Book Review: Transformed – Moving to the Product Operating Model by Marty Cagan

This is the third Marty Cagan book review. The first review was about the book "Inspired - How to create tech products customers love." The second book review was about the book "Empowered - Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products."

The book is personally very interesting to me, as I have had the pleasure of leading over 200 envision/business design sessions with global independent software vendors over the past 20 years. These workshops have consistently included stakeholders from various corporate functions, including product management, product engineering, sales, marketing, support, and others. The primary concern for many of these organizations has been how to overcome the creation of silos, where different functions within the organization are not synchronized, resulting in hurdles to both innovation and potential go-to-market strategies.

The book "Transformed: Moving to the Product Operating Model" by Marty Cagan is a practical guide for organizations seeking to adopt the product operating model—a transformation that empowers teams, fosters innovation, and drives competitive advantage through a customer-centric, agile approach. This book is foundational for executives and product leaders who want to move beyond traditional, siloed structures and cultivate a culture that enables rapid adaptation and growth, especially in today’s AI-driven landscape.

Book Synopsis and Why It Matters

At its core, "Transformed" offers a blueprint for transitioning from outdated, feature- or sales-led workflows to a product-driven operating model, as practiced by top technology companies such as Amazon, Apple, and Netflix. The book details not just the "what" and "why" (the focus of Cagan’s earlier works), but critically, the "how" of enacting lasting organizational change. The urgency stems from the accelerating pace of technology: without adopting this model, companies risk obsolescence as they fail to capitalize on innovations like generative AI, which demand cross-functional, empowered teams that can move swiftly and iterate on customer needs.

Key Topics Covered

• Defining the Product Operating Model: What it means to structure teams, strategy, and delivery around products—not projects or IT.
• Transformation Stories: Practical case studies from companies (e.g., Adobe, Carmax, Trainline) that successfully made the shift.
• Leadership and Culture Change: The crucial role of the CEO as chief evangelist, and the leadership mindset needed for success.
• New Skills and Competencies: The evolving roles of product managers, designers, and engineers in this new model.
• Collaboration Across the Business: How product teams work with sales, marketing, finance, and executive stakeholders.
• Overcoming Transformation Obstacles: Strategies for dealing with objections and legacy resistance throughout the organization.

Main Audience

"Transformed" is written for a broad range of leaders: CEOs, senior executives, product leaders, and those who support or depend on product teams. While it is especially vital for organizations that have yet to operate like top tech companies, it also serves product managers and transformation coaches needing a clear roadmap for organizational change. The material resonates most with those ready to lead or significantly influence transformation at the executive level.

Relation to "Inspired" and "Empowered"

• "Inspired" introduced the best practices for building products that customers love, focusing on what great product teams do.
• "Empowered" focused on how leaders can create the environment for world-class product teams, covering the how leaders empower those teams.
• "Transformed" addresses the repeated question from readers of both previous books: “How do we do this in a company built the old way?” It provides the how-to for the full organizational shift, bridging the gap between aspiration and actionable change.
• Net New Learnings: Unlike the earlier books, "Transformed" dives deeply into organizational transformation, real-world case studies, and a practical framework for executives; it reveals anti-patterns, advises on culture change, and articulates the CEO’s indispensable role in success.

Relevancy in the Age of AI

Marty Cagan explicitly notes that transitioning to a product operating model is more urgent and relevant as technology, including AI, continues to accelerate. Companies that have already adopted this approach have adapted more effectively and quickly to the pandemic and are now proving to be more resilient and innovative in the face of the disruptive impact of generative AI and related technologies. The structure advocated in "Transformed" lets organizations harness both AI’s opportunities and competitive threats—empowering teams to iterate rapidly, experiment safely, and deliver meaningful value with AI and emerging technologies.

Final Thoughts: Why the Book Matters

Readers should care about "Transformed" because it distills decades of learning, strips away myths, and offers candid, actionable advice—supported by real transformation stories—on how to create a thriving product-driven company in the digital era. The book is both instructive and urgent: those who have the courage and vision to drive change will find in "Transformed" a powerful ally and roadmap for enduring success in an increasingly complex, AI-driven business world.

Adding this book to your library is a wise choice. Technology is moving forward at an accelerated pace, but some things have not changed, like what you would learn from this book.

Yours,

Dr. Petri I. Salonen

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