The Product Operations Manifesto

Product Operations empowers product organizations to collectively, effectively and efficiently drive the most meaningful outcomes for customers

Our Principles

These are the values we commit to, and which will guide us and our decision-making

  • Flexibility over uniformity - because Product Operations is tailored to the unique needs of each organization, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach

  • Open collaboration over functional separation - because Product Operations is most effective when we co-create the solutions to our organisation’s challenges

  • Short iteration cycles over long-term plans - because we uncover new data every day, and because what worked yesterday might not work today

  • Depth of impact over breadth - because we prioritise the work with the highest positive impact to the organisation

Our Commitments

This is what we collectively commit to doing as part of our profession

  • We respect the autonomy of the people we support, and listen to their challenges instead of assuming we know best

  • We find the most suitable tool, framework, or methodology for the task instead of forcing our own preferences

  • We share our learnings openly and candidly - with our organisational leaders as well as the Product communities as a whole

  • We work together to establish a common understanding of our responsibilities, so that we can focus on delivering significant results

  • We work to understand all aspects of the organisational environment, so that we can help others make informed decisions and make meaningful connections, too

  • We continuously optimize what we’ve delivered based on the evolution of our organization

  • We consider the impact of our decisions on all stakeholders with empathy, including our customers, team members, and the broader community

  • We voice our opinion when we believe Product Operations is being misused as a band-aid for organisational dysfunction or in a way that disallows us from honoring our commitments

Our Prerequisites

This is what we need to be true to be successful

  • An understanding that Product Operations is a strategic discipline as well as an operational one

  • The mandate to effect meaningful change and a base-level of acceptance and trust from the people within the organisation to allow for it

  • An equal seat or meaningful representation at the leadership table

  • A strong cross-disciplinary support network - especially as a team of one