The Product Ops Viability Audit
by Christine Itwaru • Product Operations Leader at Pendo
A long-time product leader who transitioned from traditional Product Management to pioneering the Product Operations function at Pendo. She is a recognized thought leader in the Product Ops space, helping define the role's scope, value, and execution strategy for the broader tech industry.
🎙️ Episode Context
Christine Itwaru demystifies the rising role of Product Operations, distinguishing it from Project Management and Product Marketing. She articulates how Product Ops acts as a strategic enabler that removes internal friction, allowing PMs to focus on customers rather than internal firefighting. The conversation covers how to diagnose if an organization needs Product Ops, how to structure the function, and how to execute specific workflows like Voice of Customer synthesis and internal launch readiness.
Problem It Solves
Helps leadership determine if a dedicated Product Ops function is necessary or if the current friction is manageable.
Framework Overview
A diagnostic framework to measure the inefficiency tax currently levied on Product Managers by internal stakeholders.
🧠 Framework Structure
Survey the Product Team: Quantify the...
Survey the Revenue Team: Quantify the...
Identify the Transparency Gap: If PMs...
Establish the 'Quality of Inbound' Me...
When to Use
When a product team is scaling, PMs complain of burnout, or there is perceived friction between Product and Sales/CS.
Common Mistakes
Assuming that hiring a Product Ops person will fix a lack of product vision; Ops fixes the 'how', not the 'what'.
Real World Example
Pendo conducted this survey across PM and Revenue teams to justify the creation of the Product Ops role, revealing a massive disconnect in time usage.
Do you want your PMs to constantly be fielding questions from your revenue team when they could be spending time with customers?
— Christine Itwaru