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Start Small for Big Impact
Summary
Organizations often start thinking about implementing operations support when they get to a certain size - when things start breaking or something goes massively wrong, when it becomes an imperative for existence. But there is massive benefit from building a research ops function much earlier on in your team growth. Saskia Liebenberg will explain how she's implemented research ops at Deliveroo in a team of 10 researchers, and how she's used the ResearchOps framework to build a strategy that supports the team in their specific context.
Key Insights
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Starting research operations proactively before scaling challenges emerge reduces stress and increases effectiveness.
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A small research team of 5-10 researchers is a manageable and ideal size to kickstart research ops.
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Non-research backgrounds, such as project or program management, can be highly effective in research ops roles.
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Setting up standardized folder structures, project codes, and templates early significantly accelerates research workflows.
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Regular one-to-one interviews with researchers reveal critical pain points and increase trust in research ops.
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Recruitment coordinators acting as ‘recruitment gurus’ greatly enhance participant recruiting efficiency and researcher focus.
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Research ops and design ops teams can and should collaborate closely, especially in tooling and onboarding.
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GDPR compliance, often feared, can be simplified in research ops by taking ownership and reassuring researchers.
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Research ops requires more than one person; spreading operational responsibilities improves quality and morale.
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Operational tools like Google Sheets and Trello remain powerful starting points before investing in automation.
Notable Quotes
"I call it proactive research ops because often teams only think about ops when something breaks, but we started early before there was drama."
"My dog is tiny but had a huge impact – that’s how small research ops can have big impacts on the team."
"Renaming project folders felt like changing someone's baby's name, but it was essential to get clarity and consistency."
"If you solve the problems your users are experiencing, they'll trust you and come back to you."
"You don’t have to be a researcher to do research ops; people from marketing or HR backgrounds learn on the job and bring valuable perspectives."
"Having a recruitment coordinator who knows all the agencies and best practices is a game changer — a recruitment guru."
"The research team is embedded within product squads, working closely with designers, engineers, and data analysts."
"Setting up research ops raised team morale and retention because researchers felt valued and supported."
"Research ops isn’t a one-person job. Expect to need more headcount sooner than you think."
"Google Sheets and Trello are our best friends — simple, flexible, and really powerful for managing research ops."
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