Product Ops Podcast

In this episode of the Product Ops Podcast, we welcome back Christine Itwaru to discuss the invaluable role of Product Operations in today's tech landscape. Christine shares her journey from Director of Product at Pendo to VP of Product at User Flow and Beamer, offering insights into the evolution of Product Ops. We explore how Product Ops drive value by organizing customer feedback, aligning cross-functional teams, and navigating the rapid advancements in AI and tooling. Christine emphasizes the importance of maintaining the human element in operations and offers practical advice on balancing technology with human collaboration. This episode is a must-listen for product ops practitioners, engineers, product managers, and stakeholders looking to understand the strategic importance of product ops in driving organizational success.You can read more from Christine through her publication, The Product Heart .And you can review the learnings from this episode as a written article with actionable advice and insights via our substack here!

In this episode of the Product Ops Podcast, we are thrilled to host Jenny Wanger, product operations consulting expert and coach. Jenny shares her journey into product ops, discussing how she transitioned from product leadership to focus on scalable systems and operations. We delve into the evolution of product ops, addressing common challenges such as the impact of layoffs and the essential need for companies to establish a cohesive product ops strategy. Jenny emphasizes the importance of making value visible and offers actionable insights into creating effective product ops strategies. She shares anecdotes and practical advice on overcoming behavior change and aligning product ops with broader organizational goals. Ideal for product ops practitioners, engineers, product managers, and stakeholders, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge on driving organizational success through strategic product operations.

In this insightful episode of the Product Ops Podcast, we're joined by Jessica Soroky, former Senior Director of Product Operations at Pendo, who shares her compelling journey from agile beginnings and chief of staff roles to leading a transformative product operations function. Find out how Jessica's team drove value through effective communication, leveraging data analytics, and innovating new operational cadences. Ideal for product ops practitioners, engineers, product managers, and stakeholders, this episode reveals critical strategies for making product ops an indispensable part of any organization.

In this exciting 6th episode of S4 of Product Ops Podcast, we are joined by Rebekah Carere, a seasoned product operations leader with an impressive journey. Rebekah shares her unique experiences and insights into the burgeoning field of product operations, detailing how she evolved from a digital learning background to leading impactful product ops initiatives. We dive deep into the role of product operations, its permanence in an organization, and strategies to measure its value. Rebekah also provides actionable advice for setting up effective cross-functional working groups and underscores the importance of curiosity and data in driving meaningful outcomes. Ideal for product ops practitioners, engineers, product managers, and stakeholders alike, this episode offers a detailed look at how product ops can revolutionize organizational efficiency and impact.Remember to ⁠subscribe to our ⁠⁠substack⁠⁠⁠ for the latest episodes and blog posts direct to your inbox! ⁠⁠#productops⁠⁠⁠ ⁠#productoperations⁠⁠⁠

When you're the only product operations person supporting 10-15 product teams, how do you create meaningful organizational change? Chris Compston discovered the answer isn't working harder, it's working smarter through operational working groups.In this episode, Chris shares his experience leading product operations at Bumble and reveals how he enabled organizational transformation by empowering others to drive change.Remember to ⁠subscribe to our ⁠substack⁠⁠ for the latest episodes and blog posts direct to your inbox! You can also find links to all of Chris's contributions to the product ops community via his website.⁠⁠#productops⁠⁠⁠ ⁠#productoperations⁠⁠⁠

Join host ⁠⁠Gerisha Nadaraju⁠⁠ & special guest host,⁠ ⁠Dr Kevin Sakamoto⁠⁠, for Season 4 of Product Ops Podcast where they explore how to make product ops value visible. For episode 4, we sit down with Diana Soler, a seasoned product operations leader, to discuss her journey to becoming the Director of Product Operations at Ascent. Diana shares indispensable insights into the role of product operations in enabling engineering, product management, and customer success teams to deliver value. From re-implementing Pendo to measuring impact, dealing with challenges, and ensuring cross-functional collaboration, Diana's experience offers a masterclass in making the work of product ops visible. She also highlights the softer skills required to thrive in this role and the importance of maintaining personal wellbeing. Whether you're an individual contributor or a leader in product ops, this conversation is packed with actionable advice and inspiration. Tune in to understand how product operations can be a force multiplier in any tech organization!Remember to ⁠subscribe to our substack⁠ for the latest episodes and blog posts direct to your inbox! ⁠⁠#productops⁠⁠⁠ ⁠#productoperations⁠⁠⁠

Join host ⁠Gerisha Nadaraju⁠ & special guest host, ⁠Dr Kevin Sakamoto⁠, for Season 4 of Product Ops Podcast where they explore how to make product ops value visible. For episode 3, we have an engaging conversation with Hugo Froes, Head of Product Operations at OLX (and a previous Season 1 pod guest!). Dive into Hugo's journey from graphic design to product operations, learn about the challenges and triumphs of leading a global product ops team, and discover his practical strategies for implementing successful OKR programs. From leveraging design thinking to navigating the nuanced role of product ops, this episode is packed with valuable insights for individual contributors and leaders alike. Whether you're in product operations, engineering, or product management, tune in for actionable advice on driving efficiency, enabling teams, and orchestrating change.Remember to subscribe to our substack for the latest episodes and blog posts direct to your inbox! ⁠https://productopspod.substack.com/⁠You can also subscribe to Hugo's podcast where he explores product ops related topics on a monthly basis! https://thoughtsunravelled.substack.com/⁠#productops⁠⁠ #productoperations⁠⁠ #OKRS

Join host Gerisha Nadaraju & special guest host, Dr Kevin Sakamoto, for Season 4 of Product Ops Podcast where they explore how to make product ops value visible. For episode 2, we sit down with Chiara Gardner, Head of Product Operations at Ford Credit Europe. Chiara shares her journey from product management to product ops, discussing how she built and scaled a product ops function from scratch. You'll learn about the importance of upskilling product teams, managing change, and the nuanced challenges of balancing strategic and tactical tasks. Whether you're a product ops leader, an IC, or looking to understand the value product ops brings to organizations, this episode is packed with actionable insights and real-life examples. Don't miss Chiara's expert advice on keeping your team aligned, motivated, and continuously improving!Remember to subscribe to our substack for the latest episodes and blog posts direct to your inbox! https://productopspod.substack.com/You can also subscribe to Chiara’s Product Ops Leaders substack while you’re at it! https://productopsleaders.substack.com/#productops #productoperations #productmanagement

Join host Gerisha Nadaraju & special guest host, Dr. Kevin Sakamoto, for Season 4 of Product Ops Podcast where they explore how to make product ops value visible. For episode 1, we are joined by Shabnam Osman, Director of Product Operations at Yoco. In this insightful episode, Shabnam shares her journey from product management to leading product ops, the role's nuances, and the art of enabling momentum within teams. Tune in to learn about the importance of iterative customer value, the impact of organisational structure on delivery, and practical tips on improving team efficiency and collaboration. A must-listen for anyone in the product operations space!Subscribe to our substack for the latest episodes and blog posts direct to your inbox!#productops #productoperations #productmanagement

This episode is a very special bonus one for Season 3. We chat to Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles about their highly anticipated and newly launched Product Ops book! Melissa is the CEO of Produx Labs, a Product Management training organisation, and the author of “Escaping the Build Trap.” Denise has over a decade of product leadership experience and works as an independent product consultant advising and coaching product teams across the world. In this episode, we find out more about: - their Product Ops book - the process of writing the book - the top three product challenges organisations face Listen in for some unique insights from the authors of Product Operations: How Successful Organisations ensure winning strategies and effectively scale. And if YOU would like to be a guest on Season 4 of POP, please get in touch and subscribe at productopspod.com

For the final episode of Season 3 of POP, we’ll be listening to the brilliant, Teresa Torres! Teresa is a well known product discovery coach and the author of Continuous Discovery Habits, which has sold over 80k copies! On this episode we discuss product challenges related to discovery such as: 1) access to customers 2) knowing which habit to do when 3) the importance of individual agency within organisations. Listen in for some unique insights from a product discovery coach who is passionate about moving from theory to reality when it comes to implementing discovery habits at scale! Resources mentioned: The Lean Startup - Eric Reis Continuous Discovery Habits - Teresa Torres Product Talk blog Teresa's Talk from Product at Heart Conference - Bringing Discovery Habits to Every Org This season of POP is brought to you by BTRT ("beetroot"). Sign up to their private beta here.

On the ninth episode of Season 3 "Listening to our Customers" - we’ll be listening to Sean Conley. Sean is currently the CEO and co-founder of BTRT, an all-in-one product tool that uses AI to help you efficiently leverage customer insights so you always “build the right thing”. BTRT also happens to be our Season 3 sponsor for POP. Prior to starting his own company, Sean worked in Product management, Customer Success and Growth roles at companies such as Dataiku, TrueLayer and Google. Listen in for some unique insights from a founder/CEO who is passionate about solving product challenges by using his own personal experience and listening to customers!  This season of POP is brought to you by BTRT ("beetroot"). Sign up to their private beta here.

On the eighth episode of Season 3 "Listening to our Customers" - we’ll be listening to Desislava Genova. Desi is an experienced Product Design leader who has worked at scaling fintechs such as TrueLayer and Dojo. Before transitioning into product design, she spent time in Spain working as an in-house graphic designer. Listen in for some unique insights into product challenges from a product designer who is passionate about human-centred design, behavioural psychology and solving complex problems through user insights and technology! This season of POP is brought to you by BTRT ("beetroot"). Sign up to their private beta here.

On the seventh episode of Season 3 "Listening to our Customers" - we’ll be listening to Arne Kittler. Arne is currently the Chief Product Officer at Facelift, an all-in-one software provider for social media marketing at scale. He previously held senior product leadership roles at Xing and is an active contributor to the wider product community through his work with MindtheProduct ProductTank in Hamburg. More recently he has founded Product at Heart, a conference for curious product people! Listen in for some unique insights into product challenges from a CPO who is passionate about sharing product knowledge! Resources mentioned: Strong Product People - Petra Wille Escalation Manifesto Blog - Arne Kittler Continuous Discovery Habits - Teresa Torres Premature Convergence - John Cutler This season of POP is brought to you by BTRT ("beetroot"). Sign up to their private beta here.

On the sixth episode of Season 3 "Listening to our Customers" - we’ll be listening to Nancy Evbuomwan. Nancy is an experienced Agile Coach who has worked at fast growing startups such as Zoopla, Hopin and Infogrid. She also runs her own podcast called Better, Faster, Happier which explores how to create better products, happier teams and faster processes. Listen in for some unique insights into product challenges from an Agile Coach who is passionate about empowering product teams at scale-ups! This season of POP is brought to you by BTRT ("beetroot"). Sign up to their private beta here.

On the fifth episode of Season 3 "Listening to our Customers" - we’ll be listening to Alina Miron. Alina is currently a Senior Product Manager at Sumup, a fintech company providing payment solutions for small businesses. She has previously worked as a product manager at startups and scale-ups such as JustPark and Dojo. We discuss product challenges around: 1. Misunderstanding of what Product Management is and as a result, people get into the role with the wrong expectations and attitudes. 2. Lack of a solid business model or strong customer need and over-engineering Product practices without driving meaningful outcomes.  Listen in for some unique insights into product challenges from a passionate and curious Product Manager. This season of POP is brought to you by BTRT ("beetroot"). Sign up to their private beta here.

On the fourth episode of Season 3 "Listening to our Customers" - we’ll be listening to Morgan Sadr-Hashemi. Morgan is currently the Chief Product and Technology Officer at Flashpack, an adventure travel company that brings together solo travellers in their 30s and 40s. He previously worked at Nested where he progressed from Senior Software engineer to Director of Engineering and started his career with a graduate role at BT. Morgan is also the founder of Helm School which provides engineering leadership training for individuals at startups and scale-ups. Listen in for some unique insights into product challenges from a software engineer turned CPTO! Resources mentioned: Will Larson Engineering Blog The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Managing Growth and Change - Camille Fournier Helm School - Training for Engineering Leaders This season of POP is brought to you by BTRT ("beetroot"). Sign up to their private beta here.

On the third episode of Season 3 "Listening to our Customers" - we’ll be listening to Kajal Goel. Kajal was most recently a Senior Product Manager at Legl, a startup providing process automation for modern law firms.  She has previously worked in senior product manager roles at Flutterwave - a scaling African fintech as well as at Worldpay, a more traditional payments giant.  Listen in for some unique insights into product challenges from someone who has worked in product at three very different company stages of size and scale! This season of POP is brought to you by BTRT ("beetroot"). Sign up to their private beta here.

For the second episode of Season 3 "Listening to our Customers" - we’ll be listening to Flora Devlin. Flora is currently a coach for product leaders and a product advisor with Connect Ventures.  She previously worked as a Product Director at Monzo where she managed a team of product managers and led the strategy, vision and direction for about 50 product people. Flora has also worked in both product and data roles at Intercom and Hootsuite. Listen in for some unique insights into product challenges from someone who has led product teams and now coaches product leaders! Flora's top resources to up-skill in product: The making of a manager - Julie Zhou  Universal principles of design - William Lidwell Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t: Steven Pressfield  The coaching habit - Michael Bungay Stanier Crossing the chasm - Geoffrey Moore Designing your life - Bill Burnett and Dave Evans Insight - Dr Tasha Eurich  This season of POP is brought to you by BTRT ("beetroot"). Sign up to their private beta here.

For the first episode of Season 3 "Listening to our Customers" - we’ll be listening to Daniel Yubi. Daniel is currently the CEO and founder of Payable - a UK startup that is building treasury operations software for tech companies. Prior to starting his own company, Daniel worked in various senior product management roles at scaling fintechs such as Checkout.com and Curve. We discuss challenges around product alignment at scale, PM onboarding and managing product releases. Listen in for some unique insights from a product manager turned Founder/CEO! Resources mentioned on the episode: Working Backwards (Amazon) - Colin Bryar and Bill Carr Amp it Up - Frank Slootman  This season of POP is brought to you by BTRT ("beetroot"). Sign up to their private beta here.