Early in our careers, many of us wait for the perfect process to appear. Clear steps. Defined rituals. Someone else setting the structure. But over time, you realize that senior designers don’t wait for process-they create momentum by connecting dots and filling the gaps as they go.

Process is rarely handed to you in a clean, complete form. There are always missing pieces: unclear goals, partial data, shifting constraints. Strong designers move forward anyway. They pull in analytics when questions arise, run lightweight usability tests when assumptions feel shaky, and use heuristic reviews to spot issues before they grow expensive.

What matters isn’t doing everything perfectly-it’s doing the right things at the right time. A quick design critique can surface blind spots early. A rough test with a few users can redirect weeks of effort. These small interventions compound, saving time and energy later.

Sharing early is a big part of this. When work stays hidden until it feels “ready,” misalignment quietly builds. Surprises show up late, when changes are costly and frustrating. But when you share drafts, thinking, and open questions early, you invite alignment instead of resistance.

Early discussions reduce misdirection. They help teams converge faster, even when the work is still messy. Stakeholders feel included, developers understand intent, and design evolves with clarity instead of rework.

This is what leadership often looks like in design. Not enforcing a rigid process, but guiding the work forward with intent. Using whatever tools help-analytics, testing, critique, conversation-to create clarity where none existed before.

In the end, process isn’t something you wait for. It’s something you actively shape. And the moment you stop waiting and start leading, your impact grows far beyond the screens you design.