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Product Operations: How successful companies build better products at scale
Product Operations is the discipline of helping your Product Management function scale well. Surrounding the team with all of the essential inputs to set strategy, prioritize, and streamline ways of working.
Many companies want to reap the benefits of economies of scale that comes with being a product-led company. As our businesses change shape to focus more on software, so do our ways of working. We need to make sure we’re breaking down these silos of information and capabilities that arise at scale. To react quickly and set great Product Strategies, leaders and team members alike need access to high quality data and a process to implement their decisions.
In this book, Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles explain how Product Operations helps solve many of scaling issues companies face today,
Connecting financial metrics back to the delivery of software featuresBetter working relationships between go-to-market teams and software teamsGetting the right information to set and monitor company and product strategiesStreamlining the flow of user insights into the right teamsHow to set up a Product Management Operating ModelExecutives and leaders of SAAS scale up and enterprise companies will discover the benefits of the Three Pillars of Product Operations as they read through the stories of real companies who have implemented the function, like Stripe, Uber, athenahealth, Oscar Health, and Fidelity. This book covers the following
What is Product Operations and why is it an essential function in scaling software companiesThe Three Pillars of Product Data and Insights; Customer and Market Insights; and Process and GovernanceHow to Introduce and Build a Team for Product Operations
Many companies want to reap the benefits of economies of scale that comes with being a product-led company. As our businesses change shape to focus more on software, so do our ways of working. We need to make sure we’re breaking down these silos of information and capabilities that arise at scale. To react quickly and set great Product Strategies, leaders and team members alike need access to high quality data and a process to implement their decisions.
In this book, Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles explain how Product Operations helps solve many of scaling issues companies face today,
Connecting financial metrics back to the delivery of software featuresBetter working relationships between go-to-market teams and software teamsGetting the right information to set and monitor company and product strategiesStreamlining the flow of user insights into the right teamsHow to set up a Product Management Operating ModelExecutives and leaders of SAAS scale up and enterprise companies will discover the benefits of the Three Pillars of Product Operations as they read through the stories of real companies who have implemented the function, like Stripe, Uber, athenahealth, Oscar Health, and Fidelity. This book covers the following
What is Product Operations and why is it an essential function in scaling software companiesThe Three Pillars of Product Data and Insights; Customer and Market Insights; and Process and GovernanceHow to Introduce and Build a Team for Product Operations
301 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 12, 2023
296 people are currently reading
595 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 12, 2024
A whole book justifying you need a new position you don’t actually need.
December 24, 2023
Decent read about Product Operations, but it's still very evident how immature this function is compared to DevOps or other *Ops functions. The essential responsibility of Product Ops is to help the PM function scale well. Then again, I got the feeling that almost the entire function covers for poor peer teams/functions or suboptimal PM practice as a whole.
For example, there is a lot of content around data accessibility and building useful dashboards as opposed to PMs having to learn SQL to write their own queries. In my opinion, the data function of such a company hasn't really done its job. Implementing metrics or buying a DWH solution is definitely not where a data team's responsibility ends imho. If essential data isn't accessible the data function has failed the entire org on one of its key duties.
The same can be said for various points on user/customer insights. What kind of company has dozens/hundreds of PMs but then views the creation and evolving of an insights database as part of Product Ops as opposed to UXR/research ops?
Then again, the main argument is of course "time" and that a leader of a 300 person product org has more important things to do than creating a cohesive and effective product (portfolio) strategy process. I would love to read more about when you definitely don't need to think about a dedicated Product Ops team yet. The authors write about "large orgs" or "complex products" as potential signals, but of course most people would argue that what their company does is complex in some way either way (why else would we charge so much $$$ otherwise?). In what situations is the solution for one team to get their act together as opposed to hiring a new team that tries to fix things which shouldn't be broken in the first place?
For example, there is a lot of content around data accessibility and building useful dashboards as opposed to PMs having to learn SQL to write their own queries. In my opinion, the data function of such a company hasn't really done its job. Implementing metrics or buying a DWH solution is definitely not where a data team's responsibility ends imho. If essential data isn't accessible the data function has failed the entire org on one of its key duties.
