What is Product Ops?

Show notes

Key Topics Covered:

  • What product ops is not—and why the role is often misunderstood
  • Different models of product ops across organizations
  • Product ops vs. product leadership: where’s the line?
  • When to hire a product ops person (and when not to)
  • The enabling team model from Team Topologies
  • Why Teresa and Petra are wary of “methodology police” in discovery
  • How product ops can support skill building, analytics, and communication standards
  • The shipyard metaphor: keeping the environment healthy for empowered teams
  • Coaching as a product ops responsibility—helpful or risky?

Key Takeaways:

  • Product ops isn't a checklist hire—it’s a strategic move to fill specific gaps
  • The best product ops folks blend a product mindset with another core strength (e.g. analytics, L&D, change management)
  • Not all gaps should be filled by product ops—sometimes it’s about enabling HR, data, or leadership to step up
  • Product ops is a great career path for senior PMs who don’t want to move - into people leadership but still want to shape the organization

Resources & Links:

  • Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
  • Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com

Mentioned in the episode:

New comment

Your name or nickname, will be shown publicly
At least 10 characters long
By submitting your comment you agree that the content of the field "Name or nickname" will be stored and shown publicly next to your comment. Using your real name is optional.