Choosing to work with a Product Ops Assistant means gaining a proactive partner who takes ownership of your operational workload, allowing you to focus on the strategic work that drives product success. But how does this partnership take shape? Here’s what you can expect in the first 60 days — from quick wins to an embedded operational partnership that anticipates your needs and keeps workflows aligned with your goals.
Before they arrive
Preparing for your Product Ops Assistant’s arrival doesn’t need to be time-consuming, but a few key steps can set them up for success. In addition to ensuring they have access to the necessary tools, documentation, and communication channels, be sure to communicate their arrival and role to the broader team. Make it clear that their purpose is to support and enhance operations, not to introduce bureaucracy or oversight.
Before their first day, define a few initial tasks that will help them learn the ropes while delivering immediate value. If you need guidance on this, take a look at our 5 steps to successfully delegating your first tasks to your Product Ops Assistant. Be ready to set clear goals and expectations for your Product Ops Assistant to ensure alignment and give them a strong understanding of your priorities.
Days 1–15: Onboarding, observation, and quick wins
During the first two weeks, your Product Ops Assistant’s focus will be on onboarding and establishing relationships, first and foremost with you as your trusted partner. In addition to understanding how you work, they'll want to learn about your vision, challenges and areas for improvement. The more open your dialogue, the more effectively they’ll be able to contribute.
Expect your Product Ops Assistant to schedule regular check-ins with you. They will plan to maintain a consistent cadence and structured agenda to keep the meetings efficient.
Take the time to introduce your Product Ops Assistant to the team and invite them as a regular attendee to key meetings, such as stand-ups, retrospectives, and stakeholder updates. This exposure helps them to observe, gaining context and identifying areas for operational improvement.
Your Product Ops Assistant will also be eager to set up one-on-one meetings with your team members to understand individual workflows, challenges, and team dynamics. These conversations will help to develop relationships and identify inefficiencies where they can provide immediate value.
Finally, your Product Ops Assistant will want to deliver on some quick wins, demonstrating their ability to execute efficiently by tackling their first set of delegated tasks. Completing and celebrating these early wins will build confidence and momentum. Take the time to answer any questions they have.
Your Product Ops Assistant will be looking for your constructive feedback — understanding what you value will help them tailor their support to your needs. Encourage them to provide feedback as well. Their fresh perspective may uncover valuable insights that enhance both your work and theirs.
Your time savings
While the first two weeks require an initial time investment from you, by the end of this period, you’ll start seeing the benefits of delegation as smaller but time-consuming tasks are lifted from your plate. Most product professionals begin to see a time-savings of 5-10 hours in the second week of engaging with a Product Ops Assistant.
Days 16–30: Tackling team priorities and shifting to proactive support
Once your Product Ops Assistant has successfully handled their initial tasks, they will be ready to take on more and will want to expand on their delegated responsibilities and ownership. Continue delegating responsibilities while also encouraging them to take ownership of meeting coordination, documentation, and process optimization.
If refining team workflows is a priority, your Product Ops Assistant should now have enough context to start making meaningful improvements. Continue to provide clear priorities and expectations, but give them space to take initiative. The more trust you place in their ability to manage operations, the more effective they will be.
By the one-month mark, your Product Ops Assistant will begin to demonstrate proactive support, shifting from executing assigned tasks to anticipating needs. Rather than waiting for instructions on every task, they will begin proactively identifying areas where they can add value. Ensure they have access to as much relevant information as possible. This context allows them to make informed decisions without requiring constant input.
Your time savings
By the end of the first month, you should notice a significant reduction in your operational workload. While you’ll still need to answer questions and provide guidance on more complex tasks, the time you regain will start to outweigh the initial investment. Most product professionals begin to see a time-savings in the range of 10-15 hours a week within the first month of engaging with a Product Ops Assistant.
Days 31–45: Gaining momentum on long-term, cross-functional improvements
With a solid foundation in place, your Product Ops Assistant will be ready to tackle longer-term initiatives that create lasting impact. This is a great time to introduce playbooks for your team — standardized documentation of key processes that drive efficiency.
A well-documented playbook ensures consistency, reduces execution time, and makes knowledge transfer easier across the organization. Your Product Ops Assistant can begin by documenting the tasks they’ve already taken on, ensuring they can be easily replicated and refined over time.
At this stage, your Product Ops Assistant will also begin focusing on cross-functional workflow improvements. Whether it’s optimizing how product updates are communicated or streamlining collaboration between teams, they will proactively identify pain points and propose solutions.
Your time savings
As your Product Ops Assistant begins tackling more complex projects, you can expect to invest some time in answering questions and providing guidance. However, the long-term benefits will be well-worth it — optimizing a process like product update communication will create efficiencies that compound over time. Most product professionals begin to see a time-savings in the range of 15-20 hours a week within the first 6 weeks of engaging with a Product Ops Assistant.
Days 46–60: A fully embedded partner
By the 60-day mark, your Product Ops Assistant should be deeply embedded in your team’s operations. You should no longer need to provide much direction — they should be anticipating your needs and solving problems before they arise.
Ideally, they will have established strong relationships across the team, and operational questions will now go directly to them instead of you.
Your time savings
By day 60, you should see a noticeable reduction in your personal operational workload. With your Product Ops Assistant managing logistics, communication, and process optimization, you’ll have significantly more time to focus on strategic initiatives.
If there are still areas where they could take on more, now is the time to identify additional opportunities for delegation. Most product professionals see a time-savings of 20-25 hours a week within 2 months of engaging with a Product Ops Assistant.
A well-integrated Product Ops Assistant can be transformative, helping you regain time, streamline operations, and create a more effective product organization. The key is to establish clear expectations early, encourage a shift from reactive to proactive support, and leverage their skills to improve long-term processes.
By day 60, you should have a trusted partner who enables you to focus on what matters most — driving product success.
At Sharpa, we offer premium operational support tailored to Product Leaders. 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.
