Hurst AdvisorsLLC

Product Focused Teams

First align your teams as product owners. Then use AI to unlock their capacity.

See the results

The Product Operating Model, accelerated by AI.

Teams are more effective when they are structured following the Product Operating Model (POM). This means that all the individuals who work on a product are on the same team. Their work is organized in the context of the product they own rather than planned around projects. They are responsible for the features, defects, technical debt, and risks of their product. They have the autonomy to execute and the accountability that follows.

Product focused teams are not a new concept: they are a proven approach at companies large and small.

What's different now is that AI is enabling product focused teams to perform at a higher level. Generative AI streamlines the processes: artifacts are actionable, and ideation to development to release happens on faster cycles. The Product Development Lifecycle (PDLC) and Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) are rapidly evolving to incorporate AI, and product focused teams are positioned perfectly for this evolution.

The result is that whereas before, product focused teams were a nice-to-have, they now enable lasting competitive differentiation.

Why it matters now.

  • Your people are your most valuable asset: the key is to unlock their potential with the Product Operating Model
  • POM is the best structure for a team to own a product and deliver customer value
  • This approach is mature and aligns with other enterprise processes (finance, GRC, annual and quarterly planning, etc.)
  • Product focused teams are the best structure for getting the full value from AI adoption
Why Hurst Advisors

Guidance from someone who has made the move.

  • Done it, not just studied it

    Guided a 200+ person organization through two transformations to establish product ownership.

  • Built for the enterprise

    Product teams that fit your finance, GRC and planning cycles, including in regulated industries.

  • Hands-on with AI

    I build with AI myself and mentor engineering teams adopting it, so the advice is practical.

Ready to organize around your products?

Whether it's a team that has slowed down, an AI plan that needs direction or a board asking hard questions, it starts with a conversation.

Talk about your teams