Dividing CEO and CPO roles in the product first startups
It is indeed a tough journey to go from an idea to an MVP, raise funds and prepare for the scale. As every person with a specific skill set and experience would be looking for the best role to apply such skillset and experience, the Founders, too, need to consider if they are the best fit to raise and grow product organization to the next stages. Some founders feel very attached to the product they built so far, presenting sometimes a skewed vision of priorities and, alas! not always acting in the best interest of the end-users of the product. Whereas the mix between the CPO and CTO role and even CTO and CEO role works rather well, the mix of CEO and CPO could be detrimental. This situation can be especially tricky with first-time founders.
This seems to be one of the top concerns candidates raise in the interview for VP Product/CPO positions, and understandably so, as the CPO role requires a good level of autonomy and only has undivided attention to the user.
The definition -
Chief Product Officer (CPO), the executive responsible for the strategy and execution of all product-related activities. Establishing a product vision, product innovation, product development, product design, and building a product organization all fall under this umbrella. In other words, the CPO is in charge of initiatives across the entire product lifecycle — from customer discovery and user research to development and delivery.
Why CTO and CPO roles can potentially be a good mix -
On a strategic level, the CPO focuses on the why of the product while the CTO on the how — how development will be carried out and how the product will be implemented and delivered. A strategic thinker with great execution. For some smaller startups - could be a great profile!
Here are some cautions with regards to mixing the CEO and CPO roles-
Too many reports across the organization, spreading the attention to the product itself very thin
The biased voice of the user, as other parts of the organization, would tint the view and attention away from the product
Having a final word in product-related matters can move the product away from the structure and into the chaos of unnecessary features, wasting the resources
More product leaders than ever now have an active seat in the executive suite. As modern organizational structures evolve, it’s common to see confusion around areas of ownership and division of responsibility.
What do you think - should product based organizations have a CPO?