The same can be said for various points on user/customer insights. What kind of company has dozens/hundreds of PMs but then views the creation and evolving of an insights database as part of Product Ops as opposed to UXR/research ops?
Then again, the main argument is of course "time" and that a leader of a 300 person product org has more important things to do than creating a cohesive and effective product (portfolio) strategy process. I would love to read more about when you definitely don't need to think about a dedicated Product Ops team yet. The authors write about "large orgs" or "complex products" as potential signals, but of course most people would argue that what their company does is complex in some way either way (why else would we charge so much $$$ otherwise?). In what situations is the solution for one team to get their act together as opposed to hiring a new team that tries to fix things which shouldn't be broken in the first place?
November 9, 2023
Having some hands on experience in the product ops domain, I really wanted to like the book, but unfortunately didn't. There are a few interesting points, but the most useful part of it was the link to product ops website. The fictional product ops storyline felt cringe and felt like a way to fill up pages. To sum up: this could have been and should have been an article.
February 29, 2024
Could've been a LinkedIn post. Stretches a very straightforward conceit to book length while adding some ridiculous bloat like hiring a dedicated "product tools manager."
April 19, 2024
A really bad version of The Phoenix Project.
Should have been a blog post. A book looking for a sympathetic ear to cry to. Barely useful.
Should have been a blog post. A book looking for a sympathetic ear to cry to. Barely useful.
February 8, 2025
I may be bias in my ranking as I learned on my Friday that product ops is my new job so obviously I’m a huge advocate !
December 3, 2023
"Product Operations: How Successful Companies Build Better Products at Scale" is an insightful exploration into the relatively nascent field of Product Operations.
The book stands out for its practical approach, particularly highlighting a compelling case study of a company led by women who impressively grew its operations without formal guidelines.
What is Product Operations?
Product Operations, as defined in the book, is the discipline focused on scaling the product management function within a company. It involves surrounding the product management team with all necessary inputs to set strategy, prioritize, and streamline workflows. This discipline is pivotal as companies scale and face increasingly complex product challenges.
Main Pillars of Product Operations
- Business and Data Insights: This pillar emphasizes the analysis of internal data for strategic decision-making and monitoring progress.
- Customer and Market Insights: It focuses on external research, gathering feedback directly from customers and users, and providing tools for market analysis.
- Process and Practices: This involves establishing consistent cross-functional practices, defining the product operating model, and managing product governance.
Tools Generated by Product Operations
Product operations facilitate the creation of various tools, such as dashboards for monitoring product performance, tools for market and competitor analysis, and systems that streamline the collection and use of customer insights.
Processes and Practices for Governance
Setting governance in product operations involves creating structured methodologies, ensuring alignment across different teams, and establishing clear communication channels for strategic decision-making.
Importance of a Common Language
Building a common language across the company is vital for clearly communicating the roadmap, ensuring all stakeholders have a consistent understanding, and aligning everyone towards common goals.
Engaging with Sales for Insights
Engaging with sales teams is crucial for generating comprehensive customer and market insights. Sales teams can provide valuable real-world feedback and market understanding, essential for informed product development.
Collaboration with UX
Product Operations can significantly aid UX teams by providing tools and systems for effective user research and feedback integration, enhancing product design and user experience.
The Necessity of Data, Research, and Tooling
Creating a robust Product Operations function becomes a complex and daunting task without high-quality data, research capabilities, and effective tooling, such as task management and dashboards. These elements are fundamental for informed decision-making and efficient process management.
Starting with Product Operations
- Listening Tour: Conduct interviews with team members across the organization to understand their challenges and needs.
- Quick Wins: Focus on achieving impactful successes early on to build momentum.
- Incremental Implementation: Start with small-scale rollouts, gradually expanding while incorporating feedback.
Key Quotes
- "Product operations is the discipline of helping your product management function scale well."
