Todd Wilkens joined our host Melissa Perri on the latest episode of the Product Thinking podcast. Todd started his career in design and gradually transitioned into product development, now serving as the Chief Product Officer at Qualio.

In this engaging episode, Todd shares his background in computer science and design, his experience at various companies, including large companies and rapid-growth stage companies, and why he has always seen himself as something of a generalist.

The pair discuss the importance of collaboration, shared goals, and breaking down disciplinary boundaries in organizations. They also get into the debate around whether product managers are necessary or if UX designers and engineers can handle the role. 

Don't miss out on this insightful conversation!

Todd discusses the potential for UX designers to step into product management roles, drawing on his past experience. At Atlassian, the product management culture was less developed than engineering and design, allowing designers to naturally fill gaps in product management. Although designers did not officially take on product management roles, they often assumed similar responsibilities, leveraging their strong design and user research skills. This overlap allowed for a seamless integration of user experience into product decisions, enhancing overall product quality. In later roles, particularly at Automatic, Todd formally took on product management responsibilities, gaining firsthand experience and credibility to coach others in similar transitions. 

Todd describes how he implemented shared goals at Qualio to foster a collaborative and outcome-focused culture. When he joined, the engineering team felt burdened by the lack of support from product management and design. By rebuilding these teams with well-rounded individuals and clarifying their roles, Todd helped shift the focus towards customer impact. He encouraged the team to celebrate achievements that improved customer or colleague experiences, moving away from metrics like commits or bug counts.

Todd highlights the challenges and strategies of scaling a company's culture while maintaining collaboration and efficiency. He argues that as companies grow, they often encounter issues with siloing and disciplinary boundaries. To combat this, Todd emphasizes the importance of building a culture based on trust, empowerment, and a shared set of goals. By establishing clear, shared competencies across product, design, and engineering teams, he ensures that everyone is aligned and working towards the same objectives. He introduces a skills matrix and role definition framework that he has developed and refined over several companies. This framework includes shared competencies such as user science and understanding, strategic thinking, and collaboration, with specific competencies tailored to each discipline's craft.

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