Product Ops Podcast

Diana Soler, Director of Product Operations at Ascent, brings her extensive experience in product analytics to the discussion. She shares her journey in product ops, exploring the impact of effective cross-functional collaboration. From implementing Pendo for enhanced product-led value to advocating for visible product operations, Diana emphasizes the importance of soft skills and community support. She reflects on the challenges of leadership and the necessity of measuring impact to drive change, while also providing actionable insights for sustaining wellness in demanding roles.

Join host ⁠Gerisha Nadaraju⁠ & special guest host, ⁠Dr Kevin Sakamoto⁠, for Season 4 of Product Ops Podcast where they explore how to make product ops value visible. For episode 3, we have an engaging conversation with Hugo Froes, Head of Product Operations at OLX (and a previous Season 1 pod guest!). Dive into Hugo's journey from graphic design to product operations, learn about the challenges and triumphs of leading a global product ops team, and discover his practical strategies for implementing successful OKR programs. From leveraging design thinking to navigating the nuanced role of product ops, this episode is packed with valuable insights for individual contributors and leaders alike. Whether you're in product operations, engineering, or product management, tune in for actionable advice on driving efficiency, enabling teams, and orchestrating change.Remember to subscribe to our substack for the latest episodes and blog posts direct to your inbox! ⁠https://productopspod.substack.com/⁠You can also subscribe to Hugo's podcast where he explores product ops related topics on a monthly basis! https://thoughtsunravelled.substack.com/⁠#productops⁠⁠ #productoperations⁠⁠ #OKRS

Chiara Gardner, Head of Product Operations at Ford Credit Europe, shares her inspiring journey from product management to creating a product ops function from the ground up. She discusses the pivotal shift towards more collaborative feedback processes and the importance of strategic partnerships within teams. Chiara emphasizes upskilling and nurturing junior members to build a culture of continuous learning. Listeners gain insights into navigating change, balancing strategic tasks, and fostering a supportive environment for operational success.

Shabnam Osman, Director of Product Operations at Yoco, shares her journey from product management to leading product ops in the fintech space. She discusses the impact of organizational structure on delivery and the significance of aligning teams to deliver customer value. Shabnam highlights the transition to quarterly planning, the role of leadership in fostering team dynamics, and the power of storytelling and visuals to enhance team culture. Tune in for practical tips on driving momentum and improving collaboration in product operations!

Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles discuss their newly launched Product Ops book, the process of writing it, and the top three product challenges organizations face. They explore the value of product operations in enabling product managers to focus on strategy, the importance of data tracking and roadmapping, and the need to implement processes and tools. They also highlight the role of product operations in gathering insights and enabling product managers to be successful.

For the final episode of Season 3 of POP, we’ll be listening to the brilliant, Teresa Torres! Teresa is a well known product discovery coach and the author of Continuous Discovery Habits, which has sold over 80k copies! On this episode we discuss product challenges related to discovery such as: 1) access to customers 2) knowing which habit to do when 3) the importance of individual agency within organisations. Listen in for some unique insights from a product discovery coach who is passionate about moving from theory to reality when it comes to implementing discovery habits at scale! Resources mentioned: The Lean Startup - Eric Reis Continuous Discovery Habits - Teresa Torres Product Talk blog Teresa's Talk from Product at Heart Conference - Bringing Discovery Habits to Every Org This season of POP is brought to you by BTRT ("beetroot"). Sign up to their private beta here.

On the ninth episode of Season 3 "Listening to our Customers" - we’ll be listening to Sean Conley. Sean is currently the CEO and co-founder of BTRT, an all-in-one product tool that uses AI to help you efficiently leverage customer insights so you always “build the right thing”. BTRT also happens to be our Season 3 sponsor for POP. Prior to starting his own company, Sean worked in Product management, Customer Success and Growth roles at companies such as Dataiku, TrueLayer and Google. Listen in for some unique insights from a founder/CEO who is passionate about solving product challenges by using his own personal experience and listening to customers!  This season of POP is brought to you by BTRT ("beetroot"). Sign up to their private beta here.

Experienced Product Design leader Desislava Genova shares insights on product challenges, human-centered design, and solving complex problems through user insights and technology. They discuss the importance of product ops in scaling organizations, challenges of transitioning from startups to scale-ups, the impact of disruptive environments on product teams, maintaining trust and culture in a growing startup, and addressing challenges in product design.

On the seventh episode of Season 3 "Listening to our Customers" - we’ll be listening to Arne Kittler. Arne is currently the Chief Product Officer at Facelift, an all-in-one software provider for social media marketing at scale. He previously held senior product leadership roles at Xing and is an active contributor to the wider product community through his work with MindtheProduct ProductTank in Hamburg. More recently he has founded Product at Heart, a conference for curious product people! Listen in for some unique insights into product challenges from a CPO who is passionate about sharing product knowledge! Resources mentioned: Strong Product People - Petra Wille Escalation Manifesto Blog - Arne Kittler Continuous Discovery Habits - Teresa Torres Premature Convergence - John Cutler This season of POP is brought to you by BTRT ("beetroot"). Sign up to their private beta here.

On the sixth episode of Season 3 "Listening to our Customers" - we’ll be listening to Nancy Evbuomwan. Nancy is an experienced Agile Coach who has worked at fast growing startups such as Zoopla, Hopin and Infogrid. She also runs her own podcast called Better, Faster, Happier which explores how to create better products, happier teams and faster processes. Listen in for some unique insights into product challenges from an Agile Coach who is passionate about empowering product teams at scale-ups! This season of POP is brought to you by BTRT ("beetroot"). Sign up to their private beta here.