Building a Product Led Operating Model
A global healthcare logistics business needed to strengthen its agile-based product-led operating model across a complex international operation after several major technology initiatives had become difficult, costly and slow to progress.
They had important customer-facing digital self-service capabilities, that as products needed to support customers, commercial teams, customer service and operations, while still fitting within the wider technology landscape.
Major projects were experiencing significant delays, costs were increasing, and the overall delivery landscape had become more complex than expected. A clearer view was needed of whether the current product, delivery and supplier model was capable of supporting the outcomes the business required.
They were reliant on suppliers’ support that was not providing the level of clarity, pace or effectiveness needed. This created pressure on internal teams and made it harder to understand which issues were caused by product decisions, delivery governance, supplier performance, technical complexity or the underlying operating model.
The client wanted product management to become a repeatable way of working, not a one-off project activity dependent on individual knowledge or informal decision-making.
Mosaic Island was engaged to help the client step back from day-to-day delivery pressure, assess the product management foundations, and define a more practical model for ownership, governance, roadmap planning and delivery control.
The client wanted to define a clearer product-led operating model that would help teams manage priorities, roles, governance and supplier contribution more consistently
Mosaic Island’s objective was to help the client establish the foundations for a product-led way of working that suited the client’s context. This meant assessing current practices, identifying the gaps that mattered most, and defining an achievable operating model rather than imposing a theoretical framework.
The work also needed to demonstrate the value of the model in practice. The client needed support with live product ceremonies, a clearer roadmap and prioritised backlog for the customer portal and related products, and a simple way to track value and delivery progress.
We started by assessing current ways of working across discovery, delivery and governance. This included reviewing existing artefacts, observing how priorities were shaped, and engaging with stakeholders involved in product, technology, customer service, operational delivery and supplier teams.
From this, we produced a product management maturity assessment covering roles, governance, tooling, backlog management, customer engagement and value measurement. The assessment gave the client a baseline view of where product management was working well and where inconsistent practices were creating delivery ambiguity.
We then defined a target product-led operating model for the client’s environment. This covered product roles, ceremonies, artefacts, decision points, governance forums and the responsibilities needed to maintain a roadmap and backlog over time. Recommendations within an incremental blueprint enabled phased adoption by the teams at a pace that worked for them.
A key part of the work was enabling the client to strengthen their internal product capability. We helped define new product roles, contributed to job descriptions, and supported interviews and selection activity for new hires. Candidates could be tested against the behaviours, experience and practical product management skills needed to improve ownership of their products.
Alongside the operating model design, we helped demonstrate the new approach through live product management ceremonies. This included backlog refinement, sprint planning, review sessions and roadmap planning. A prioritised product roadmap and a value-tracking dashboard were produced so that delivery decisions could be linked more clearly to customer, operational and technology outcomes.
We assisted in communicating the new product ways of working to stakeholders. This was important because the client needed product management to be understood beyond the immediate product team. Sponsors, delivery teams, operational stakeholders and supplier teams needed a shared view of how priorities would be set, how decisions would be made, and how progress would be governed.
The engagement gave the client a more practical product-led operating model, supported by clearer product roles, improved governance and better stakeholder communication. It clarified the roles, responsibilities and decision points needed to manage major technology initiatives with greater control, including customer portal work that had previously been affected by cost, complexity and delay.
The client was able to move forward with a stronger product management operating model, clearer expectations for internal teams and suppliers, and a more consistent way to communicate product ways of working to stakeholders. The work also supported recruitment by helping define new product roles, contribute to job descriptions, and assess candidates for key positions.
Product Management, Technology, Customer Service
