Implementing an AI feature
Navigating the complexities of post-acquisition integration to align product visions and launch unified AI-driven experiences.
- Feature:
AI Analytics Tool - Role:
Product Design Manager - Time:
11 months
Overview:
The company acquired a strategic AI Analytics Tool.- Team Size
18 people (designers, engineers, product managers, product owner, researchers)
Problem:
Only selected features from the acquired product needed to be integrated into our core platform – on a tight timeline. The PM and lead engineers, coming from the acquired company, were unfamiliar with our development workflow, cross-team dependencies, and release planning practices, creating onboarding and alignment challenges early in the project.
Challenges
The primary challenge was bridging the gap between two different development cadences. My role focused on establishing clear ownership frameworks and harmonizing our workflows to ensure the MVP delivery stayed on track without stifling the acquired team’s agility.
Due to the acquisition timeline, it wasn’t clear which product managers or engineers were responsible for which parts – we were building a new workstream from scratch, with overlapping roles.
We needed timely decisions on MVP scope, but it was unclear who held that authority, which caused delays in prioritization and alignment.
Our internal teams had to adapt quickly to collaborating with a newly acquired team operating from a different timezone, with no prior exposure to our processes or culture.
What I did
Launched weekly syncs with stakeholders, PMs, and engineers to clarify ownership, unblock decisions, and align expectations for each sprint.
Co-created a rough project timeline with the backend lead and project owner to ground our design efforts in realistic delivery goals.
Since the new tool impacted multiple product areas, I coordinated closely with design teams across domains – using shared channels, Miro boards, and Confluence to ensure visibility and cohesion
Organized a UX playback session with the full design org and senior leadership to showcase outcomes, share challenges, and align on next steps.
Results
Organizational Impact:
Created documented workflows and recorded UX playbacks, now used by over 100+ designers as a reference for future feature integrations involving the AI Analytics Tool.
Product Impact:
Successfully launched AI Analytics Tool as a strategic differentiator in 2025. The feature is already contributing to customer acquisition across three continents, with several customers using it.
Team Impact:
Ensured full integration of all design teams during the project, with continuous communication throughout. This increased team visibility and recognition across the org once the feature launched.
Customers
Designers impacted
Want to know more and see some screens?
This project is under NDA. All data, company names, and specific interface designs have been obfuscated, generalized, or omitted to protect client confidentiality. The process and strategic learnings shared here reflect my personal contribution to the project.
Contact me on rick@rocharca.com if you want to know more about it.