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:

• Product Operations by Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles


• Strong Product People and Strong Product Communities by Petra Wille


• Learning and development (L&D)


• Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais


• Petra’s Coaching Cards (DIY Edition) / Purchase the DIY kit


• Petra’s related blog posts on leading effective one-on-ones: - Struggling to Find the Time to Develop Your Product Managers? Start Here, - The Ultimate Coaching Question: What Are You Going to Do Differently?, and - The Product Leader’s Guide to Giving Feedback


• A note from Petra: “In case people own my first book, 'Strong Product People, ' these chapters talk about 1:1s and coaching: Chapter 6: Identifying and Closing Product Manager Gaps, Chapter 7: The Power of Coaching, Chapter 8: Monitoring Performance and Giving Feedback (a good read for one-on-one prep), Chapter 10: Building Individual and Team Alignment, and Chapter 11: How to Find the Time? (especially helpful for busy leaders)."