#185 - The Transformed Organization: A Blueprint for Moving to the Product Operating Model - Chris Jones

Tech Lead Journal

Jul 29 2024 • 59 mins

“The three change dimensions of the product operating model are changing how you build, changing how you solve problems, and changing how you decide which problems to solve."

Chris Jones, Partner at Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG) and co-author of “TRANSFORMED: Moving to the Product Operating Model,” joins me to discuss how organizations can transform and innovate like top tech companies.

Chris introduces the Product Operating Model (POM), a set of principles for building products that prioritize outcomes over outputs. He contrasts POM with traditional IT and project models, emphasizing the importance of empowering cross-functional teams, fostering trust, and aligning stakeholders around a unified product strategy.

Chris also delves into the three dimensions of POM, highlighting the need for changing how we build, how we solve problems, and how we prioritize problems to solve. Additionally, he explores the crucial role of the CEO, the product leaders, and the product team’s key competencies in driving successful transformations to POM.

Listen out for:

  • Career Journey - [00:01:56]
  • Moving Into Product Management - [00:05:40]
  • Key Theme of “Transformed” - [00:07:13]
  • Product Operating Model (POM) - [00:10:39]
  • Model, Not a Framework - [00:15:52]
  • The Driver’s Seat in POM - [00:19:28]
  • Changing How You Build - [00:23:00]
  • Importance of Instrumentation & Monitoring - [00:26:37]
  • Changing How You Solve Problems - [00:28:27]
  • Product Discovery & Experimentation - [00:32:03]
  • Empowerment & Trust - [00:36:10]
  • Changing How You Decide What Problems to Solve - [00:39:21]
  • Unified Product Vision & Strategy - [00:42:56]
  • The Role of the CEO & Product Leaders - [00:44:45]
  • Product Model Competencies - [00:48:36]
  • 3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:53:05]

_____

Chris Jones’s Bio
Chris has spent over 30 years building and leading product teams that defined new product categories at startups to F500 software companies including Lookout, Symantec, and Vontu. A holder of multiple patents, he has discovered and developed new products in consumer and enterprise mobile, web, data, and platform services.

Chris has worked directly with over 200 companies ranging from startups to very large enterprise across a wide variety of technologies, business models and industries. Chris has worked directly with leadership and operational teams at these companies to better align their organization, process, tools, and culture with modern product best practices.

Follow Chris:

_____

Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.


Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.


Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/185.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.