Dear Blake, thank you for writing this article — I think it points to the fundamental issues between engineers/designers, product managers, and ultimately senior management and overall strategy. There is indeed an argument for having a “Product Operations” department, especially in larger companies, but I wonder if you can also make the case that it can further complicate the decision-making process. When I read this article, I thought that product ops and managers can work together as one department/unit rather than separating it, or that product managers should just take on all of those tasks and responsibilities together with a data/product analyst and steer the development process as he/she should anyway.

You are absolutely right about the communication aspect, that is always a pain point regardless of company size. Again, thanks for sharing this with us, it was very valuable for me to read and reflect.