In a recent LinkedIn post, product management consultant Melissa Perri addresses the evolving role of Product Operations (Product Ops) in the age of Artificial Intelligence, arguing that its importance is not diminishing but rather increasing. Perri observes a prevalent trend where Product Managers (PMs) are increasingly burdened with operational tasks, diverting their focus from core strategic responsibilities.
The Overburdened Product Manager
Perri highlights a common scenario across various companies where PMs are compelled to handle a wide array of non-strategic duties. These tasks include building dashboards, creating templates, reconciling data, aligning stakeholders, and essentially acting as the “organizational glue.” This situation, she notes, leaves PMs with insufficient bandwidth for the customer discovery and strategic thinking they were initially hired for.
“PMs have become jack-of-all-trades, doing everything except the strategic work they were hired for. Building dashboards, creating templates, reconciling data, aligning stakeholders, and filling gaps left by missing functions. They’re the organizational glue, but they’re not doing product strategy.”
This operational overload, Perri points out, often leads to burnout, with PMs struggling to maintain focus on product strategy and customer understanding. She criticizes the tendency to then blame these PMs for poor performance or a lack of strategic vision, rather than addressing the systemic issues contributing to their workload.
Addressing Common Counterarguments
Perri’s post has sparked a debate, and she identifies three recurring arguments against the necessity of Product Ops:
1. Premature for Small Companies
While acknowledging that startups with a single PM might naturally see that individual wearing multiple hats, Perri suggests even these small teams should consider the “minimum viable structure” to keep their PM focused on customers. The principle of optimizing for strategic focus, she implies, still applies.
2. Fix Leadership First
Another argument suggests that leadership issues, such as weak decision rights or a “feature factory” culture, are more significant problems. Perri agrees that these are critical issues but contends that they cannot be effectively addressed if PMs are bogged down by operational work. In her view, Product Ops provides the foundational support necessary for leadership to make better strategic decisions.
“you can’t solve strategic alignment if your PMs are drowning in operational work. Product Ops creates the foundation for better leadership decisions.”
3. AI Will Automate This Away
The most contentious point, according to Perri, is the belief that AI will render Product Ops obsolete. She fundamentally disagrees with this notion.
“AI might automate dashboard creation, but it won’t solve the organizational design failure that made PMs responsible for operational infrastructure in the first place.”
Perri argues that while AI can automate certain tasks, it does not address the underlying organizational issues that led to PMs managing operational infrastructure. Instead, she posits that AI makes Product Ops even more critical.
The Enduring Need for Product Operations
Perri concludes that Product Ops is not about adding unnecessary bureaucracy but about ensuring that Product Managers can effectively leverage their time. By handling operational complexities, establishing processes, defining standards, and ensuring AI tools support strategic goals, Product Ops protects PMs’ capacity for strategic thinking and customer engagement.
“Product Ops isn’t about adding overhead. It’s about protecting PM leverage so strategy and customer understanding can actually happen.”
She leaves readers with a critical question: “Are your PMs building the organization, or are they building products? What would change if they could focus purely on strategy and discovery?” This framing underscores her belief that optimizing the PM role through effective Product Ops is essential for genuine product success.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Melissa Perri on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on January 7, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →