What is Product Ops? - All Things Product Podcast with Teresa Torres & Petra Wille
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In this episode of All Things Product, Teresa Torres and Petra Wille unpack one of the most ambiguous roles in product organizations: Product Operations.
What is product ops, really? Is it strategy alignment? BI and analytics? Coaching? Stakeholder management? All of the above—or none? Drawing from real-world examples, Teresa and Petra dig into the evolving definition of product ops, where it overlaps with other functions (like HR, Agile coaching, or the CPO role), and when it actually adds value.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your org needs a product ops team—or what to do with the one you have—this one’s for you.
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)."
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