Episode 260: Avoiding Common Mistakes in Org Design

In this episode of the Product Thinking Podcast, Melissa Perri delves into the intricate world of organizational design for product management teams. She explores how to structure teams effectively around value streams, rather than falling into the trap of organizing by architecture.

Melissa emphasizes the critical role of platform teams and the importance of starting with a solid product strategy before diving into organizational design.

Melissa sheds light on the necessity for product managers to have a clear roadmap ownership and the challenges of maintaining short layers of control in large organizations to enable quick decision-making. She also discusses the benefits of platform teams in scaling services across an organization, stressing the need for high collaboration and alignment with customer-facing teams.

Want to understand how to build a product management organization that maximizes business and customer value? Listen to this insightful episode for practical advice and strategic insights from Melissa Perri.

You’ll hear us talk about:

• 01:33 - Organizing Around Value Streams

Melissa discusses the importance of structuring product management teams around value streams, ensuring clear ownership of roadmaps and effective delivery of customer value.

• 02:32 - Avoiding Organizational Bottlenecks

Melissa explains the drawbacks of having too many layers in decision-making processes within large organizations, advocating for shorter control layers to enhance efficiency and decision speed.

• 06:38 - The Role of Platform Teams

The episode highlights the strategic importance of platform teams in scaling services organization-wide, emphasizing the need for these teams to align closely with customer-facing value streams.

Episode resources:

• Check our courses: https://productinstitute.com/