In my previous two articles, I outlined the the Product Operating Model including details regarding the twenty product-first principles.

As a reminder, the Product Operating Model is a conceptual model, it is not a methodology, process or framework. It is about moving from output to achieving outcomes, following a set of product-first principles.

To enable The Product Operating Model, there are three roles that are critical when attempting to create a product that is valuable, viable, usable and feasible. These roles are commonly described as the product triad or product trio.

The Product Operating Model

Outlined below are the key competencies and accountability for each role.

Product Manager

  • The product manager must have deep knowledge of the customer and the associated business processes. This includes strong situational awareness of opportunities, constraints, dependencies, etc. The product manager is accountable for ensuring any product is both valuable and viable.

Product Designer

  • The product designer (where required) participates in all phases of a product, from discovery to delivery to iteration. They focus on service design, user experience, prototyping, testing, and interactions. The product designer is accountable for ensuring the product is usable.

Technical Lead

  • The technical lead must have deep technical knowledge, including an understanding of principles, standards and positioning. The technical lead is accountable for ensuring the product is feasible.

These three roles are individual contributors, meaning they have no direct reports. As a result, there is one additional role (Product Leader) that supports the product triad/trio, focused on the people.

Product Leader

  • The product leader must have deep experience in staffing and developing individuals, requiring a holistic strategic context. The product leader is accountable for people management, team topology and communicating strategy, creating empowered individuals and teams.

It should be noted, that these roles are more than titles. The individuals associated with these roles must have the relevant experience and expertise to succeed. For example, taking a previous role, like a project manager, and renaming them to a product manager is likely to fail.

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