- "The systems and processes that create the product are as much the product as the product itself."
- "Building new ways of working and practices is one of the best parts of the job."
Conclusion
"Product Operations: How Successful Companies Build Better Products at Scale" is an invaluable resource for professionals in digital product management. It skillfully combines theoretical frameworks with real-world examples, making it a practical guide for anyone looking to improve their product operations function. The book benefits readers in companies that build digital products, providing them the tools and insights to navigate the complexities of scaling product operations effectively.
The book stands out for its practical approach, particularly highlighting a compelling case study of a company led by women who impressively grew its operations without formal guidelines.
What is Product Operations?
Product Operations, as defined in the book, is the discipline focused on scaling the product management function within a company. It involves surrounding the product management team with all necessary inputs to set strategy, prioritize, and streamline workflows. This discipline is pivotal as companies scale and face increasingly complex product challenges.
Main Pillars of Product Operations
- Business and Data Insights: This pillar emphasizes the analysis of internal data for strategic decision-making and monitoring progress.
- Customer and Market Insights: It focuses on external research, gathering feedback directly from customers and users, and providing tools for market analysis.
- Process and Practices: This involves establishing consistent cross-functional practices, defining the product operating model, and managing product governance.
Tools Generated by Product Operations
Product operations facilitate the creation of various tools, such as dashboards for monitoring product performance, tools for market and competitor analysis, and systems that streamline the collection and use of customer insights.
Processes and Practices for Governance
Setting governance in product operations involves creating structured methodologies, ensuring alignment across different teams, and establishing clear communication channels for strategic decision-making.
Importance of a Common Language
Building a common language across the company is vital for clearly communicating the roadmap, ensuring all stakeholders have a consistent understanding, and aligning everyone towards common goals.
Engaging with Sales for Insights
Engaging with sales teams is crucial for generating comprehensive customer and market insights. Sales teams can provide valuable real-world feedback and market understanding, essential for informed product development.
Collaboration with UX
Product Operations can significantly aid UX teams by providing tools and systems for effective user research and feedback integration, enhancing product design and user experience.
The Necessity of Data, Research, and Tooling
Creating a robust Product Operations function becomes a complex and daunting task without high-quality data, research capabilities, and effective tooling, such as task management and dashboards. These elements are fundamental for informed decision-making and efficient process management.
Starting with Product Operations
- Listening Tour: Conduct interviews with team members across the organization to understand their challenges and needs.
- Quick Wins: Focus on achieving impactful successes early on to build momentum.
- Incremental Implementation: Start with small-scale rollouts, gradually expanding while incorporating feedback.
Key Quotes
- "Product operations is the discipline of helping your product management function scale well."
- "The systems and processes that create the product are as much the product as the product itself."
- "Building new ways of working and practices is one of the best parts of the job."
Conclusion
"Product Operations: How Successful Companies Build Better Products at Scale" is an invaluable resource for professionals in digital product management. It skillfully combines theoretical frameworks with real-world examples, making it a practical guide for anyone looking to improve their product operations function. The book benefits readers in companies that build digital products, providing them the tools and insights to navigate the complexities of scaling product operations effectively.
February 3, 2024
"Product Operations: How Successful Companies Build Better Products at Scale" by Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles explores the intricate process of creating exceptional products and addresses the challenges faced by product teams. It underscores the significance of aligning processes, disciplines, and priorities to streamline development cycles and enhance customer experiences. The authors advocate for dedicated product operations roles and systems as crucial elements in achieving these goals. The narrative begins by illustrating common challenges encountered by product teams, such as chaotic requests and misalignment across departments. The lack of streamlined processes often leads to inefficiencies and hindered product development. The book proposes that product operations, with its collaborative and optimizing functions, can be a game-changer for product teams.
A crucial aspect of successful product operations is integration with existing organizational culture. The authors stress the importance of aligning priorities, earning buy-in, and providing immediate value to overloaded staff. The product operations team's composition, including roles like program managers, release managers, and data analysts, is discussed. Soft skills, effective communication, and quick wins are identified as essential elements for gaining trust and support. The book emphasizes the role of product operations in facilitating discovery processes and ideation. It discusses the importance of structured research sprints involving surveys, interviews, and journey mapping to uncover market pain points. The authors present a case study illustrating the consequences of inadequate discovery processes and highlight the need for objective evaluation criteria for proposed ideas.
Establishing systems for roadmapping, developing, releasing, and iterating on features is explored as a crucial step in the product development process. The book advocates for quarterly roadmap summits, agile processes, and release-management oversight to strike a balance between autonomy and alignment within teams. Transparent communication and documentation systems are identified as pillars for constructive disagreement and continuous improvement. Post-launch, the authors argue that maintaining continuous optimization is essential for long-term success. Product operations play a pivotal role in sustaining efficient cycles of learning, building, and improving. Feedback loops, regular showcases, and retrospective reviews are discussed as tools for achieving continuous improvement. The authors stress the importance of integrating diverse inputs to evolve smarter product directions.
In conclusion, "Product Operations: How Successful Companies Build Better Products at Scale" provides a comprehensive guide for organizations aiming to enhance their product development processes. It outlines the role of product operations in achieving transparency, alignment, and continuous optimization, ultimately leading to the creation of products that genuinely meet market needs.
A crucial aspect of successful product operations is integration with existing organizational culture. The authors stress the importance of aligning priorities, earning buy-in, and providing immediate value to overloaded staff. The product operations team's composition, including roles like program managers, release managers, and data analysts, is discussed. Soft skills, effective communication, and quick wins are identified as essential elements for gaining trust and support. The book emphasizes the role of product operations in facilitating discovery processes and ideation. It discusses the importance of structured research sprints involving surveys, interviews, and journey mapping to uncover market pain points. The authors present a case study illustrating the consequences of inadequate discovery processes and highlight the need for objective evaluation criteria for proposed ideas.
Establishing systems for roadmapping, developing, releasing, and iterating on features is explored as a crucial step in the product development process. The book advocates for quarterly roadmap summits, agile processes, and release-management oversight to strike a balance between autonomy and alignment within teams. Transparent communication and documentation systems are identified as pillars for constructive disagreement and continuous improvement. Post-launch, the authors argue that maintaining continuous optimization is essential for long-term success. Product operations play a pivotal role in sustaining efficient cycles of learning, building, and improving. Feedback loops, regular showcases, and retrospective reviews are discussed as tools for achieving continuous improvement. The authors stress the importance of integrating diverse inputs to evolve smarter product directions.
In conclusion, "Product Operations: How Successful Companies Build Better Products at Scale" provides a comprehensive guide for organizations aiming to enhance their product development processes. It outlines the role of product operations in achieving transparency, alignment, and continuous optimization, ultimately leading to the creation of products that genuinely meet market needs.
June 8, 2024
Some of you know this author from her popular 1st work, Escaping the Build Trap. In it, she already formulated the concept of Product Operations. Seeing its growing popularity in enterprises of all sizes, Perri has now dedicated a full book to defining what Product Operations is, why it should exist, and how it can help you as a product person or a leader.
So what is Product Operations exactly? Here's a handy definition from the author:
"Product Operations is the discipline of helping your product management function scale well - surrounding the team with all of the essential inputs to set strategy, prioritise, and streamline ways of working."
Effectively, Product operations is an enabling function which improves the efficiency of the product org and of the business as a whole. It is comprised of 3 main pillars:
1. Business insights: all organisations have data. Not many use it efficiently in the name of high quality product decision making
2. Customer & market research: while any good product person consider this table stakes, many organisations are not close enough to their customers
3. Processes & governance: does doing good product work matter if it's done in silo and the senior leadership is not aware of it?
Those of you working as product managers know from experience that gaps and pitfalls are typical for each one of these 3 topics, and we as product managers often end up trying to fill them which steals time from our true purpose which is creating valuable products.
