Product Operations (Product Ops) has gained a lot of momentum as a role throughout 2024, and with the skill growing by 80% on LinkedIn this year, we want to know what it's all about.
Product Ops plays a key part in merging the skills, processes, and strategies involved across product teams. We’ve sat down with Product Leaders and industry experts to explore what it involves, any misconceptions and the defining skills of a Product Operations professional.
What is Product Operations?
At its core, Product Operations is about making product teams as effective as possible by streamlining processes, optimising efficiency, and ensuring that everyone involved can focus on delivering value. Product Ops professionals remove the obstacles that often slow down collaboration and decision-making, allowing product teams to focus on innovation and adding value to their customers. But, there’s no one-size-fits-all formula of course; the approach to Product Ops varies depending on a company’s size, maturity, and unique goals.
"The essence of Product Ops is helping teams be the best they can be by taking away the pain points so they can focus on delivering value to customers. It’s about being a ‘force multiplier’—enhancing product efficiency and creating a foundation for data-informed decisions."
- Kuldeep Salhan, former Head of Product Ops at FARFETCH.
"Product Ops is focused on how your product org operates to maximise performance and impact through higher quality decision making."
- Chris Compston, Product Ops Consultant & Advisor at Reward Gateway
Insights from the 2024 Product Leaders Pulse Check highlight the role as critical for addressing inconsistencies and inefficiencies within product teams. A Product Ops function serves to refine internal procedures and tools, allowing teams to focus on value-driven tasks without being bogged down by administrative burdens.
A day in the life of a Product Ops professional
Every day for a Product Ops specialist can vary widely, with responsibilities tailored to boost the smooth running of things. However, we’ve seen a few consistencies across the board.
- Clear product strategy – Product Ops specialists lean into defining a consistent framework to support the overall product vision and mission.
- Efficiency– Implementing and diagnosing processes to establish measurable improvements and being able to analyse data and understand where the product needs to be.
- Product insights – Making qualitative and quantitative insights accessible, making sure that the product strategy is informed by actionable data and this data is shared across teams.
- Culture carriers - Offering support to product teams; Product Ops professionals focus on making teams’ lives easier, not harder.
"The role of product ops is to support the product team and leadership with the insights, tools and processes they need to be successful. All of that is for the user and the user experience. So making sure product teams have those insights and that leadership understand what product teams and processes come into play."
- Yasemin Kaya, Product Ops Manager at TravelPerk
Common misconceptions about Product Operations
Product Operations is sometimes misunderstood, and often mistaken for roles such as project management or product management. Product Ops isn’t just a gap-filler or a support function for neglected tasks. It’s a discipline in its own right, and focuses on operations, efficiency and product strategy.
Skills of a Product Ops Specialist
Product Ops specialists play a crucial role in optimising product development processes and creating alignment across teams. Key skills for success in Product Operations include:
- Analytical thinking: The ability to gather, interpret, and act on data to streamline processes and drive product improvements.
- Communication & collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams, including product managers, engineers, and designers, ensuring alignment and smooth operations.
- Product knowledge: A deep understanding of the product lifecycle and the intricacies of product development, helping bridge gaps between teams and enhancing the product's success.
- Data-driven: Knowledge of tools like SQL, Excel, and data visualisation platforms to track metrics and make informed decisions based on product performance and user feedback.
- Attention to detail: Precision in managing the many moving parts within the product process, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
- Adaptability: The ability to thrive in fast-paced environments, adjusting to the needs of different teams and evolving product requirements.
- Project management: Strong organisational skills to oversee timelines, prioritise tasks, and make sure that teams stay on track.
While a background in design or product management can be advantageous, the true strength of a Product Ops expert lies in their ability to analyse, strategize, and adapt, knowing when to take a high-level view or delve into the details.
When to hire a Product Operations Specialist
"For any organisation on the fence about introducing this role, my advice is not to delay. Whilst it’s still a relatively new discipline in product, it’s invaluable to allow your Product Managers to focus on their product and not worry about the admin and noise that go with managing a product.”
-Mark Harris, Chief Product Officer, Europe at Ford Credit
Our latest Product Pulse Check found that just 24% of Product Leaders have hired a dedicated Product Ops specialist or established a Product Ops function within their teams. Those who have report significant benefits, including better decision-making, greater efficiency, and a stronger foundation for driving product innovation.
With adoption still at 24%, there’s ongoing debate about whether Product Ops should be a standalone role or a mindset embedded across teams. Some companies are choosing to integrate Product Ops principles within their existing product teams rather than creating a dedicated function.
“We consider Product Operations to be an integral part of any Product team remit & consideration. The data & technology should be in the hands of the team to make those decisions but with the accountability for stability, security, operability, platform health, data security & all other financial considerations all within the accountability of the team. At the moment for us, an individual role is not seen as necessary.”
-Christine Hull, Product Director - Money and Core Insurance at Compare The Market
Deciding when to hire a Product Ops specialist ultimately depends on your company's unique needs, goals, and stage of maturity. For tailored advice and insights into whether this role could benefit your team, contact Louise Smith, Head of Product & Agile Delivery, at Louise Smith louise@burnssheehan.co.uk.
What to look for when making your first Product Operations hire
If hiring a Product Ops specialist is right for you and your business, finding candidates with a blend of analytical, strategic, and collaborative skills is key. A background in product management or design can be beneficial, but the real value of a Product Ops specialist lies in their ability to adapt, solve complex problems, and bring a high-level view to a product strategy. You want someone who can remove blockers and drive overall team success.
If you’re looking to expand your Product Ops function or make your first hire in the field, reach out to one of our Senior Consultants Ellie Staves (London) or Megan McArdle (Manchester), to find out more about how we can support your team’s growth going into 2025.
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