Design Operations — Meagan Sharp

Case Studies

NerdWallet

Designed Creative Systems for NerdWallet's Brand Studio

At NerdWallet's Brand Studio, I led design operations for a 20+ person creative team spanning design, copy, and engineering. I built the systems that allowed the team to scale without sacrificing quality, implementing structured intake, sprint planning, and the studio's first capacity planning and allocation model to bring clarity to bandwidth and prioritization.

I also directed the migration from Wrike to Asana, creating scalable workflows and reusable templates to support adoption. Alongside operational improvements, I developed a custom AI review tool modeled after the Creative Director's feedback style, enabling creatives to self-QA and improve delivery while maintaining high standards across content, marketing, and product initiatives.

Schwan's

Introduced New Platforms and Tools

I led the rollout of monday.com across Schwan's digital and creative teams, onboarding 30+ employees and building the SOPs, intake forms, and reporting systems they didn't previously have. I introduced capacity planning and ticket velocity tracking so we had real visibility into bandwidth and were able to hit a 100% weekly request to completion rate.

I also architected and launched the team's Digital Asset Management system, defining metadata standards and organization protocols that made assets actually findable and usable. At the same time, I managed 20 to 30+ concurrent projects across eCommerce, retail, packaging, marketing, design, and development while continuously developing CreativeOps processes.

Freelance

Embedded Operator for Lean, High-Growth Teams

While freelancing, I had the opportunity to partner with global consumer brands and high-growth tech companies, both in-house and through agencies, leading creative operations across commercials, websites, apps, experiential events, and integrated marketing campaigns.

Beyond delivery, my focus was building and mentoring strong teams. I managed a small team of five producers and designers, facilitated regular 1:1s, implemented OKRs, and created clear growth paths to support individual development. I developed and launched a ClickUp-based project management system, documented best practices, and onboarded 10+ team members to create consistency and accountability. I prioritized skills workshops, continuous feedback, and a culture of ownership, ensuring the team not only shipped high-quality work on time, but grew in confidence, craft, and leadership along the way.

Capabilities

01

AI Tooling

Implement tools that improve speed and reduce manual work
02

Capacity Planning

Balance workload, timelines, and headcount to support sustainable delivery
03

Creative Reporting

Build clear reporting that connects output to performance and revenue
04

Workflow Systems

Design scalable project structures and task frameworks
05

Resource Management

Forecast utilization and align staffing to scope
06

Portfolio Oversight

Monitor project health, risks, and priority shifts across multiple initiatives
07

Org Design

Define team structure, roles, and ownership to support scale and accountability
08

Process Improvement

Identify inefficiencies and implement better ways of working
09

Financial Tracking

Connect hours, budgets, and margin to delivery decisions
10

QA and Review Ops

Structure feedback cycles and approval workflows
11

Knowledge Systems

Build documentation hubs and internal playbooks
12

Design Systems

Development and maintenance
13

Cross Functional Operations

Align creative, product, engineering, and account teams

In Practice