The Tie That Binds: Iteration
Product Ops and Product Management in Building Better Products, together.
My biggest piece of advice for those focusing on standing up product ops or those having to undertake product ops continues to be making sure they approach it all like building a product. There are problems to be defined, solutions to be built, people to test things out on, feedback to be had, and, my favorite thing, there’s the art of always getting better, and iterating on what you’ve got.
Product management is an ever-evolving discipline that will no doubt continue to see many forms, ways of working, types of roles, you name it. Throughout all the changes we’ve seen, few things remain constant: one is the job of solving problems through building great solutions, and another is the job of finding ways to align while scaling delivery of those great solutions.
Both of those jobs have been held by Product Managers, and we know now that the latter is increasingly focused on by a dedicated Product Ops Manager.
While these roles may differ in focus and responsibilities, there is a huge parallel between their approaches to iterating on work and driving better products to market. Both product ops and product management thrive on a foundation of data-driven decision-making, continuous feedback loops, and a steadfast commitment to staying aligned with the needs of their teams and customers.
At the heart of both disciplines lies the importance of staying focused on data and feedback. Product ops professionals meticulously analyze data and insights from various sources, ranging from user feedback to performance metrics, to identify areas for improvement for operational processes and systems that allow product teams to do their best work. And we all know, product managers rely on user feedback, market research, and product analytics to inform their decision-making process and drive product enhancements and drive innovation. Data helps both roles ensure that their iterative efforts are grounded in hard evidence, leading to more informed and impactful outcomes.
Another parallel is how both roles monitor shifts in their environments. Product ops teams need to stay on top of what’s happening within their organizations, such as changes in team dynamics, organizational goals, or technological advancements. All of these thing may impact operational workflows and strategies. Similarly, product managers have to stay up-to-speed on external shifts in market trends, competitor activities, and customer preferences to anticipate evolving needs and capitalize on possible emerging opportunities. They both need to be acutely aware of these environmental factors to adapt their approaches and iterate on their work effectively to stay ahead of the curve, or sometimes even just on pace.
Alignment and transparent communication, in my opinion, are two of the things that sets great product teams apart from good ones. It’s critical that product ops and product management teams stay aligned to drive towards the same top level business goals and push impactful experiences out the door. When there’s a break in communication, enablement, process, or reporting it’s important for both of these roles to refocus on their shared business goals and align on fixing what is broken. Another way of saying, iterate based on the current state of things for the health of the unit. The same holds true for product teams who do not have product ops. Solid operational principles and agreements paired with building great product experiences will help take teams from simply handing product over post-production to actually driving business outcomes.
The only thing constant is change. So embracing this shared iterative mindset will be critical to driving long-term success, and delivering impactful experiences and products to both internal and external customers.