Mark Rosenberg, VP of Product at Workday Financials, and Vivian Phinney, Senior Product Operations Program Manager at Workday, dive into the intricacies of product operations. Mark shares insights on establishing transparent prioritization and a continuous delivery system to enhance enterprise software for over 2,000 clients. Vivian discusses her data-driven approach to improving visibility for leadership. They highlight frameworks like Playing to Win and the importance of collaboration to address the challenges of growth while delivering impactful, customer-focused solutions.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Mark's Return to Workday
Mark Rosenberg returned to Workday after working elsewhere and observing strong product operations.
He saw an opportunity to implement modern product operations at Workday Financials, driven by the company's growth and scale.
insights INSIGHT
Frameworks for Assessment
Mark used the "Playing to Win" framework and the TSIA model to assess Workday's product strategy.
This evaluation revealed opportunities to improve team structure, workflows, and visibility into decision-making.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Focus on Your Team First
Start by focusing on your own team's processes and improvements before scaling to the entire organization.
Ensure alignment with central teams while addressing the specific needs of your division.
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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.
Playing to Win
How Strategy Really Works
Roger Martin
A.G. Lafley
This book teaches the 5-question Strategy Choice Cascade and the 7-question Strategy Logic Flow, frameworks developed by Roger Martin and applied by A.G. Lafley during his tenure as CEO of Procter & Gamble. It emphasizes the importance of focusing on where and how to win, using real-life examples from P&G to illustrate how these strategies can be applied across various organizations. The authors argue that companies must 'play to win' rather than just 'play to play,' highlighting the need for clear strategic goals and selective focus on winning aspirations.
Mark Rosenberg and Vivian Phinney from Workday join Melissa Perri on this episode of the Product Thinking podcast to dive into product operations. Mark, an experienced leader at Workday, shares his journey in implementing modern product operations within a large-scale organization to meet the financial product needs of over 2,000 customers. Vivian expands on how they accomplish it and her mission to reduce the cognitive load on product teams through selective standardization and streamlined data solutions—ensuring PMs can prioritize effectively and communicate clearly with leadership. Tune in to learn how Mark and Vivian tackle the challenges of growth and complexity in enterprise product development.
Product Thinking 
