In Episode 21 of Talking Roadmaps, interviewer Justin Woods sits down with Dan Dalton to unpack how Product Operations keeps the engine of a product business running. They explore when product ops emerges, how it differs by company scale, its role in roadmapping, and why first-principles thinking beats framework fundamentalism, especially as AI reshapes product teams.

In episode 20 of Talking Roadmaps, interviewer Justin Woods speaks with Victoria Sheer about why product transformations fail when strategy is treated as an afterthought. They unpack how product operations connects strategy, value, and execution, why “copy-paste Agile” misses the point, and how organisations can measure real P&L impact. The conversation reframes product ops as a strategic enabler, not a process function.

In this Talking Roadmaps bonus episode, Justin Woods speaks with Thomas Hartmann about why many B2B organisations struggle to move from project mode to true product mode. They explore how roadmaps expose deeper organisational behaviour, the risks of customer-driven feature delivery, the seven core challenges behind project thinking, and why scalability—not frameworks—is the real driver of product transformation.

In Episode 19 of Talking Roadmaps, Phil Hornby speaks with Becky Flint about why product operations must operate with a portfolio lens to maximise organisational impact. They explore the evolution of product operating models, how shared context accelerates decision-making, and why portfolio allocation often drives greater strategic ROI than individual product choices. Becky also breaks down the orchestration role of product ops in connecting strategy, investment, and delivery across teams.

In Episode 18 of Talking Roadmaps, Phil Hornby speaks with Valentina Thörner about how product operations can unify distributed teams, strengthen communication across functions, and improve roadmap alignment. They explore async collaboration, documentation habits, process design, AI-supported workflows, and the realities of scaling product practices inside a complex, multinational organisation. A practical, candid look at where product ops adds real value.

In Episode 17 of Talking Roadmaps, Justin Woods speaks with Ana Zrno, Director of Product Operations at Wrike, about why every organisation needs a clear Product Operations strategy. Ana explores how Product Ops connects strategy to execution, avoids “process for process’ sake,” and creates value through focus, context, and enablement. Discover how having a roadmap for your Product Ops function drives alignment, clarity, and continuous improvement.

In Episode 16 of Talking Roadmaps, host Justin Woods speaks with Dr. Satyavati Kharde about the evolving role of automation and AI in Product Operations. Satya explores her “Clarity Stack” framework, showing how solopreneurs and teams alike can streamline workflows through automation, metrics, and data-driven insights. Together, they discuss how Product Ops can evolve from reactive support to a proactive, strategic force built on clarity and efficiency.

In Episode 15 of Talking Roadmaps, Justin Woods sits down with Christine Itwaru to explore whether Product Operations should be seen as a system or a function. Christine shares best practices like treating Product Ops as a product, starting small, iterating continuously, and clarifying roles to avoid overlap with product managers. She also dives into the value of process, scaling challenges, and how Product Ops supports the entire organization in delivering customer value.

In Episode 14 of Talking Roadmaps, Justin Woods interviews Hugo Froes, Head of Product Operations at OLX, about whether Product Ops should ultimately aim to make itself redundant. Hugo shares why Product Ops adds value during scale-ups, how to avoid becoming a bottleneck, the importance of business sponsorship, and best practices for enabling teams rather than owning processes. This thoughtful discussion explores Product Ops as a force multiplier that empowers organisations to mature sustainably.