This article is based on Ally’s appearance at the Product Operations Summit in Amsterdam 2024.
Predicting future operational needs is crucial for any business striving for long-term success.
I'm Ally Wardrop, Director of Product Operations at GoCardless, and I’ve seen firsthand how a proactive approach can transform not only the efficiency of product development but also the culture within a company.
In this article, I’ll share the strategies I use to predict and prepare for future operational needs, including how to prioritize long-term solutions, filter information effectively, and build the right team to support sustainable growth.
My product operations ethos
There are three core areas I focus on: delivery, efficiency, and speed.
These are the pillars that guide my thinking when it comes to product operations. In any project or process, it’s crucial to not only deliver but to do so with a high level of efficiency and speed.
However, what I truly want to focus on today is the concept of setting up product operations in a way that anticipates future needs. This is where the metaphorical "crystal ball" comes into play. It’s about looking ahead and realizing that strong foresight is invaluable in shaping and refining how product operations function.
The role of product operations at GoCardless
Product operations comes in many different forms depending on the needs of the organization. It sits at the intersection of product management, engineering, and the customer—acting as the glue that holds these functions together. It ensures smooth collaboration and effective communication across teams.
One common flavor of product operations focuses heavily on supporting product managers—making them more effective and efficient by providing the tools, data, and insights they need.
However, when I was asked to take on this role at GoCardless by our Chief Product Officer, it quickly became clear that this wasn’t exactly what we needed.
We already had a strong product management function that excelled in communicating with customers, gathering data, and building detailed roadmaps. Our engineering team was highly capable, consistently delivering on the projects we set out. And our customer insights team was doing a fantastic job collecting feedback and data to inform our decisions. So, why did we need product operations?
Identifying the real gaps
After assessing the situation, I identified four key pillars that needed attention:
1. Process efficiency and enablement
Our processes were overly complicated and frustrating.
At GoCardless, moving a project forward meant navigating a maze of templates and approvals. You had to fill out endless forms and get input from countless people, and just when you thought you were making progress, another hurdle would appear, often in the form of more paperwork.
The inefficiency was demoralizing for teams, and I knew we had to streamline this to remove the unnecessary friction and pain.
2. Delivery: Speed and structure
We knew what we wanted to build, and we had the team to do it, but starting projects and keeping them on track was a challenge. There was a lack of clear structure around delivery, which led to delays and bottlenecks. Speed was suffering because we didn’t have the right frameworks in place to move forward smoothly.
3. Internal customers
At GoCardless, our "customers" weren't just external users; they were internal teams like Customer Services, Customer Success Managers, Legal, and Regulatory teams. These internal customers needed to interact with product operations in a positive and efficient way, but that wasn’t happening. There was a disconnect in how these teams engaged with us, and fixing that was crucial for smoother operations.
4. Culture: Productivity and team growth
The final pillar I identified was culture—specifically, how we could foster a positive, productive environment for our teams. We needed to ensure that engineers were excited to come to work every day, and that product managers could focus on the strategic elements that truly motivated them.
Building and growing teams with a focus on productivity and job satisfaction was essential to our success.
These four pillars—process, delivery, internal customers, and culture—became the foundation of how we approached product operations at GoCardless, ensuring that we not only predicted future needs but were also prepared to meet them head-on.
Adam Bennett
