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Building Product Functions

Designing and re-shaping product functions

I have built product functions from scratch more than once, and re-organised established ones to support scaling or the shift to AI-first ways of working. The shape of the work depends on where the business actually is, whether that is putting Product on a proper footing for the first time or reshaping a function that has outgrown how it was built.

The work usually covers some or all of the following: defining roles and ownership, running hiring, and putting in the operating model, prioritisation, and rituals a product team needs to do its best work. The aim is a function that fits the stage of the business and can keep working well after I have stepped out.

Best used when:

  • You are hiring your first product people and want the structure right from the start

  • Product exists but ownership, prioritisation, and ways of working are unclear

  • The team has grown faster than its processes and needs re-organising

  • You are adopting AI-first ways of working and the function needs to change shape to support it

How it works

I start by understanding the business, its stage, and where product decision-making is breaking down. From there I shape the right structure: roles, ownership, operating model, and the hiring needed to fill it. I can run this as a focused piece of design work or stay involved through delivery, depending on what you need.

What you get

  • A clear product operating model: roles, ownership, and how decisions get made

  • A hiring plan, and support running it where useful

  • Prioritisation and planning processes suited to your stage

  • A function set up to keep working well after the engagement ends