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Two weeks ago we began the conversation about the four pillars of product ops. The first half covered how product ops should help PMs with using data and understanding users to form their analytical foundation. Today we'll dive into team ownership and cross-departmental communication to cover the "softer" side of what product operations enables.

​You can read part 1 here.

Let me know if this was worth the wait!

Best,
Jenny

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Team Ownership

Effective product ops also needs shared ownership across product management, engineering, and design. Gone are the days where product decides what to build, design figures out what it looks like, and engineering makes it. All three roles need to have a say in the direction of the product to have the best results. This takes more deliberate action than ever in today’s remote world.

I look for a few things to determine if there is strong team ownership. First, does everyone on the team feel invested in the problem that they’re trying to solve? The key is bringing the whole team into the entire product process. When thinking about product ops, find tools and processes to enhance that collaboration. Engage the team in finding solutions to challenges – everyone should care about improving how they work together, not just the operations people.

One of the moments where I knew that I had gotten this piece of the puzzle right as a PM was when I shared a feature idea with my team. One of the QA engineers looked at me after I had talked it through. “That’s a cool-looking button and all, but you had said we were trying to solve a particular problem. This just moves that problem to a different screen.” We went back to the drawing board and worked together to come up with a more effective solution. All the small rituals we had developed as part of our product ops processes created a strong sense of ownership in every role.

Another way to measure team ownership is in terms of the amount of time a product manager spends managing work. Whether they’re working on PRDs, stories, tickets, or requirements, a PM on a team with high levels of team ownership spends less time detailing every last element. They know that the rest of the group is listening and has a shared understanding of what they’re building and why. The team should be able to self-organize around targets, and the result is the PM does not need to be a micromanager or project manager.

Cross-Departmental Communication

A product culture with strong communication allows stakeholders to feel more invested in the success of the product and smooths away conflict. It reduces status updates and busywork for the product managers. Reducing jargon allows everyone to be on the same page.

Effective cross-departmental communication doesn’t appear overnight. At one of my previous companies, we sought to improve our communication with an initial pilot. We assembled a cross-departmental team to plan and execute a feature that would require a complicated rollout. The team kept each other in the loop throughout, from reviewing customer quotes, to defining success metrics, to developing training materials for staff in the field. The team formed a shared language around the end-to-end process and goals. This led to a smoother go-to-market motion for the big launch and helped everyone feel less stress throughout the process.

PMs hosting back-to-back meetings is not a sustainable or scalable communication method. Especially not on all-remote teams. Product ops can enhance asynchronous communication and make sure everyone understands the product development process. As communication improves, it becomes easier to align on a product roadmap, create an intake process for new ideas, and execute a go-to-market process with fewer surprises.

How does your organization measure against the pillars?

Use this four-part framework to score your organization in each key area. It will help you create a roadmap for your product ops investments. By conducting this type of assessment you’ll have a clear picture of which areas are holding your team back from making better decisions. You’ll be able to get the most value from everyone’s time.

As one area gets better, it will often drive improvements elsewhere. The best product ops leaders cycle through the change management process, finding small experiments to run, making incremental changes, and then iterating to the next.

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🙏 Enormous thanks to Erika Ruiz for her contributions to writing this article!

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