Product in Practice: How Botify Broke Down Silos and Moved to Product Trios

Teresa Torres profiles how Botify, a B2B SaaS company, gradually moved from siloed roles to product trios (PM, designer, tech lead) starting in 2019. The shift was driven by its Chief Product Officer and several team members, who emphasized outcome-driven squads, clearer role responsibilities through a RACI-style exercise, and collaboration over overlap. A strong trio emerged organically, and the team later used a maturity model and interviews with other companies to refine the approach. The reported benefits include standardized success metrics, outcome-named teams, better roadmaps, and a stronger shared mindset. The piece matters because it shows concrete, incremental tactics for adopting trios rather than a top-down overhaul.

01Key takeaways

• Start the trio shift with a small pilot and a trio ambassador, then iterate and repeat best practices for other teams.
• Map every task across roles and use a RACI so accountability does not force people to perform every task themselves.
• Pair people with complementary skills so each trio member grows into areas relevant to the product.
• Define success metrics for every project before building, so you can tell whether it worked and act on the result.
• Build trust through shared communication channels, getting-to-know-you workshops, and open discussion of working styles.
• Expect trio maturity to vary across teams and invest in training, since trios rarely succeed simply by being declared.

02Key sections

Pre-trio product organization

Botify's early product work was driven by founder roadmaps, competing voices for user input, and projects that stalled over shifting priorities. The team was small and collaborative but lacked a defined product philosophy.

Shift to outcome-driven squads

A new CPO introduced one PM per scope, designers in each squad, and a RACI exercise to clarify that accountability does not mean doing every task. The focus moved from shipping outputs to delivering user or business impact.

Gradual adoption of the trio model

Without a formal announcement, silos gave way to shared tasks and skill growth. A standout 'red squad' with a mentoring PM and designer became a model, later sharing best practices internally and externally.

Maturity model and external learning

A Product Trio Maturity Model and interviews with other CPOs and trios showed that successful companies train people, repeat the practice, and integrate it into how they operate.

Results and key learnings

Trios made success metrics standard, pushed teams toward outcome-based names, improved discovery and roadmap quality, and built a shared mindset. Advice centers on starting small, building trust, and recognizing that every trio is unique.

03From the post

“Working as a product trio can be a major transformation. If you’re not used to working this way, it involves changing everything from the coworkers you collaborate with most closely and your communication style to the mindset you bring to work every day. The product team at Botify knows”

04Frameworks mentioned

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.