#21 Becoming more strategic, thinking business, prioritizing speed, and more | Espen Sundve (ex-CPO at Oda) and Marius Røstad (CPO at Aidn)
Nov 7, 2024
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In this engaging conversation, Espen Sundve, former CPO at Oda and senior advisor at Schibsted, teams up with Marius Røstad, CPO at Aidn, a groundbreaking healthcare scaleup. They dive into the art of creating strategic product frameworks and emphasize the importance of understanding user needs before development. Workplace dynamics come alive as they discuss fostering team alignment amidst rapid growth. Their insights on balancing speed and quality, along with the significance of customer feedback, provide valuable lessons for aspiring product leaders.
Establishing an effective operational model is essential for sustaining a product strategy and enhancing long-term success.
Continuous improvement in team dynamics and product quality fosters adaptability and competitiveness in the fast-paced tech environment.
Aligning product strategy with business objectives ensures that product managers contribute effectively to company goals, fostering overall success.
Deep dives
Focus on Operational Efficiency
The importance of establishing an effective operational model is stressed as crucial for sustaining a company's product strategy. In 2018, the primary objective was to streamline operations at ODA to support product delivery sustainably. The strategy involved eliminating unnecessary complexities from the product, thereby allowing for a more stable foundation to enhance operational efficiency. By simplifying the product offering, the team could focus on solidifying the operational model, which was essential for long-term success.
Emphasizing Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement emerges as a key principle in product development and organizational culture. The conversation highlights the need for teams to engage in ongoing learning and adapting processes to enhance both product quality and workplace dynamics. This encompasses not only product features but also internal processes such as hiring and onboarding. By fostering an open culture where all team members can learn from each other and improve collectively, organizations can ensure agile advancement and maintain a competitive edge.
Speed as a Core Value
Speed is identified as a critical component of successful product development, especially in tech-themed healthcare environments. The emphasis on rapid iteration and shipping value quickly is shown to significantly enhance learning and responsiveness within teams. However, challenges arise in maintaining quality, prompting discussions on establishing what constitutes 'good enough' to move forward with product releases. As the necessity for efficient product delivery increases, organizations must navigate the fine line between speed and excellence, especially in highly regulated industries.
Understanding User Needs Thoroughly
A thorough understanding of user needs and challenges is integral to successful product management. The dialogue presents various techniques to solidify problem comprehension before developing solutions, emphasizing that clarity on customer pain points can lead to stronger product offerings. Product teams are encouraged to adopt a systematic approach to problem-solving, validating insights through research and user feedback. This marks a shift from relying solely on subject matter experts to incorporating diverse perspectives to ensure that the products truly meet user needs.
The Interplay of Product Strategy and Business Goals
Aligning product strategy with overarching business objectives is crucial for a company's success. Both leaders articulate the need for product managers to have a comprehensive understanding of company goals to effectively contribute to its direction. The conversation suggests that product strategy sometimes requires restraint – focusing on operational needs rather than visionary expansions. This balance is essential, particularly when the company shifts focus based on changing demands, enabling product teams to become catalysts for achieving business success rather than operating in isolation.
Marius used to head up product at Ruter before joining Aidn as Chief Product Officer.
Aidn is one of the coolest healthcare scaleups in Norway, aiming to disrupt healthcare.
Espen has also held product leadership roles before joining Oda as its CPO, where he thrived for 7 years.
Oda is Norway’s leading online grocery store.
How does Oda build products and organize itself? What are some of the principles behind their success?
And how is Aidn doing that today, one of the most interesting tech scaleups in Norway in the healthcare space?
You'll find out soon, as well as learn both Marius and Espen's perspectives on being more strategic, their views and approach to product strategy, team topologies, the importance of speed, how to foster alignment when you’re scaling fast - and so much more.
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