logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
1h 6m

Understanding the role of product ops | ...

Lenny Rachitsky
About this episode

Brought to you by Amplitude—Build better products: https://amplitude.com/ | Lenny’s Job Board—Hire the best product people. Find the best product gigs: https://www.lennysjobs.com/talent | Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security: https://vanta.com/lenny

Christine Itwaru is a longtime product operations leader at Pendo and more recently has taken on the larger role of Principal Strategist there. Before leading product ops, Christine spent 12 years in product management. In this episode, we delve into the rapidly growing field of product ops and discover how Christine is part of shaping the role industry-wide. She helps us define the role of product operations, what kind of person would be a good fit for the product ops role, when your company would benefit from product ops, and what red flags to look for if you decide to go down this path. 

Find the full transcript here: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/understanding-the-role-of-product-ops-christine-itwaru-pendo/#transcript

Where to find Christine Itwaru:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/christineitwaru

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christineitwaru/

• Website: https://theproductheart.com/

Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

Referenced:

• Ben Williams on Lenny’s Podcast: https://www.podpage.com/lennys-podcast/how-snyk-built-a-product-led-growth-juggernaut-ben-williams-vp-of-product-at-snyk/

• Pendo: https://go.pendo.io/

• Marty Cagan on Lenny’s Podcast: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-nature-of-product-marty-cagan-silicon-valley-product-group/

• Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/

• Looker: https://www.looker.com/

• Tray: https://tray.io/

• Zapier: https://zapier.com/

• Zendesk: https://www.zendesk.com/

• Casey Winters on Lenny’s Podcast: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-to-sell-your-ideas-and-rise-within-your-company-casey-winters-eventbrite/

Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love: https://www.amazon.com/INSPIRED-Create-Tech-Products-Customers/dp/1119387507/

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t: https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/1591848016/

The Product-Led Organization: Drive Growth by Putting Product at the Center of Your Customer Experience: https://www.amazon.com/Product-Led-Organization-Putting-Customer-Experience/dp/1119660874

Product Roadmaps Relaunched: How to Set Direction while Embracing Uncertainty: https://www.amazon.com/Product-Roadmaps-Relaunched-Direction-Uncertainty/dp/149197172X/

The Product Experience podcast: https://www.mindtheproduct.com/the-product-experience/

Matilda the Musical: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3447590/

Rise on Disney+: https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/rise/6Yv1uRnw2uAJ

• Miro: https://miro.com/

• Figma: https://www.figma.com/

• Seismic: https://seismic.com/

• Gong: https://www.gong.io/

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Christine’s background

(02:34) How working with Ben Williams led Christine to Lenny’s Podcast

(05:02) The role of product ops in product management

(07:31) How 2019 became “the summer of product ops”

(11:19) The different ways product ops can assist product teams

(15:50) How Pendo used product ops to bring teams together and share data

(18:15) Where user research fits in 

(22:39) How product ops are being utilized—and not exclusively in B2B companies

(24:47) How to convince a product leader that you need product ops

(27:41) Why customer experience is the core of a PM’s role

(29:47) Who is doing the work of the product ops person before that role is created

(31:37) Christine’s response to Casey Winters’s take on ops teams

(37:40) Signs your company could benefit from a product ops team

(30:56) How a lack of transparency led to Pendo adding product ops

(46:11) The line between product ops and product marketing

(47:30) Who might be a good fit for a product ops role

(53:39) Red flags for product ops roles (that apply to any role) 

(54:08) How product teams are structured at Pendo

(57:18) Lightning round

Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.



Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe
Up next
Jul 6
Solo founder, $80M exit, 6 months: The Base44 bootstrapped startup success story | Maor Shlomo
Maor Shlomo is the founder of Base44, an AI-powered app builder that he bootstrapped to an over $80 million acquisition by Wix in just six months. As a solo founder (with severe ADHD), he hit $1 million ARR just three weeks after launch and grew the product to more than 400,000 u ... Show More
1h 31m
Jul 3
I’ve run 75+ businesses. Here’s why you’re probably chasing the wrong idea. | Andrew Wilkinson (co‑founder of Tiny)
Andrew Wilkinson is the co‑founder of Tiny, a holding company that quietly owns more than three dozen profitable internet and consumer brands, including Dribbble and the AeroPress coffee maker. Starting as a teenage barista and web designer, he’s created a portfolio approaching $ ... Show More
1h 28m
Jun 29
Naming expert shares the process behind creating billion-dollar brand names like Azure, Vercel, Windsurf, Sonos, Blackberry, and Impossible Burger | David Placek (Lexicon Branding)
David Placek is the founder of Lexicon Branding, a company that focuses exclusively on the development of brand names for competitive advantage. Lexicon is behind iconic names such as Sonos, Microsoft’s Azure, Windsurf, Vercel, Impossible Foods, BlackBerry, Intel’s Pentium, Apple ... Show More
1h 22m
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Transform Your Product Strategy with Fabrice des Mazery | Former Chief Product Officer at Tripadvisor | E220
In this podcast, Fabrice des Mazery, former Chief Product Officer at TripAdvisor, shares invaluable perspectives on product management, ethics, and combating work burnout in large-scale operations. He stresses the significance of cultivating a robust product culture, developing c ... Show More
54m 49s
Apr 2024
How to be effective up and down the org chart | Matt MacInnis (Rippling, Inkling, Apple)
Matt MacInnis is the COO at Rippling, an all-in-one HR, IT, and finance platform for businesses, which last raised $500M at a $11.25B valuation. Before Rippling, Matt was the co-founder and CEO at Inkling, a mobile learning platform that was acquired in 2018. He also held several ... Show More
1h 15m
May 2024
Leading Product at Amazon and Google with Priyankka Mani | Chief Product & Design Officer at Lonely Planet | E221
Tune into this engaging episode of the Product Podcast, where we delve into the career story of Priyankka Mani, former CPO at Lonely Planet. Discover her incredible journey and insights gained from leading product teams at tech giants Google and Amazon, and how she expertly navig ... Show More
43m 49s
Jun 2024
591. The Day Kim Kardashian Bought My Product
Hey, Product Bosses! We’re diving into something really exciting today. Have you ever wondered how getting your product in front of the right person can transform your business overnight? Well, we’ve got an incredible story to share.In this episode, we’re talking about the day Ki ... Show More
20m 5s
Jun 2024
How to Land your Dream Job - Chats with my Team (@KaelynGraceApple)
If you want to start or grow a channel, check out my Part-Time YouTuber Academy here 👉 https://eu1.hubs.ly/H09MXML0 I’ve built a brand new community for like-minded people called Productivity Lab. We’ll have online classes, workshops, and coaching to help you double your product ... Show More
32m 43s
Nov 2023
Strategies for Data-Driven Product Growth by AWS Sr PM
In this episode, join AWS Senior Product Manager, Debbie Motilewa, as she takes us on a journey through data-driven product growth. From her experience as a founder to her current role, Debbie shares invaluable strategies for acquisition, activation, retention, referral, and reve ... Show More
32m 58s
Jun 2024
#294 - MakeMyMask : 3,5M€ du jour au lendemain... mais après 4 années de galères
Laurent Kretz rencontre Julie Pernet, la fondatrice de MakeMyMask, un laboratoire dermopilaire qui développe des masques pour les cheveux. Julie nous partage son parcours de solopreneure et les défis qu’elle a dû relever pour faire décoller sa marque. 4 ans après sa création, des ... Show More
1h 9m
Feb 2024
Ultra-Niche Positioning: How to Find Success By Going SUPER Narrow
I’m so f*cking happy to announce that ​my book, Stand The F*ck Out, is officially available for PURCHASE​! To buy the book—and more!—DIRECTLY from us and support our small business, go to: https://book.stfo.ioFree Shipping Worldwide • Ripped Apart by 70+ Marketers • Money-Back Gu ... Show More
57m 59s
May 2024
Eric Siu: Building a $10m+ Marketing Agency
I’ve built a brand new community for like-minded people called Productivity Lab. We’ll have online classes, workshops, and coaching to help you double your productivity. You can find out more here 👉 https://eu1.hubs.ly/H09nfRD0 Check Out My New York Times Bestselling Book Feel-G ... Show More
45m 23s
May 2024
Finding the Right Partnerships (on Think Media Podcast) | Ep 141
“You have to be honest with yourself, the problem that you've been avoiding (…) that you continue to let year after year or month after month fester, you need to confront it.” Today, join Leila (@LeilaHormozi) as she guests on the Think Media Podcast (with Sean Cannell) to share ... Show More
20m 7s