What is Product Operations:
2026 Edition
The Function and Evolution of Product Operations:
Since starting in Product Operations almost a decade ago, it’s clear this function is still emerging and is becoming a vital role within modern organizations. Product Ops is consistently defined as a function that optimizes the “how” of product development by building operational infrastructure, standardizing processes, and managing tools, which allows Product Managers (PMs) to focus on strategy, vision, and customer outreach. This is, in my opinion, the best, and most valuable trajectory for the role, and I’m glad to be part of it.
The role, now present in a majority of scaling tech companies, is typically centralized and reports to the head of product, signaling its strategic importance. Product Ops’ core responsibilities—which include cross-functional alignment, process optimization, and managing data/insights—are organized around three pillars: business data and insights, customer and market insights, and product build process. Despite its growth, the function still faces persistent challenges with role clarity and achieving full cross-departmental alignment, issues that companies can address through clearer definition, internal evangelism, and structured maturity models.