Following our frameworks episode,

Ross Webb now brings you the proof in action. Five Product Operations leaders share their transformational success stories, demonstrating how Product Ops delivers measurable business impact—from revenue retention to time savings through automation.

Featured Webinar (September 12th): Join Ross Webb and Anna Prevo for "How Product Operations Enables AI Strategy at Scale"

• See real examples of measurable impact on retention and delivery speed
• Learn to measure team capabilities across four core competencies
• Get tactics that resonate with executives Register now: https://www.productboard.com/events

Success Stories & Key Insights:

1. Ada Johnson - Creating Cross-Team Visibility

• Built repository showing how siloed teams impact each other
• Unlocked economies of scale through collaboration
• Focus on scale, speed, and impact through playbooks
• "Shining a light" on dependencies transforms team effectiveness

2. Orla Mears - Standardisation Without Rigidity

• Unique position to see across entire product organisation
• Spreads best practices whilst remaining flexible
• Prevents PM burnout by putting "wheels under the car"
• "Show them rather than just talking about it"

3. Anna Prevo - Customer Connection to Revenue

• Dramatically increased renewal rates after implementing feedback loops
• Transformed from feature factory to customer-focused development
• Improved morale, reduced bugs, faster delivery
• "You already have Product Ops—it's just hidden in PM time"

4. Aliyah Mohammed - Voice of Customer Evolution

• Started with tech debt, evolved to strategic engine
• Reduced duplication, created meaningful work
• Data-driven prioritisation: "People lie, but data does not"
• Brings together teams that otherwise wouldn't talk

5. Lucy Pitticas-Rothwell - Measuring Impact & AI Automation

• Created framework for measuring non-digital work
• Six types of Product Ops impact defined
• AI automation giving PMs back creative thinking time
• "Siphoning off automatable parts for better business outcomes"

Notable Achievements:

• Renewal Rates: Significantly increased over 2-4 quarters (Anna)
• Time Savings: Hours weekly per PM through AI (Lucy)
• Team Morale: Reduced attrition, increased engagement (Anna)
• Quality: Reduced bugs and release escapes (Anna)
• Strategic Alignment: VOC influencing product strategy (Aliyah)

Key Takeaways:

1. Product Ops impact spans efficiency, strategy, and culture
2. Customer connection directly correlates with revenue retention
3. AI automation frees PMs for creative, strategic work
4. Cross-team visibility unlocks hidden value
5. Flexibility with standards prevents burnout whilst driving consistency

Action Items:

1. Map your cross-team dependencies like Ada
2. Identify best practices to spread across teams
3. Establish customer feedback loops with measurable metrics
4. Define your types of Product Ops impact
5. Explore AI tools to automate repetitive PM tasks

Call to Action: Stop letting your product managers burn out on operational tasks. Start enabling them to solve customer problems and drive business value. Join us September 12th to learn how Product Ops enables AI strategy at scale.

Previous Episode: Part 1 covered frameworks for measuring ROI with Graham Reed, Javier Garcia-Azorres, Tommy Oakes, Chris Compston, and Joe Alim.

Product Operations professionals constantly battle to justify their role whilst simultaneously transforming how product teams work. In this first episode of our two-part series, Ross Webb brings together five Product Ops leaders who've cracked the code on quantifying ROI with concrete frameworks and calculations.

Featured Webinar (September 12th): Join Ross Webb and Anna Prevo for "How Product Operations Enables AI Strategy at Scale"

• Learn the Product Team Success Scorecard
• Discover how to bridge the gap between AI strategy and execution
• Get tactics to shift leadership conversations from process to outcomes Register now:https://www.productboard.com/events

Key Takeaways:

1. Graham Reed - The Time-Saving Framework

• Calculate hourly rates against time saved
• Reallocate saved money towards frontline activities
• Proves Product Ops roles pay for themselves through efficiency gains alone

