I created a model for the “ideal” product operations manager. The model divides the skills of a senior ops manager into 5 categories–Tools, Management, Processes, Data, and Strategy. Then each category is spilt into skills I consider required for new managers, those for managers in the middle of their job, and those skills I expect of experts.
There are five use cases for this model:
- To develop job postings. I can select the skills that are needed for the level of manager I’m looking to hire, and I can explain to HR why compensation should be what I request.
- To have performance conversations. I ask staff to rate themselves on each item and I separately rate them. Where there is a large gap in the two ratings we discuss why—whether they are not meeting my expectations, or if they’re underselling skills that are evident to me if not to them.
- To have compensation conversations. I use the three levels to ensure compensation is relative to the skillset.
- If someone is performing skills more advanced than where they are in the payband, I use this to advocate for a raise.
- If someone is looking for a raise, I can point to the skills I want them to have and can tie their desire for a raise to the skills I need
- To understand organizational development needs. I use the scores across the team to understand where we have organization-wide skill gaps. Then I can hire new staff to fill those gaps. I also look at it as an opportunity to discuss if and when an employee is ready to move beyond the role.
| Tools | Management | Processes | Data | Strategy | ||||||
| Definition: knowledge of these tools comes in two measures–quantity of tools known and depth of experience with them. However, more weight is given to being a power-user of one tool over being a casual user of many | The ability to execute, communicate, and control work | Knowledge of how and when to use specific processes to achieve a goal. | Using data to communicate patterns and aid in making decisions | Ability to connect goals to actions by understanding and appropriately applying available assets to achieve ideal outcomes. | ||||||
| Starting | ||||||||||
| Business Productivity Software | Project Management | Agile methodology | Data collection | Critical thinking | ||||||
| (Office, Miro, etc.) | Have run several true projects as a project manager | Have used it before as team member, scrum master, or PO. Can explain the key differences between scrum and kanban | has inherent knowledge of how to collect and manipulate data in a variety of tools | Systematically analyzing information to make reasoned and logical decisions. | ||||||
| Workflow management | Process Improvement | Prioritization | Reporting | |||||||
| (Jira, Trello, etc) | Experience leading Lean six sigma, busisness process re-engineering or TQM-style process improvements | Knows several models like RICE, WSJF, dot voting, effort/value; and knows when to use them | Can use data to create reports for a variety of stakeholders. Familiar with Excel, PowerBi, and Tableau | |||||||
| Requirements and Feature tracking | Oral Communication | |||||||||
| (Jira Align, Aha, ProductBoard, Dragonboat, etc.) | Is a compelling speaking and easily gets information across to stakeholders | |||||||||
| Mid | ||||||||||
| Roadmapping | Visual Communication | Human Centered Design | Data synthesis | Context-setting | ||||||
| ( Aha, ProductBoard, Product Plan, etc) | Can create compelling visualizations or can collaborate with design-focused colleagues to deliver documents appropriately polished for the audience | Training from LUMA, ideo, or other thought leaders in this area | Can review data and draw conclusions from them. Understand data cleanliness, accuracy and confidence. Can speak to statistical signigifance and business significance | Can make connections for people between the work to be done and the reason for the work. Uses story telling, analogies, and models. | ||||||
| Ideation | Stakeholder management | Product and Development Lifecycles | Independently design and iterate reports | OKRs or Goal setting | ||||||
| (Aha, IdeaScale, etc) | Identifying, analyzing, prioritizing, and engaging stakeholders to ensure their needs are met and expectations are managed. | Can articulate the general lifecycles of a product and of product development. Knows there a difference between the two. Can explain key roles and responibilities in each phase | Willing to look at new data sets or existing data in novels way. Initiative to create hypothesis and develop reports to test the hypothses. Willing to iterate on reports to improve usage, decision making, and delivery | Experience writing high quality goals and using the O/KR framework whereby leaders set objectives and teams define KRs. | ||||||
| Experienced | ||||||||||
| Change management | Discovery, Experimentation and Testing | Coding and Development | Strategy Development and coaching | |||||||
| Can create structured processes and sets of tools for preparing, equipping and supporting people to adopt and use a change to achieve a desired outcome. Builds trust and strengthens company cultures through the development of strong relationships | Can facilitate processes for each item. Articulate more than 1 method to achieve objectives of sub processes | Can code in VBA, Power Automate, R, Go, SQL, python, Javascript/D3, or similar languages to further collect, analyze, automate, and communicate information from data and reports | Can use all the above to create new strategies for a team that clarifies how goals will be achieved and why. Can coach and mentor team members and other staff. | |||||||
| Coaching, mentoring | GTM and Release Management | Business decision support | ||||||||
| Coaching: Guiding someone to improve skills or achieve goals through feedback, guidance, and support. Mentoring: Providing guidance, advice, and support to help someone develop skills, knowledge, and achieve career goals. | Understands the concepts, phases, and stakeholders in this area. Can facilitate either and ensure releases and luanches happen on time and with consistency | Comfortable leading discusions with leaders about not only the report, but direction and or advice you have based on the data. Can speak to trade-offs, risk, confidence. | ||||||||
| Influencing Executives | Annual and business planning | |||||||||
| Can use the above communication skills, along with strategic thinking, and relationship building to develop trust, credibility, and rapport in order to collaborate with executives and to ensure larger business goals are met within shared visions. | Participates in and supports annual planning at the CPO leadership level | |||||||||