Product operating model

A product operating model organizes technology work around long-lived teams that own a product or capability and are funded persistently against outcomes. The alternative is temporary projects funded against scope. For IT it usually changes funding, roles and metrics before it changes the org chart.

Why it matters at a CIO Cafe table

Terms like Product operating model turn up at tables because the disagreement is usually about scope, not definition. Agreeing what the word means is the cheapest way to shorten a decision — which is why every table starts by framing the question in plain language.