The Role Of An Enabling Team In The ZeroBlockers Framework

One of the biggest challenges when shifting from a project-based model to a product-based model, is that the different functional experts can become isolated from each other. Instead of working, and often sitting, together, functional experts are scattered across multiple teams. Left unresolved it can lead to a drop in functional knowledge, performance and ultimately product success. Enabling teams can plug this gap.

Enabling Teams come straight from the Team Topologies book. They are functional experts who streamline the work of the teams building the products, but they don't do the work themselves. They facilitate, which means they teach the teams how to be self-sufficient.

Examples include ResearchOps, DesignOps, ProductOps and DevEx. I go into more detail on who is on the team, their responsibilities and how they work in my article below.

This Week’s Updates

Enabling the Team

The Role Of An Enabling Team In The ZeroBlockers Framework by Rory Madden
Enabling Teams are the unsung heroes of high-performing organisations, quietly transforming how knowledge is shared, tools are adopted, and best practices are implemented.

How Operations Can Prepare For Continuous Transformation by John Cutler
Operations teams face constant change as organisations adapt to new technologies and markets. Preparing means building resilience through flexible processes, cross-functional collaboration, and a culture that normalises ongoing transformation.

Product Direction

The Broken Rhetoric Of AI by Mike Schindler
Much of the current conversation around AI is driven by hype and misleading narratives. Cutting through this rhetoric is key for leaders to make grounded decisions about where AI truly adds value to products and users.

How To Go From Customer Problems To Outcome OKRs by Tim Herbig
OKRs should capture behaviour change, not vague aspirations. Translating validated customer problems into outcomes means specifying the audience, the change you expect, and the metric that proves progress.

Continuous Research

No Research Is (Often) Better Than “Some” Research by Maximilian Speicher
Poorly executed or biased research can mislead teams more than having no data at all. Knowing when to pause or reject flawed studies is essential to keep product decisions grounded in reliable insights.

Design Wisely: When To Skip Deep Research by Mary Hashemi
Not every project justifies extensive research as sometimes speed, scope, or stakes call for lighter approaches. Knowing when to skip deep studies helps teams balance rigour with efficiency without sacrificing decision quality.

Continuous Design

What The Law Says About Deceptive Design Patterns by Daley Wilhelm
Legal frameworks are catching up to deceptive design patterns, with new regulations imposing stricter rules and penalties. Designers must understand these shifts to create experiences that are not only ethical but also legally compliant.

How To Nail Product market fit With Clear Jobs‑To‑Be‑Done by Growth Design
Letterboxd could significantly improve their app onboarding and retention by focusing on their customers' jobs-to-be-done.

Continuous Development

Architecting For Reuse: Why Platform Thinking Is The New EA Imperative by Nadzeya Stalbouskaya
Platform thinking reframes enterprise architecture around reuse, shifting from isolated solutions to shared components and services. This enables faster delivery, reduces redundancy, and builds scalable organisational capabilities.

The Hype Is The Product by Michal Rysiek Wozniak
Safety engineering offers lessons for improving software correctness, from redundancy and fail-safes to rigorous validation. Borrowing these principles can help development teams reduce risk and build more reliable systems.

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Join 2 New Events During
Global Product Community Week!

AI, Ops, And UX Culture In Washington D.C. & Istanbul

This October, expand your network and sharpen your skills with two in-person events:

Washington, DC – 15 October: Dive into the AI era with Rakshana Balakrishnan (Amazon Web Services) and Swarna Pandu (Boehringer Ingelheim). Sessions cover designing human-centered AI experiences, redefining product building under uncertainty, and strategies to thrive as product teams navigate economic and technological shifts.

Istanbul – 16 October: Explore UX Ops, culture, and delivery with Safa Berkay Peker (Jotform), Cansu Nur Kılıç (ebebek), and Murat Kurtuluş (TrendyolGo | Uber). Learn how to scale research operations, embed UX culture strategically, and turn bold ideas into real products.

Tickets are free, but seats are limited. Reserve your spot today: Book your FREE ticket here.

FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS 

Check out more upcoming community events 

Video of the Week
Hiring Beyond 2025: Breaking The Algorithm,
Beating The Bots, And Building Better Teams

Kelly Bowker and Mrinali Kamath joined Ryan Leffel on stage at UXDX USA 2025 for a candid panel on what’s broken in design hiring today, and how to fix it.

From making portfolios more impactful, to bypassing Application Tracking System (ATS) black holes, to assessing soft skills fairly, they share actionable advice for candidates and hiring managers alike. Watch the full panel here 👇

Another Newsletter Worth Your Time

Don’t just take our word for it, we’re always learning from others in the product space. If you’re looking for more practical takes, here’s one we recommend:

The Results of Last Week’s Poll

The question: What percentage of your time is currently spent on administrative tasks vs strategic work?

Last week’s poll asked how much of your time is spent on administrative tasks versus strategic work. Nearly half of respondents (46%) say they spend 26–50% of their time on admin, while 22% keep it below 25%. Still, a significant portion of professionals are bogged down with routine tasks; 18% report 51–75% and 14% over 75% of their time spent on administration.

This split shows a real tension in modern product teams: while some have the bandwidth to focus on strategy, many are tied up with reporting, meetings, and coordination, leaving less time for impactful decision-making. It’s a reminder that team structures, workflows, and ways of working can either amplify or hinder your ability to focus on the work that really matters.

If you want to create space for strategic thinking and maximize your team’s impact, my “From a Team of Functions to a Cross-Functional Team” course in Dublin on the 15th of October provides hands-on strategies to clarify responsibilities, and enable your teams to focus on delivering real business value.