Despite the Investment, the Product Operating Model Is Not Delivering the Impact Anticipated

Organizations invest heavily in a Product Operating Model with a clear goal in mind: faster delivery, value delivery, better flow, and stronger customer impact.

But after the rollout, many leaders are left asking the same uncomfortable questions:

• What measurable impact has this investment actually delivered

• How much progress have we really made

• Where do we still have capability gaps

• What should we focus on next to improve outcomes

These questions are not a sign of failure. They are a sign of missing clarity.

When the Impact of a Product Operating Model Is Hard to See

Everything looks good on paper.

• Teams are reorganized.

• New roles are introduced.

• Ceremonies are in place.

• Product language shows up in plans and tools.

Yet the expected results do not materialize.

• Value delivery does not improve at the pace anticipated

• Teams still struggle with handoffs and delays

• Customer impact remains inconsistent

Research and industry experience consistently show that this gap between intent and outcome is common. A product operating model may be sound in theory, but the benefits depend on what happens after implementation.

Practitioners across product and transformation communities point out the same pattern. Change stalls when teams follow the form of the model without changing how they actually work.

This leads to a critical realization.

The Product Operating Model Is Not the Problem

The model itself is designed to enable better behaviors. It is meant to support faster learning, clearer ownership, and better decision making.

The problem is not the product operating model.

The problem is that implementing the model is not the same as seeing its impact.

Implementation focuses on putting structures in place.
Impact comes from behavior changing inside teams.

Until leaders can see whether those behaviors are actually happening, progress remains unclear and value delivery remains unpredictable.

Why Leaders Struggle to Measure Progress

Many organizations try to assess progress by looking at plans, tools, or self-reported confidence. But these signals do not reflect how teams are truly operating day to day.

Studies on digital and organizational transformation show that most initiatives fail for human reasons, not technical ones. When expectations are unclear or change is not reinforced through daily work, people fall back on familiar habits. This is why transformations often look successful early and then lose momentum.

Without visibility into product team behavior, leaders are left guessing.

What Leaders Actually Need to Know

To understand whether a Product Operating Model is delivering value, leaders need clear answers to practical questions:

• What behaviors define a high performing product team

• Are those behaviors showing up consistently

• Where are teams struggling to operate differently

• Which gaps are limiting speed and flow

These questions cannot be answered with opinion alone. They require an evidence based approach that looks at observable behavior, not assumptions.

Clarity Starts With Defining “Good”

The first step is defining what good looks like for a product team.

Not in theory.
Not as a slogan.
But as observable behaviors that show up in daily work.

When teams know what good looks like, improvement becomes intentional instead of random.

This clarity creates a shared understanding across teams and leaders and sets the foundation for measurable progress.

Then You See the Current State

The next step is understanding what is actually happening on the ground.

• Which behaviors are present

• Which are inconsistent

• Which are limiting outcomes

This requires an evidence based approach. Not heavy. Not bureaucratic. Just clear signals that reflect real work and real constraints.

A Practical Way to See Impact

This is why we created the Product Team Essentials & Flow Assessment.

This product assessment is designed to help organizations understand whether their product operating model investment is producing the behaviors it was meant to enable.

It focuses on:

• Observable team behaviors

• Leading indicators of speed and flow

• Evidence instead of opinion

The assessment is lightweight and designed to support learning and enablement, not judgment.

From Insight to Action

When leaders have clarity on progress and capability gaps, they can act with intent.

• They can focus enablement where it matters most.

• They can remove systemic blockers limiting teams.

• They can align leadership actions with real needs.

This is how investment in a Product Operating Model turns into measurable impact.

Join the Beta Program

We are inviting organizations to join the Beta Program for the Product Team Essentials & Flow Assessment.

As a beta participant, you will:

• Gain clarity on the impact of your Product Operating Model

• Understand progress and capability gaps at the team level

• Use evidence to guide next investment and enablement decisions

If you are asking hard questions about impact, progress, and value, this beta is designed for you.

Join the Beta Program and move from uncertainty to clarity.