Summary
How a 'blitz' approach helped turn a messy, ad-hoc task into a streamlined, repeatable process.
Recently, we received a support request to include the logo for a new Athena Swan bronze awardee. Attached to the ticket was an image file of the logo, which I’ve seen before, uploaded to many areas of the media library. I decided to take a closer look at all relevant school pages…
I spotted some inconsistencies in the way the logos were displayed across different pages, and so I got to work cataloguing the problems.
The decision was simple: create a sustainable solution. This request – for me – was a catalyst to standardise our overall Athena Swan presentation.
The ‘blitz’ approach
I wanted to make some quick gains:
- Optimise the Athena Swan logos for use in the site navigation
- Create centralised, reusable assets with a meaningful onward journey
- Complete the picture by finding where logos are missing for current award holders – creating a sense of trust
Gathering materials
I needed to know that the assets I was using were the most up-to-date design. So, I spoke to the experts in the EDI team. They sourced the official assets and sent these to me. No more wasting time searching for these myself.
The RACI matrix
To streamline stakeholder involvement, and to minimize the risk of over-communicating, I quickly drafted a RACI matrix. This helped to identify stakeholder groups, and clarify responsibilities early.
| Role | Assignee | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Responsible | Athena Swan lead for the EDI team | SME. Ensuring accuracy of content and image assets |
| Accountable | Content Design team | Updating the site according to SOP instructions |
| Consulted | Local school and faculty Athena Swan leads | Reporting any changes to the EDI team’s Athena Swan lead |
| Informed | Broader stakeholders | Awareness of final changes (no additional input required) |
Documenting the process
As part of this update, I developed a clear process for future Athena Swan changes, which I documented in our SOP. This process connects DX and EDI, establishing a reliable workflow for future updates:
- The Athena Swan lead in EDI is responsible for factual accuracy – keeping award holders current and communicating any logo updates.
- Our team are accountable for updating the site according to the documented instructions.
Tracking the task
With the right people informed, I used a work management tool called Asana to track each step, and made the task available to relevant team members for full transparency. I wanted minimal disruption, and to demonstrate value over a short period of time.
Final thoughts
Assessing the risks early on can sometimes justify a ‘blitz’ approach – doing just enough to deliver what’s needed, for a better user and stakeholder experience.
I’m happy to say that this work ultimately delivered a cleaner, more consistent navigation experience, that does more to showcase the University’s commitment to gender equality.
And we’re also more lean; I’ve eliminated the unneeded repetition for my team when actioning future requests.
We no longer have to:
- Check that new images are the most up to date
- Optimise new image assets
- Find an appropriate area to upload
- Rewrite alt-text each time
- Find an appropriate hyperlink for the new image
These are simple tasks that amount to a lot of time. We can now reclaim that time to work on other priorities.
You can learn more about the University Athena Swan Charter, and see more of the great work from all of the local award holders.
And please leave a comment if you enjoy a good blitz from time to time 😊