Enter Product Operations. Dedicating a team to deal with the challenges of each of these 3 topics, and doing so centrally as opposed to relying on each product team to solve it for themselves (not very efficient, is it? We know from experience) can result in the mid to long term in huge uplift in the efficiency of the org, as well as in the ability of the senior leadership to drive the right type of product work based on highly relevant quantitative & qualitative insights, as well as connected to the key business objectives. It frees the time of product managers & designers to focus on what they do best, and it empowers them to take high quality decisions by arming them with relevant inputs.
I found the book very useful - well structured, to the point, no excessive repetition (which is common in the genre), very practically-oriented and providing ample real-life case studies. As a product leader in a huge enterprise, I did feel that at times Perri oversimplifies and makes things sound very easy and straightforward. But all in all great book & very useful to me.
So what is Product Operations exactly? Here's a handy definition from the author:
"Product Operations is the discipline of helping your product management function scale well - surrounding the team with all of the essential inputs to set strategy, prioritise, and streamline ways of working."
Effectively, Product operations is an enabling function which improves the efficiency of the product org and of the business as a whole. It is comprised of 3 main pillars:
1. Business insights: all organisations have data. Not many use it efficiently in the name of high quality product decision making
2. Customer & market research: while any good product person consider this table stakes, many organisations are not close enough to their customers
3. Processes & governance: does doing good product work matter if it's done in silo and the senior leadership is not aware of it?
Those of you working as product managers know from experience that gaps and pitfalls are typical for each one of these 3 topics, and we as product managers often end up trying to fill them which steals time from our true purpose which is creating valuable products.
Enter Product Operations. Dedicating a team to deal with the challenges of each of these 3 topics, and doing so centrally as opposed to relying on each product team to solve it for themselves (not very efficient, is it? We know from experience) can result in the mid to long term in huge uplift in the efficiency of the org, as well as in the ability of the senior leadership to drive the right type of product work based on highly relevant quantitative & qualitative insights, as well as connected to the key business objectives. It frees the time of product managers & designers to focus on what they do best, and it empowers them to take high quality decisions by arming them with relevant inputs.
I found the book very useful - well structured, to the point, no excessive repetition (which is common in the genre), very practically-oriented and providing ample real-life case studies. As a product leader in a huge enterprise, I did feel that at times Perri oversimplifies and makes things sound very easy and straightforward. But all in all great book & very useful to me.
May 21, 2025
As a product and design professional, I found Product Operations to be a highly insightful and practical read, especially for business leaders, product managers, design team leads, and senior product designers.
This book offers a clear and structured exploration of how successful companies implement product operations to scale product excellence. Rather than staying at a theoretical level, it dives deep into real-world practices that drive alignment, streamline workflows, and empower teams to make smarter decisions.
What stands out is the book’s focus on leveraging data and customer insights to support strategic decision-making. It helps readers understand how to build effective product management processes that are not only scalable but also sustainable across teams of different sizes.
The core strength of Product Operations lies in its practical approach. It provides actionable strategies and frameworks that can be immediately applied to improve collaboration, transparency, and overall productivity within product teams.
Whether you’re looking to establish a product operations function or refine your existing one, this book serves as a solid guide for operationalizing product strategy and creating a culture of continuous improvement.
Highly recommended for anyone involved in building or scaling product organizations.
This book offers a clear and structured exploration of how successful companies implement product operations to scale product excellence. Rather than staying at a theoretical level, it dives deep into real-world practices that drive alignment, streamline workflows, and empower teams to make smarter decisions.
What stands out is the book’s focus on leveraging data and customer insights to support strategic decision-making. It helps readers understand how to build effective product management processes that are not only scalable but also sustainable across teams of different sizes.
The core strength of Product Operations lies in its practical approach. It provides actionable strategies and frameworks that can be immediately applied to improve collaboration, transparency, and overall productivity within product teams.
Whether you’re looking to establish a product operations function or refine your existing one, this book serves as a solid guide for operationalizing product strategy and creating a culture of continuous improvement.
