CTO's Guide.to Product Strategy and ProductOps feat. Melissa Perri

Craft the ideal product strategy in this CTO podcast episode with Mellisa Perri, author of “Escaping the Build Trap” and “Product Operations”.Find out how to become truly product-led: from your strategy to your metrics to your tooling. Listen to find out: - How to balance qualitative 😍 and quantitative data 🧪 in product - Were the mass layoffs caused by overhiring? 🫠Is it a natural part of growth or can companies avoid over scaling? - What does the ideal product strategy 🎯look like? - What is ProductOps⚙️ and why you need it - + how to handle your fellow exec’s "greatest idea ever" (AKA Build Trap Alert) 🚧 WARNING: LISTENING TO THIS PODCAST MIGHT CAUSE YOUR PRODUCT STRATEGY TO ACTUALLY BE SUPER FOCUSED AND USED. ONLY LISTEN IF YOU ARE NOT SCARED OF RESULTS. BROUGHT TO YOU BY: [codecentric](https://link.alphalist.com/cc), [Sipgate](https://link.alphalist.com/sipgate) and [WorkGenius](https://link.alphalist.com/work). Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:43 Melissa's nerd journey 02:08 Melissa Perry's Education and Early Career 04:18 Her Forray into Product Management 05:07 Her stint as Software Developer 06:31 How people-centric agile transformed their team culture 07:32 Melissa Perry's Experience with Product Management 08:08 When expectations did not match actual usage analytics 09:00 Lean Project Management 09:26 How her Product Thought leadership took off 10:44 Product Management: Balancing Qualitative and Quantitative Data 11:48 The Build Trap 13:20 How to ground an executive's AMAZING idea into product management 18:58 How Organisational Structure could be a blocker for Product Management 22:41 How to get out of the Build Trap 24:26 Overhiring? Role Consolidation 26:36 How to avoid overscaling / overhiring 30:54 What is the ideal Product Strategy 31:27 Do all companies need Product Strategy? 33:26 The Importance of Strategic Intent in Company Strategy 33:50 Examples of Top 3 Strategic Priorities 34:23 Aligning the Whole Company with Strategic Intent 35:04 Example of Adapting Products to Achieve a Strategic Intent 35:41 Product Strategy Prompts 36:19 How to build a product strategy 36:51 How to clarify your Company Vision 37:11 Defining Strategic Intent 37:33 The Importance of Product in Strategic Decision-Making 38:08 Being Realistic 39:08 Understanding Your Current Customers and Their Needs 39:22 Portfolio strategy 40:03 The Role of Product and Tech in Achieving Company Goals 40:26 The Importance of Integrating Products for Customer Value 41:22 Creating Initiatives for Strategic Pushes 42:48 The Role of Product Operations in Product Management 43:27 The Importance of Data and Insights in Product Operations 45:59 Understanding Your Customers through Market Research 48:42 The Role of Process and Governance in Product Operations 01:01:34 The Importance of Aligning Tech and Product Roadmaps 01:02:39 The Value of Building Relationships in Leadership