Building an Agile Matrix Team

Introduction

A matrix team is a strategic organizational structure where team members report to multiple leaders, typically from areas like design, development, and business strategy. This model suits complex digital products requiring continuous feedback, collaboration, and iteration. According to Nielsen Norman Group, matrix UX teams balance the benefits of both centralized oversight and close collaboration with product teams. At Netways, the shift from a centralized to a matrix model helped streamline design processes, improve stakeholder alignment, and boost collaboration, ultimately enhancing product ROI. This brief case study explores the challenges encountered, strategies implemented, and measurable outcomes achieved.

Key Challenges and Solutions

Stakeholder Alignment

One of the most significant challenges in cross-functional teams is ensuring alignment between stakeholders with differing objectives, such as designers, developers, and business analysts. At Netways, part of the team, like the business analysts, was stationed on-site at the client's companies, especially for B2B projects. They worked in cities like Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, and Doha, where direct client contact was crucial for gathering insights. Meanwhile, the design team worked remotely to reduce costs, avoiding the hefty expenses of staying in these high-cost cities. While this setup balanced the need for client collaboration with financial efficiency, it led to communication gaps and misalignment, resulting in product delays, increased costs, and significant client frustration. In an Agile environment where clients expected small deliveries every two weeks, the lack of cohesion between teams often meant that the scheduled phase failed to meet client expectations, causing dissatisfaction and diminishing the overall experience. Resolving these issues became a priority as client feedback consistently highlighted frustration caused by mismanaged product outcomes. To address this, the matrix team was designed to facilitate constant dialogue between departments. Regular cross-departmental meetings and collaborative tools, such as Miro and Jira, were introduced to create a single source of truth for the entire team. This ensured that business goals and user needs were integrated throughout the product lifecycle, reducing misunderstandings and conflicting priorities

Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution between development and user requirements was a recurring issue in the early stages, particularly when the product team relied on centralized designers. Upon joining Netways, I proposed the matrix team model, offering a more flexible framework to manage these conflicts. Over time, this approach allowed for greater control over the design process while introducing transparent decision-making practices. With clear roles and responsibilities, the matrix structure improved accountability and communication. As UX management, my decisions impacted multiple product teams, enabling them to learn from each other’s mistakes. By establishing a detailed communication framework with fixed recurring meetings, each team created a safe space to promptly resolve disagreements. This setup ensured smoother collaboration, improved product quality, and better alignment with client expectations. For instance, business analysts began adopting basic UX practices that enhanced communication with UX designers. They started using User Personas developed through UX research to frame business requirements, helping designers better understand end-user needs and align them with business goals. Additionally, User Journey Maps replaced functional specifications, outlining the user’s flow through the product, making it easier for designers to build more intuitive interfaces. Business analysts also began expecting wireframes with clear flows for collaboration, learning to use Figma and Figma Jam for rapid feedback and easier visual representation of business processes. This allowed designers to better grasp business logic and improved the consistency of the UI/UX. In the Design Matrix Team, Figma and Miro became key tools for collaboration between business analysts, UX designers, and UI developers. Business analysts explored wireframes and flows with designers in Figma, ensuring that business requirements aligned with user experience goals. Clients had to approve these iterations before moving to the design phase, streamlining the process. Miro was used for visual mapping and brainstorming, allowing all stakeholders to contribute in real time, which minimized delays and facilitated smoother transitions between project phases. In addition, it was only natural fordesigners and UI developers to collaborate and to iterate on wireframes and prototypes, refining the designs for a smoother handoff between design and development phases. Furthermore, when development limitations affected user-centered design decisions, both developers and designers could reference the structure and documentation established by the matrix team. Senior members would step in to guide alternative solutions through rapid prototyping and usability testing. This iterative approach fostered a culture of experimentation, keeping the user experience at the forefront while adhering to development timelines. The matrix structure facilitated ongoing collaboration, enabling the team to adapt to evolving project needs without compromising on quality.

Collaboration Across Regions and Teams

Netways' Design Matrix Team spanned multiple regions, with designers working remotely from Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt, while our clients were based in major GCC capitals. This setup presented challenges like different work cultures and communication barriers. However, leveraging remote collaboration tools such as Figma helped streamline communication across these diverse teams. Operating across multiple regions required the Design Matrix Team at Netways to adapt to different communication styles and work habits, sometimes leading to misunderstandings. By establishing a single trusted point of reference and fostering open communication and flexible meeting times, the matrix structure allowed the team to accommodate these differences. Regular cultural training and alignment meetings bridged gaps, ensuring team members worked harmoniously and delivered consistent results. A key success factor was the establishment of regional leads who managed local dynamics and reported back to the global team during weekly alignment sessions. However, their limited UX and UI knowledge sometimes compromised design quality and left them unable to address issues as they arose. After implementing the matrix team structure, I took on a more active role as UX manager, participating in regional meetings to identify red flags and guide the design process. This quickly improved team cohesion, accelerated project completion, and resulted in a more consistent user experience across all regions.

ROI and Impact on Projects

One of the primary objectives of the matrix team structure was to improve ROI through optimized user experience management. The Design Matrix Team structure at Netways had a measurable impact on ROI, driven by improvements in collaboration, design execution, and client satisfaction.

1. Faster Project Completion: Through better communication and alignment between business analysts, designers, and developers, Netways was able to reduce project timelines. For example, on the Marafeq Qatar project, the matrix model led to a 20% reduction in development time, allowing for faster service delivery and client approval.
2. Enhanced Client Satisfaction: The structured communication approach improved client relationships, particularly with Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and National Saudi Bank, as regular feedback loops ensured early problem resolution. The ability to adapt rapidly to client needs and provide timely updates increased satisfaction, reducing delays caused by misalignment.
3. Design Consistency Across Regions: Using tools like Figma and Miro, the matrix team ensured design consistency across different regions. This helped maintain high-quality design standards for clients like Marafeq Qatar and National Saudi Bank, which resulted in fewer design revisions, reducing costs and project duration.
4. Improved Stakeholder Engagement: In projects such as ADX, involving stakeholders early through UX practices—like user journey mapping and rapid prototyping—led to designs that were more closely aligned with user and business needs, enhancing the effectiveness and overall user experience of the final product.

These improvements in efficiency, client relationships, and design quality contributed to a significant ROI by reducing project delays, streamlining collaboration, and delivering user-centered designs that met client needs effectively.

Conclusion: Future-Forward with Matrix Teams

The matrix team model offers a flexible and scalable solution for managing cross-functional collaboration, which has significantly improved project execution, communication, and client satisfaction at Netways. By fostering a culture of collaboration and experimentation, the matrix team model led to faster delivery, enhanced design quality, and higher ROI. As businesses increasingly embrace digital transformation, matrix teams will be key in managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects, particularly in global markets.