Highly recommended for anyone involved in building or scaling product organizations.
June 6, 2024
This is the second book in a row I have read from Melissa Perri. Escaping the build trap was so good that I paused the other books I was reading and focused entirely on this one. It's excellent, timely, recent and a great example of a 5 star book in business strategy / product management. Melissa takes a recent trend in product management - product operations - and fleshes out an organization strategy, a litany of first hand testimonials and examples from recent product ops leaders from relevant companies like OpenAI, and explains exactly what product operations is, how to run a product ops team, how to pitch it internally, how to organizationally implement in a harmonious way, and what to expect. She points out that about 20% of tech companies now have product ops and in the next 5 years that number will go way up. This is something that - as a product mgmt book - it hits all the boxes. Great job Melissa, and if you are in the product space this is a must read to keep current with trends and where the industry is going.
December 31, 2023
Easy to read and comprehensive guide to putting a structure around the processes and tools that help maximize the value of launched products and technology. The book combines examples from real-life implementers and the journey from someone considering and ultimately implementing a Product Ops function. Very compelling read for those who think great tech automatically means great product.
Given that this is a growing discipline, I wish the authors would’ve dedicated more pages to profiles/backgrounds of people who have typically succeeded in working in and/or setting up Product Ops.
Given that this is a growing discipline, I wish the authors would’ve dedicated more pages to profiles/backgrounds of people who have typically succeeded in working in and/or setting up Product Ops.
March 31, 2025
Picked this book up because my company hired Denise Tilles as a consultant. While I strongly agree there’s value in the Product Ops function, I’m not sure this book does a good job spelling that out. I’ve worked with some highly effective people in Product Ops since 2021. Much like Product Management, the function still differs significantly by company. I mostly felt like this book glossed over “strategies” without really diving into the “how.”
October 24, 2023
This is a useful entry book to learn about product operations. If you'd like to understand what this role is, why you might need it and how to advocate for it in your company - you'll find very concise, nicely structured and practical advice in this book.
November 24, 2023
Great read, very engaging and lots of examples. Much needed during a time where there is not alot of concrete information available on product operations and how the role varies within different organization sizes
February 7, 2024
Two of the best things in this book are:
- Action oriented frameworks for product operations best practices
- Real world detailed case studies of organisations who have explained how they have tackled different challenges in their context.
- Action oriented frameworks for product operations best practices
- Real world detailed case studies of organisations who have explained how they have tackled different challenges in their context.
August 7, 2025
Maybe this is why I’m in the job I’m in, but everything in this book seemed obvious and intuitive. There were a few small takeaways so I gave it 3 stars but this book could have been a series of blog posts or podcast episodes. It’s much wordier than necessary.
December 6, 2023
Really helpful overview and framework for product operations. Good ideas to take away and apply.
February 25, 2024
It is an essential book for anyone on the product operations track or any product leader. Making those suggestions actionable as soon as possible is necessary.
February 28, 2024
good read, but very repetitive at times
March 19, 2024
Easy to follow book with practical problem solving steps around articulating, trialling and adopting a product ops team in your organisation. Some relatable case studies help too.
April 29, 2024
Treści na 25%
June 26, 2024
Me ha parecido muy flojo y lo mismo que vender Agile
Sin embargo el hecho de identificar tres areas, investigacion, metrias y procesos es la parte buena
Sin embargo el hecho de identificar tres areas, investigacion, metrias y procesos es la parte buena
January 17, 2025
Pairs well with Scaling People.
January 24, 2025
Required reading for product folks
February 24, 2025
Bom, completo, porém não se aprofunda em alguns temas.
December 19, 2024
Great book on how to enable product managers and product leaders to do their best work. The book is super practical, includes lots of case studies and templates and can set you on the path to building out a successful product enablement / product excellence / product operations structure for your product organization.
I recommend getting the printed version, both for highligthing as well as for the great design.
I recommend getting the printed version, both for highligthing as well as for the great design.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews