Understanding the role of product ops | Christine Itwaru (Pendo)

Feb 16, 2023 1h 6m 14 insights Episode Page ↗
Christine Etwaru, a longtime Product Ops leader at Pendo, discusses the emerging role of Product Operations. She explains what Product Ops teams do, how they support Product Managers, and when companies should consider adopting this function, emphasizing its evolution and strategic value.
Actionable Insights

1. Prioritize Direct Customer Interaction

Product Managers must prioritize spending time with customers to observe their pain points firsthand, as this direct observation is crucial for understanding problems and developing effective solutions.

2. Involve Engineers in Customer Feedback

Actively involve engineers in observing customer pain and delight directly. This firsthand exposure to customer experience is ’life-changing’ for the engineering team, increasing their empathy and motivation to build better products.

3. Implement Product Ops Systems

Create systems to enhance product management efficiency and allow your team to thrive. Product Operations can be a ’thing’ (a system) or a ‘person/team’ dedicated to building these structures.

4. Clearly Define PM Responsibilities

To avoid friction and ensure effective collaboration with Product Ops, clearly define what Product Managers are responsible and accountable for, focusing on core tasks like customer interaction and engineering collaboration.

5. Automate & Evolve Product Ops Functions

Product Ops professionals should aim to stand up processes and systems, then automate or hand them off to focus on higher-level strategic value, preventing the role from becoming a permanent ‘band-aid’ for inefficiency.

6. Synthesize Voice of Customer Data

Implement a robust voice of customer (VoC) management system that synthesizes both qualitative and quantitative data. This provides Product Managers with validated, aggregated customer insights, reducing their manual data filtering.

7. Facilitate Cross-Functional VoC Sharing

Bring together cross-functional teams (e.g., sales, success, product) to share and discuss Voice of Customer insights. This fosters internal alignment, educates stakeholders, and helps identify non-product solutions to customer friction.

8. Integrate In-App Education

Weave in-app content and education directly into the product development lifecycle, treating it as part of the ‘definition of done.’ This reduces customer friction, drives engagement, and supports product-led growth.

9. Optimize PM Tool Stack

Ensure the Product Manager’s tool stack (e.g., Pendo, Salesforce) is optimized and integrated to provide a complete data picture. This improves PM efficiency by giving them necessary insights without manual effort.

10. Streamline Planning Process (Initial Product Ops)

When first establishing Product Ops, prioritize streamlining the product planning process. This provides immediate value by bringing consistency and efficiency to less mature product organizations.

11. Articulate Product Ops Value to Leaders

To gain buy-in from product leaders, emphasize how Product Ops frees PMs from constant revenue team questions, allowing them to focus on customer interaction, and how it scales outcome measurement and transparency across the organization.

12. Seek Opportunities to Give Back

Actively look for ways to contribute back to your professional community. Giving back can lead to unexpected connections and personal growth, as demonstrated by Ben Williams connecting Christine to the podcast.

13. Be Intentional in Product Ops Career

If pursuing a Product Ops career, be intentional about your strengths and what you want to do, as the role’s definition varies significantly across companies and industries.

14. Look for Clear Metrics in Job Descriptions

Avoid Product Ops roles that lack clear metrics or a defined understanding of successful outcomes in their job descriptions. A lack of defined outcomes suggests the company may not fully understand the role’s purpose.