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Product Operations - with Melissa Perri & Denise Tilles

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Manage episode 386110387 series 3399382
Content provided by Product Voices, hosted by JJ Rorie, Product Voices, and Hosted by JJ Rorie. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Product Voices, hosted by JJ Rorie, Product Voices, and Hosted by JJ Rorie or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles, authors of Product Operations: How Successful Companies Build Better Products at Scale, discuss the concept of product operations and why it is crucial for product teams and organizations. Product operations is the enablement function of product management, providing data and insights for strategic decision-making and ensuring alignment within the product development lifecycle. As organizations scale, product operations become increasingly important in managing complexity, prioritizing strategies, fostering transparency, and facilitating collaboration across departments.
Melissa and Denise decided to write the book on product operations after realizing the need for a resource for product managers and stakeholders. Their goal was to share their framework, which revolves around three pillars: business and data insights, customer and market insights, and process and governance. They wanted to get ahead of the growing trend of product operations and provide a structure for enabling product teams.
We dive deeper into each of these topics, starting with business and data insights. This pillar focuses on extracting information from current systems and analyzing it through a product lens. Many companies focus on financial metrics in board meetings but fail to analyze the data in a way that benefits product development. By implementing cohort analysis and utilizing internal information from financial, sales, product development, and HR systems, leaders can make data-driven product decisions and effectively monitor product strategies and performance. To bridge the gap between business skills and technology skills in product management, financial acumen classes for product managers have been introduced.
Next, we discuss customer and market insights, which provide qualitative and anecdotal perspectives from users. Product operations help set up the infrastructure for research and enable teams to conduct repeatable research by building tools and finding ways to engage users. Product managers should maintain a strong understanding of market insights to stay connected with customers.
We then share a real-life case study on streamlining user research processes and discuss the importance of process and practice in the context of product operations. Establishing clear guidelines and consistency in working approaches helps product managers focus on strategic work rather than getting caught up in unnecessary tasks. Product operations, when done right, brings efficiency and consistency without adding bureaucratic processes.
We emphasize the need for transparency and tracking in companies and explain that product operations can be implemented gradually, starting with one pillar and then expanding to others as priorities shift. It is crucial to showcase successful case studies and demonstrate the potential benefits of product operations to gain buy-in from the organization. The decision to start a product operations team depends on factors such as the number of product managers, scaling plans, and the need for structure and efficiency in managing data and processes.
We conclude by advising listeners to start somewhere and focus on the pillar that provides the most value. The book mentioned earlier serves as a valuable resource, offering advice, insights, frameworks, and case studies for anyone interested in product operations.
Overall, this conversation provides a comprehensive overview of product operations and its importance in organizations, offering practical insights and guidance for implementation.

