Adopting the product operating model at Priceline

Key takeaways

Effective organizational change requires clear and consistent communication, especially around the goals and benefits of new initiatives like the product operating model.
Using developer experience metrics and surveys can reveal hidden bottlenecks and inform targeted improvements, leading to increased trust and autonomy within teams.
Shifting to a product operating model fosters team independence, ownership, and a culture focused on continuous improvement, which can significantly enhance productivity and morale.
Early and incremental rollout of new frameworks and tools helps build trust and encourages user adoption across the organization.
Leadership engagement and transparent messaging are crucial for cultural change, especially in complex, matrixed organizations.
The integration of AI tools can accelerate workflows, but understanding their impact requires robust measurement and continuous feedback systems.

Summary

Introduction and Guest Introductions

The episode kicks off with Justin Ryak welcoming guests Sage Lameen, CTO at Priceline, and Pedro Gutierrez, Senior Director of Engineering. The discussion sets the stage for exploring Priceline's journey towards adopting a product operating model and improving developer experience (DevX). Backgrounds of the guests highlight their expertise and roles in driving organizational change.

The Beginning of Priceline's Developer Experience Journey

Pedro shares how attending tech conferences and observing industry trends inspired Priceline to focus on developer experience. Initial qualitative surveys were conducted to gauge engineers' workflows and identify bottlenecks, leading to the recognition that organizational speed and developer satisfaction could be improved through structured feedback and targeted interventions.

Implementing Developer Experience Metrics and Organizational Change

The guests discuss how early surveys revealed key pain points such as slow environment setups and cross-team dependencies. These insights prompted a phased rollout of DX initiatives, with ongoing surveys and feedback loops helping to track progress. Emphasis is placed on transparent communication and framing DX as a tool for empowering engineers rather than judging them.

Transition to a Product Operating Model and Organizational Benefits

Sage and Pedro explain how the product operating model shifts away from project-based work to autonomous, accountable teams. This transition involves redefining team ownership, fostering independence, and aligning organizational structure with developer experience goals. Data collected from DX surveys underpin these changes, providing actionable insights and fostering trust.

Cultural Changes and Trust Building

The transformation emphasizes clear messaging and consistent communication about DX as a means to enhance team performance. Repetition and transparency helped build trust, encouraging teams to share feedback openly. Over time, engineering managers began adopting DX as a core part of their roles, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and psychological safety.

Supporting Continuous Improvement and Scaling

A dedicated DX team now oversees tools and metrics, maintaining momentum and ensuring ongoing organizational learning. Lessons learned highlight the importance of early, incremental rollout, effective messaging, and leadership engagement. The episode also briefly touches on how AI tools are integrated into ongoing workflows, aiding in speed and innovation.

Lessons Learned and Final Advice

Pedro and Sage share key insights, including the importance of focusing on clear messaging, engaging leadership early, and viewing DX as a collaborative, team-centered effort. They stress that organizational change is a long-term journey requiring consistent communication, trust, and a focus on empowering engineers for sustainable growth.

Show notes

Sejal Amin is the Chief Technology Officer at Priceline, where she leads product engineering, infrastructure, data, and technology operations. Pedro Gutierrez is Senior Director of Software Engineering, where he has helped drive developer experience initiatives and the adoption of Priceline's product operating model.

In this episode of the Engineering Enablement podcast, Justin Reock talks with Sejal and Pedro about Priceline's journey from a project-based organization to a product operating model and the role developer experience played in making that transformation successful. They discuss how DX metrics and developer feedback helped identify organizational bottlenecks, guide structural changes, empower engineering managers, and build trust across teams. They also explore the importance of clear communication, creating a dedicated developer experience team, and how their operating model has helped prepare Priceline for AI-driven software development.

Where to find Sejal Amin:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sejal-amin

Where to find Pedro Gutierrez:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pedro-gutierrez-b6605422

Where to find Justin Reock:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinreock

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Intro

(01:07) Meet Sejal Amin and Pedro Gutierrez

(01:47) How Priceline's developer experience journey began

(04:55) Lessons from Priceline's first developer experience surveys

(06:55) How DX improved Priceline's developer experience surveys