Episode 217: Behind the Scenes of Pendo’s Product Operations Evolution with Jessica Soroky

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Apr 2, 2025

Jessica Soroky, Senior Director of Product Operations at Pendo, discusses the evolution of product operations in tech. She shares insights on transforming Scrum Masters into holistic Program Managers, enhancing cross-department collaboration. The conversation shifts to leveraging AI to alleviate data burdens, allowing product managers to focus on strategic decisions. Jessica emphasizes the need for proactive engagement and the importance of aligning data insights with customer needs to drive innovation and optimize product launches.

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ANECDOTE

Unintentional Product Ops Journey

Jessica Soroky's path to product operations was unintentional, starting with an assessment of Pendo's product development lifecycle.
This led to a proposal to shift Scrum Masters to program managers, a role she ultimately took on.

INSIGHT

PDLC Assessment Findings

Pendo's development lifecycle assessment revealed strong engineering execution but weaknesses in ideation and go-to-market.
This led to a focus on improving cross-functional communication and streamlining the entire product lifecycle.

ANECDOTE

Scrum Master to Program Manager Transition

Pendo transitioned Scrum Masters to program managers, expanding their scope from Scrum ceremonies to the entire product lifecycle.
This shift broadened their stakeholder interactions to include marketing, customer success, and other departments.

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Join us for an insightful episode of the Product Thinking Podcast as we delve into the world of product operations with Jessica Soroky, the Senior Director of Product Operations at Pendo. In this episode, Jessica reveals the transformative strategies that have redefined Pendo's product operations, highlighting their innovative approach to integrating data and AI for enhanced product management.

Jessica and I discuss the evolving landscape of product operations and the strategic shifts necessary to elevate the role beyond administrative tasks. We explore how Pendo empowers product managers by streamlining data insights and fostering a cross-functional communication framework that improves product launches and customer satisfaction.

If you're eager to understand how product operations can drive strategic value and innovation within your organization, this episode is a must-listen. Gain practical insights and inspiration from Pendo's journey in optimizing their product operations.

You’ll hear us talk about:

09:17 - Evolution from Scrum Master to Program Manager

Jessica explains the bold transition of Scrum Masters to Program Managers at Pendo, expanding their roles to oversee the entire product lifecycle and enhancing cross-functional collaboration.

15:04 - Leveraging AI in Product Operations

Discover how Pendo is integrating AI into their operations to reduce the burden of data tasks for product managers, allowing them to focus on strategic decision-making.

20:56 - Implementing Effective Launch Processes

Learn about the introduction of go-to-market checklists and launch briefs at Pendo, which have streamlined product launches and improved cross-departmental alignment.

Episode resources:

- Jessica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicasoroky/

- Pendo: https://www.pendo.io/

- Try Liveblocks: https://liveblocks.io/

Timestamps:

00:00 Coming Up

01:17 Intro

05:53 Jessica's journey to Product Ops leader

11:48 Improving launches through whole-company alignment

19:19 Structuring product ops for impact

25:00 Building effective cadences and data rituals

30:14 Driving data culture and exploring AI tools

36:30 Making product ops strategic