Cross-Functional Team” course running this October in Dublin. This course will provide you with actionable insights and strategies to drive success and streamline collaboration within your teams.

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