Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

The ultimate guide to product operations | Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles

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Nov 16, 2023

Guest

Denise Tilles

Guest

Melissa Perri

Join Melissa Perri, CEO of Produx Labs and author of "The Build Trap," along with Denise Tilles, CPO at Grocket and seasoned product leader. They explore the growing importance of product operations, its three key pillars, and how organizations can benefit from this specialized role. Discover strategies for hiring effective product ops teams, the need for collaboration, and real-world success stories. Plus, get a peek into their personal lives with book and show recommendations!

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INSIGHT

Product Ops Growth

Product Operations is booming, originating in big tech companies like Uber, Stripe, and OpenAI.
It transitioned from a niche topic to a widely adopted function, especially in scaling tech companies.

ADVICE

Enable Strategic Work

Focus on enabling product managers to concentrate on strategic work.
Offload tasks like data harvesting, data implementation, and other operational work to Product Ops.

ADVICE

Embrace Product Ops

Do not be afraid of Product Ops taking over decision-making.
Product Ops informs product managers, freeing them from busywork like SQL queries and customer interviews.

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Traffic

Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)

Tom Vanderbilt

Based on exhaustive research and interviews with driving experts and traffic officials around the globe, Traffic delves into the complex web of factors that explain how traffic works, why we drive the way we do, and what our driving says about us. Vanderbilt examines perceptual limits, cognitive underpinnings, and the unintended consequences of safety measures. He discusses topics such as the safety benefits of roundabouts, the formation of traffic jams, and the common mistakes drivers make in parking lots.

Escaping the Build Trap

How Effective Product Management Creates Real Value

Melissa Perri

In 'Escaping the Build Trap', Melissa Perri addresses the common issue where organizations become trapped in a cycle of constantly building features without focusing on the value these features bring to customers. She argues that success should be measured by outcomes rather than outputs. The book provides practical frameworks, real-world examples, and strategies for transitioning from a 'feature factory' mindset to one that emphasizes continuous discovery, customer needs, and strategic product management. Perri emphasizes the importance of defining a clear product vision, empowering product teams with autonomy, and aligning organizational dynamics to deliver real value. The book is essential for product managers, leaders, and anyone involved in product development who want to create meaningful products and drive business impact.

Continuous Discovery Habits

Teresa Torres

In this book, Teresa Torres provides a practical and actionable framework for continuous discovery. She emphasizes the importance of weekly touchpoints with customers and small research activities to guide product development. The book helps product teams understand who they are building for and what value they can create, ensuring that products meet customer needs while delivering business value. It also addresses common challenges and biases in the discovery process, such as the curse of knowledge, escalation of commitment, and confirmation bias. Torres offers concrete methodologies to clarify problems, structure opportunity spaces, and measure success, making it a must-read for product managers and teams[2][3][5].

The Art of Taking Action

Greg Kreck

Product Operations

Melissa Perri

Denise Tilles

In 'Product Operations', Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles explore the essential role of Product Operations in scaling software companies. The book outlines the three pillars of Product Operations—Data and Insights, Customer and Market Insights, and Process and Governance—and provides strategies for implementing this function to enhance product management efficiency and decision-making.