Props to Ops
How Operations enable teams to focus on delivering value
Operations ingredients: stakeholder management, communications, governance, processes and a passion for people.
My CV is not linear. Even at AVIV Group I have been zig-zaging throughout the different departments of the company. I did Change Management in HR, Agile Project Management in Product and Tech and was an Evangelist for the Data Governance Team. That was until two years ago, when I unlocked my perfect place at the company as Senior Manager for Operational Excellence in our ProductOps Team.
In Product Operations all my previous roles enable me to succeed. I have understood that there were some common denominators creating the silver lining of my previous stations: stakeholder management, communications, governance, processes and a passion for people.
These are the similarities that most operations teams share. They have the overall goal of smoothing the day-to-day life whilst helping their colleagues focus on delivering value.
Ops at AVIV: Merging Product and Tech practices in a transformational environment
At AVIV group we are lucky enough to have numerous teams dedicated to operations. Within Product & Tech we have DevOps and QA, ProductOps, Strategy and Transformation Partners, Agile Coaches. As well as Program Managers, Data Ops, Design Ops and Research Ops who are there to enable our P&T community with an effective and recognized culture.
That means these teams look at the operational side of things and optimize our day-to-day for Product and Tech teams in ways that ensure good processes and a strong culture.
This operational emphasis is especially important for the company, as we are still undergoing a transformation. AVIV merges four major real-estate companies with Groupe Seloger, Meilleurs Agents, Immoweb and Immowelt. Every entity used to have their own ways of working, their individual tech stack as well as their independent products.
Yet, all players were facing corresponding challenges and harmonization offers not only to leverage their synergies but also to ease the pain.
In the face of AVIVs changes the daily question that OpsTeams ask is: “Where do teams remain autonomous and where do operations need to be harmonized in order to make us most effective as a company moving forward?“.
Good processes grow iteratively
Our current approach is to review the practices in place:
- Are they applicable at scale?
- Do they serve the greater good?
- Are they aligned with the vision for the company?
As we compare how the different teams would operate, we seek out common denominators, watch for redundancies and define an overall process that fits.
It did not fit like a glove at first... For example we had ten company-wide Product Reviews and were requesting feedback after each; every time we introduce a few small changes. Even though after the tenth time it almost felt like we are getting the hang of this important event, we are all aware that we’ve come a long way but we still have more change on the horizon. Iterations allow processes to evolve.
A strong culture demands a solid structure
The famous programmer Melvin E. Conway said that “Organizations which design systems […] are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations.” In other words; a digital product will reveal its technological structure within the organizational structure in which it was produced.
If your tech teams build only components but lack communication with other teams, the final product might become a fragmented collection of features instead of an overall end-to-end experience.
A big part of our product strategy relies on white-labelling our solutions for the market, we need to operate in a one-team culture. A culture where exchange and understanding are self-evident. An environment where we learn from each other daily and where radical transparency is routine.
If culture is how we behave, then culture is what we do. Structured operations provide just that: the railroads within we act in business.
It’s not top-down: people over processes
Our multiple operational teams tackle the challenge of structuring our practices in order to strengthen our culture and alter our processes iteratively. While enhancing performance is the underlying goal, one thing can not be forgotten: the people.
We are anything but an ivory tower! For instance, the main part of my job in ProductOps is the constant dialogue with Product Managers.
I ask: “What works for you?”, “What are you struggling with?”, “ What can we implement that is of service for you?”, “ How can I help?”
I gather feedback from the field. In fact, I am so close to the teams that if we came up with something that sounds nice and shiny in theory but has no grounds in real practice, this will hurt me too.
As an ambassador for what the teams need, I bridge between leadership decisions and operational demands. Product Operations represent the overlaps between product, tech, and customer strategy. Common to the other Ops teams, our cross-functional visibility and insights ensure that teams are getting the right strategic inputs to propel the business and create customer value.
I am glad to have zig-zagged around the organization before settling for ProductOps. This enables me to handle the complex stakeholder management of the job.
But most of all, I am glad to work at a company that puts people over processes and still takes operations seriously.
