As the sole Product Manager at a small startup, Katja found herself deeply involved in managing the development team’s release process, leaving little time to focus on long-term strategy. By bringing in a fractional Product Ops Assistant, she streamlined operations, empowered her team to take ownership of releases, and freed up 30% of her time, all while saving 60% of the budget compared to a full-time hire.
The challenge
As the sole Product Manager at a small startup, Katja was stretched thin. She spent much of her time coordinating development releases, updating stakeholders, and ensuring the launch communications were clear. While the team ran efficiently under her guidance, they also relied heavily on her to manage everything.
Katja recognized two major issues:
- The development team lacked visibility into the product’s long-term direction — something they raised in a tough retrospective.
- Katja’s manager needed a clear strategic roadmap, but she simply didn’t have time to create one.
Yet, with no budget for a full-time hire, she wasn’t sure how to step away from the day-to-day operational tasks without leaving her team unsupported. When she learned about the benefits of a fractional Product Ops Assistant, she saw a path forward.
The solution
Katja conducted a time audit and discovered that over 60% of her time was spent on operational management. If she could reclaim even half of that, she could finally focus on building the strategic roadmap.
She reviewed the cost of hiring a part-time Product Ops Assistant for three months and found that it would cost just 40% of what a full-time Product Ops Manager would require for the same period. Armed with this data, she made a compelling case to leadership, who approved the hire.
Kosta, a skilled Product Ops Assistant with a background as a Scrum Master, arrived with the goal of transitioning development operations to the development team and creating a more autonomous, efficient workflow.
Key actions taken:
- Documenting release processes: Kosta created a step-by-step guide so anyone on the team could manage releases.
- Standardizing communication: He documented the product launch communication process to improve clarity across teams.
- Empowering the development team: With everything clearly documented, Kosta worked with the team to take full ownership of releases and communications.
- Iterative process improvements: As the team gained confidence, they identified ways to make their workflows even more efficient.
- Automating repetitive tasks: The team leveraged automation to speed up releases and reduce manual effort.
The results
- Development team empowerment: With clear processes in place, the team managed releases independently, reducing their reliance on Katja.
- More efficient releases: Releases that once took a full day were now completed in just a few hours. The team also moved from biweekly to weekly releases, accelerating product development.
- Katja shifted focus to strategy: With operational tasks off her plate, Katja finally had the bandwidth to develop the strategic roadmap, aligning the product with business goals.
- Cost savings: Hiring a fractional Product Ops Assistant for 3 months saved 60% of the budget compared to hiring a full-time product ops manager.
Conclusion
Bringing in a fractional Product Ops Assistant was a game changer for Katja. It allowed her to delegate operational tasks without the cost of a full-time hire, giving the team access to specialized expertise when they needed it most.
With streamlined processes and a more self-sufficient development team, Katja could step away from day-to-day operations and focus on shaping the company’s future. More importantly, the improvements Kosta implemented continued to drive efficiency long after his engagement ended — proving that a short-term investment can lead to lasting impact.
At Sharpa, we offer premium operational support tailored to Product Leaders and designed to fit within your budget. Our trained Product Ops Assistants are ready to contribute after only a brief onboarding. Get started today and we’ll set you up with a dedicated professional to help you reclaim your focus.