Christine Itwaru

The only thing that distinguishes product ops from program managers and agile coaches is this: product ops people understand the product, the customer, and the inner workings of the business.

Start bringing engineers into customer meetings. Some will be flies on the wall. Some will engage directly. All of them will start thinking differently about what they're building — and it changes everything about how you plan.

Don't over-index on process for teams that are still finding their way. Respect the hustle. The last thing a fast-moving team needs is someone introducing time-bound planning requirements that stifle creativity.

There's a difference between knowing something is coming and knowing what to do with it. Most bad launches fail on the second part, not the first.

Product ops leaders should have hands-on product experience. You need to have felt the pain to know where to place your team's efforts — and that credibility stops people from thinking you're just dilly-dallying.

Product ops vs. product marketing: PMM positions and helps sell. Product ops educates — helping internal teams understand new value, how to use things, and how it impacts their role. Not the same job.