Technical vs Transformation Product Ops
Focusing on technical operations or organisational change, why defining it matters
The Divergence is Happening Right Now
The maturation of the Product Ops discipline has led to a divergence in how practitioners define and execute their roles. I’m categorising those as Technical Product Ops (team level process improvement, data flows, tool management) and a Transformation Product Ops (organisation level product thinking and product operating model implementation).
In recent discussions I’ve had with various Product Ops leaders, it has become evident that the initial structures we used to define the field, such as the common three-pillar model involving internal data, external data and process improvement, may be reaching their limits in terms of describing the actual value provided to an organisation.
Just to be clear, Technical Product Ops will remain a critical foundation for many organisations, but its value plateaus unless it evolves alongside the organisation’s ambition to change how it thinks, decides and delivers as a product-led business.
Showcasing Real Value
Many practitioners find that a purely technical approach can lead to a narrow perception of the role, while initially it looks to be having an impact it ultimately makes the function highly vulnerable during organisational restructuring. If an organisation already possesses dedicated data teams and Product Managers who manage their own workflows, a Product Ops function limited to these pillars may struggle to showcase a unique impact that justifies its existence.
In my experience this pressure is particularly visible when the organisation wants to shift from a project-centric to a product-centric operating model.
Shifting an entire organisation toward product thinking requires more than just improving product development processes or data flow. It necessitates a deeper understanding of business context, customer needs, culture and approach with significant behavioural change required across the whole organisation and, often, it’s partners.
Of course cross-functional product leadership exists for that purpose too. However, they are already spending most of their time making sure product development work is achieving strategic intent, managing increasingly challenging stakeholders or taking part in high-level commercial conversations. The reality is, that in many product organisations (the hundreds of thousands that don’t reside in Silicon Valley) product leaders are stretched thin and in some cases don’t even have the right level of experience.
Make the Change
Now the challenge for Product Ops Leaders in this space is to move beyond the “fill the gaps” mentality, where they are seen as generalists who handle miscellaneous administrative tasks, and instead establish a framework that connects strategic intent with actionable behaviour change to shift, or transform, the organisation’s product thinking capability.
This approach views Product Ops as a lens for organisational evolution rather than a niche administrative function that can be let go off easily. It involves identifying specific capabilities that a company must develop to truly become more strategically aligned, value driven, outcome-focused and financially impactful, working with product leadership to make it a reality.
The transition from tactical support to strategic necessity requires Product Ops leaders to move far beyond the safety of those administrative frameworks they feel comfortable in and embrace the role of organisational architects.
The discipline is no longer about simply managing the “noise” of data and tools, but about driving the fundamental behavioural shifts required to move from project-based delivery to a true product operating model. Not by owning strategy, but by making leadership intent operational, repeatable and sustainable in ways that existing roles rarely have the capacity to do.
By defining the practice through the lens of transformation rather than generalist gap-filling, we move the conversation from justifying the team headcount to proving impact on the company’s strategic intent.
Now is the time to strip away the legacy pillars that limit the function and lean into the high-value work of evolving how the entire organisation thinks, decides and delivers.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the evolving role; Is Product Ops in your organisation primarily enabling teams today, or actively shaping how the organisation thinks and decides?