  continue reading

Chapters

1. Product Operations - with Melissa Perri & Denise Tilles (00:00:00)

2. Welcome to Product Voices, a podcast introduction (00:00:02)

3. Motivation for Writing the Book on Product Operations (00:03:10)

4. The Three Pillars of Product Operations: Business and Data Insights (00:05:23)

5. Using business metrics to inform product strategy (00:08:27)

6. Importance of customer market insights in product operations (00:13:50)

7. Overcoming Challenges in Research Recruitment (00:17:18)

8. Separate Team for Research Operations and Infrastructure (00:19:20)

9. Importance of Realistic Case Studies in Empowering Teams (00:21:12)

10. Balancing Process and Efficiency in Product Ops (00:23:19)

11. Starting Point: Business Data and Insights for Growth Stage Companies (00:24:53)

12. The Need for Transparency in Product Roadmaps (00:26:42)

13. Product Ops: Enhancing Existing Functions, Not Replacing Them (00:28:48)

14. When is Product Ops Needed? Size and Scaling Factors (00:32:03)

15. Signs it's Time to Implement Product Ops: Scaling Fast (00:33:57)

16. Balancing quantitative and qualitative aspects of product operations (00:36:22)

94 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 386110387 series 3399382
Content provided by Product Voices, hosted by JJ Rorie, Product Voices, and Hosted by JJ Rorie. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Product Voices, hosted by JJ Rorie, Product Voices, and Hosted by JJ Rorie or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles, authors of Product Operations: How Successful Companies Build Better Products at Scale, discuss the concept of product operations and why it is crucial for product teams and organizations. Product operations is the enablement function of product management, providing data and insights for strategic decision-making and ensuring alignment within the product development lifecycle. As organizations scale, product operations become increasingly important in managing complexity, prioritizing strategies, fostering transparency, and facilitating collaboration across departments.
Melissa and Denise decided to write the book on product operations after realizing the need for a resource for product managers and stakeholders. Their goal was to share their framework, which revolves around three pillars: business and data insights, customer and market insights, and process and governance. They wanted to get ahead of the growing trend of product operations and provide a structure for enabling product teams.
We dive deeper into each of these topics, starting with business and data insights. This pillar focuses on extracting information from current systems and analyzing it through a product lens. Many companies focus on financial metrics in board meetings but fail to analyze the data in a way that benefits product development. By implementing cohort analysis and utilizing internal information from financial, sales, product development, and HR systems, leaders can make data-driven product decisions and effectively monitor product strategies and performance. To bridge the gap between business skills and technology skills in product management, financial acumen classes for product managers have been introduced.
Next, we discuss customer and market insights, which provide qualitative and anecdotal perspectives from users. Product operations help set up the infrastructure for research and enable teams to conduct repeatable research by building tools and finding ways to engage users. Product managers should maintain a strong understanding of market insights to stay connected with customers.
We then share a real-life case study on streamlining user research processes and discuss the importance of process and practice in the context of product operations. Establishing clear guidelines and consistency in working approaches helps product managers focus on strategic work rather than getting caught up in unnecessary tasks. Product operations, when done right, brings efficiency and consistency without adding bureaucratic processes.
We emphasize the need for transparency and tracking in companies and explain that product operations can be implemented gradually, starting with one pillar and then expanding to others as priorities shift. It is crucial to showcase successful case studies and demonstrate the potential benefits of product operations to gain buy-in from the organization. The decision to start a product operations team depends on factors such as the number of product managers, scaling plans, and the need for structure and efficiency in managing data and processes.
We conclude by advising listeners to start somewhere and focus on the pillar that provides the most value. The book mentioned earlier serves as a valuable resource, offering advice, insights, frameworks, and case studies for anyone interested in product operations.
Overall, this conversation provides a comprehensive overview of product operations and its importance in organizations, offering practical insights and guidance for implementation.

  continue reading

Chapters

1. Product Operations - with Melissa Perri & Denise Tilles (00:00:00)

2. Welcome to Product Voices, a podcast introduction (00:00:02)

3. Motivation for Writing the Book on Product Operations (00:03:10)

4. The Three Pillars of Product Operations: Business and Data Insights (00:05:23)

5. Using business metrics to inform product strategy (00:08:27)

6. Importance of customer market insights in product operations (00:13:50)

7. Overcoming Challenges in Research Recruitment (00:17:18)

8. Separate Team for Research Operations and Infrastructure (00:19:20)

9. Importance of Realistic Case Studies in Empowering Teams (00:21:12)

10. Balancing Process and Efficiency in Product Ops (00:23:19)

11. Starting Point: Business Data and Insights for Growth Stage Companies (00:24:53)

12. The Need for Transparency in Product Roadmaps (00:26:42)

13. Product Ops: Enhancing Existing Functions, Not Replacing Them (00:28:48)

14. When is Product Ops Needed? Size and Scaling Factors (00:32:03)

15. Signs it's Time to Implement Product Ops: Scaling Fast (00:33:57)

16. Balancing quantitative and qualitative aspects of product operations (00:36:22)

94 episodes

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