2. Javier Garcia-Azorres - The Three-Bucket Framework

• Bucket 1: Speed and efficiency through shared methodology
• Bucket 2: Shared language and visibility building trust
• Bucket 3: Shared vision through aligned tooling and dashboards
• Applied to 400+ person organisation to eliminate chaos

3. Tommy Oakes - Product Ops as Product Management for PMs

• Track KPIs just like product teams do
• Focus on enablement metrics: time saved, reduced rework
• Measure cross-functional alignment and team morale
• "Eat our own dog food" with product development lifecycle

4. Chris Compston - Business Impact Over Internal Metrics

• The customer isn't the product team—it's the end customer
• Link Product Ops work directly to business outcomes
• Example: Standardised intake process led to longer-term contracts
• Focus on revenue impact, not just efficiency

5. Joe Alim - Practical AI Tool ROI

• Compare tool costs against time saved
• Example: $200/month tool saving 5 hours = $300 net positive
• Focus on making better decisions that drive revenue
• Usage-based pricing requires careful cost-benefit analysis

Notable Quotes:

• "A typical Product Operations salary can pay for itself in the amount of money saved" - Graham Reed
• "Product Operations is the 'how' to Product Management's 'what' and 'why'" - Javier Garcia-Azorres
• "My customer as a Product Ops professional is the same customer of the product teams" - Chris Compston

Action Items:

1. Calculate your own time-saving metrics using Graham's framework
2. Apply Javier's three-bucket approach to your organisation
3. Define KPIs for your Product Ops function
4. Link at least one Product Ops initiative to business revenue
5. Perform cost-benefit analysis on your current tools

• Next Episode: Part 2 explores real-world implementation stories and measurable impact from Ada Johnson, Orla Mears, Anna Prevo, Aiyah Mohammed, and Lucy Pitticas-Rothwell.

In this essential episode, Lane Shackleton shares crucial insights about navigating AI's transformation of product management. From the concept of a "multi-agent world" to practical frameworks for building resilient product teams, Lane provides a roadmap for product leaders who want to thrive rather than just survive the AI revolution.

Key Takeaways

🤖 The Multi-Agent Reality

• AI agents will increasingly build products without human product managers at the center
• Product managers must embrace curiosity about AI tools and accept that they're completely replaceable
• The human role evolves to focus on empathy and understanding what other humans truly want

⚡ Building Adaptability Muscles

• Systems matter more than goals (referencing James Clear's philosophy)
• Jerry Seinfeld's approach: consistent daily rituals trump sporadic intense efforts
• Focus on repeatable processes that propel you towards objectives

🎯 Decision-Making Excellence

• Craft decision-making rituals from first principles
• Ask: "How do we want people to feel when making decisions in our organization?"
• Design processes that increase decision throughput while maintaining quality

🔄 The Power of Consistency

• Happiness defined as "wanting to continue what you're currently doing"
• Ask yourself: "Is this something I can and want to do consistently?"
• Small, consistent actions compound into significant results

Action Items for Product Leaders

1. Audit Your Current Systems: Identify which processes drive real results vs. which are just busy work
2. Develop AI Curiosity: Regularly experiment with new AI tools and understand their implications for your role
3. Design Decision Rituals: Create structured approaches to how your team makes important choices
4. Focus on Consistency: Choose sustainable practices over sporadic intense efforts

Notable Quotes

"You don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems." - James Clear (referenced by Lane)

"I think we have to be super curious about everything coming out in AI... Also have to be super empathetic to the idea that I as a product manager am completely replaceable." - Lane Shackleton

Guest Bio

Lane Shackleton is the Chief Product Officer at Coda, where he leads product strategy and development for the innovative document-database hybrid platform. With extensive experience in product leadership and a deep understanding of how AI is transforming the product management landscape, Lane is a thought leader on building adaptable, future-ready product organizations.

Resources Mentioned

• Coda: https://coda.io
• James Clear's principles on systems vs. goals
• Top Prods Community: https://topprods.community