10 common misunderstandings about operations!
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In writing this article, I would like to clarify some of my views on operations . I have read a lot of articles about operations. Many of the viewpoints are biased and completely misinterpret the nature and essence of operations work. However, they are still forwarded a lot and even regarded as classics. Some company managers even put a lot of pressure on grassroots operations staff. Although operations work is hard, it is very sacred. After all, you are on the front line, directly facing users. Not only are you scolded in public, but you are also often blamed in the company and even not taken seriously. I hope everyone can take this industry seriously and understand how difficult their work is. Of course, nothing is easy. I don’t mean to protect operations. I can write another article about product work another day. Why can’t operations be replaced? Sayings like "technology changes the world" and "products change the world" are often heard. People are just saying that we should pay attention to and emphasize technology and products. There is no doubt about this, and I firmly believe it, but it does not mean that we can ignore operations. Machines, codes, and rules are always cold and emotionless, and far from flexible enough. I also believe that one day in the future, human technology will be able to do it, but at least not now. So operations cannot be replaced. Many people always say that I often talk about feelings. I say that emotional operation is the highest level of operation. This is the starting point of work. If you treat your work as your own son, how could you not do it? If you don't take your job seriously, how can you do it well? I have never seen a person in my life who can go to get off work and leave on time every day and still do a good job in operations. A ruthless person cannot build a community well. If a community is built with a businessman’s mentality, haven’t you all seen the results? Misconception 1: Operations is just about doing odd jobs Operations does have a lot of work to do, but if you don’t do enough, you won’t become a good operations staff member. To operate well, in addition to having a proper attitude towards users, you also have to consider the issue from the overall perspective. For example, when organizing an event, the first factor I consider is the brand and the quality of the event rather than the quantity. Only by thinking all the time, practicing more, and summarizing more, can you be qualified to participate in the Huashan Contest. Otherwise, after working for many years, you are still confused and do not have a deep understanding of operations. It would be wrong for you to show off your skills in front of experts. I think you need to have a calm mind to understand this sentence. First, when your leader assigns you a job, if you don’t have enough reasons to convince your leader, just do it and don’t complain or talk nonsense. Second, being able to do more work is a test of your personal abilities and does no harm to you. Third, you need to understand your own capabilities and your current level. Not everyone can force growth. Fourth, nothing is impossible, we just don’t dare to think about it or do it. In 2010, our leader set a goal for us to increase our IP fivefold (the base number was not large at that time), but we completed the year-end KPI in 21 days. Of course, I am also against setting random goals. Misconception 2: Even if the product is shit, the operation has to swallow it I think this is an extremely irresponsible statement. The Internet is no longer the operations-driven era before 2010. The community products and functions of the early years were actually very poor, but with the operations running hard, they could still do very well. Mop.com is a typical product driven by strong operations. The number of people in our community has never exceeded 20, so we have developed enough operation modules. Then there is the show model, which has higher operational intensity. After 2010, especially with the rise of mobile Internet , we have entered the product era. If the product is shoddy, even God cannot save it, because there are too many substitutes. If you don’t do a good job, users will go to other companies. We must attach importance to products, make the product experience good enough, and truly understand the needs of users. In this day and age, we can no longer have the mentality of "raping users". Many successful people from the first and second generations of the Internet have outdated thinking. Operations cannot be ignored. Douban's products are considered to be the best in the community, even to the point of ignoring big data. Hasn't Abei been reflecting on this over the past year? Abei is a senior whom I respect very much. In fact, many problems had already been hidden when this product was first launched. For a product, genes are something that is ingrained in its bones. Once planted, there may be no possibility of changing it. This is the fate of the product. Abei has realized the importance of operations, and it is not too late. Products and operations need to maintain an appropriate proportion. I never approve of the tactic of piling up people. If the product is strong, the operating costs can be low and the operating pressure can also be low. If the product is weak, operations will be even more difficult. Reflect on yourself and stop trying to make excuses for the poor quality of your product! Myth 3: Anyone can do operations Anyone can do operations, I don’t deny this, because the threshold is low. Can anyone do operations well? Not necessarily. Good operations will have the temperament of operations. This can actually be felt during the interview. Being serious in work, down-to-earth and pragmatic, paying attention to details, having good patience and resilience, high adversity quotient, strong execution, flexible thinking, etc., these are all necessary qualities for a good operator. This is something in our bones. You say that things can be changed later, but I really don’t believe it. After working for six or seven years, your way of thinking has become fixed. You cannot change it just because you want to. Companies prefer people who can get to work as soon as they arrive and will not necessarily give you this opportunity. The thinking and operation of products and technology are fundamentally different. The logic of products and technology must be strong, while the thinking of operations is divergent and jumpy. Therefore, good operations will deliberately avoid and neutralize one's own fixed thinking patterns. After I started working on products, my logic became much stronger than before. It is actually quite difficult to change your career after working for more than 8 years. It takes courage. We have an excellent operations team that cannot be replaced by interns or graduates. Many people underestimate the technical content of operations. What are they thinking? One excellent operation can replace three or four ordinary operations. Do you believe it? Myth 4: Operations is the scapegoat A lot of the work done by operations cannot be evaluated by data, and many of the company's work often puts responsibilities and indicators on operations. If the person responsible cannot be found, the operation department will have to take the blame. "Lei, you are in charge of operations, so you should take this responsibility", "You should do this and not do that", I often take the blame, and I endured it, for 10 years. But on second thought, a good project is the result of everyone's joint efforts. It is wrong to shirk responsibility. For many tasks, rewards and punishments, it is best to reach a consensus. If it is truly impossible to define ownership, then all relevant parties shall bear the responsibility together. Oftentimes, the merits of operations will be wiped out by many “negative factors”, such as advertising. After working so hard, all your efforts will be wasted due to an unreasonable advertisement. When it comes to advertising, how many people really understand whether the placement, materials, quantity and effect are reasonable? Misconception 5: Operations is all about KPIs and data Regarding this point, it depends on whether the company attaches enough importance to operations, how much product-driven this project is, and also on your personal responsibility. I have been memorizing data for many years, since I was a junior operator and still do it now when I am in charge of projects. In fact, I am more in favor of splitting the data, so that it can facilitate the enthusiasm and initiative of all project owners, and make everyone nervous and have a sense of responsibility every day. Of course, you are the project leader, and you are absolutely wrong to leave the overall goals and responsibilities to your subordinates. Such a person is not fit to be a leader. I despise people who steal the credit for their subordinates' work. Misconception 6: Operations can be complained about appropriately Being able to produce things under all kinds of unfavorable circumstances, with less money, less food and fewer people, and still producing excellent operations, should be a principle that an excellent operator should adhere to. To put it bluntly, it is cost awareness. Even if I give you 1 million, you may not do well. If I give you 1,000 yuan, you can do better, then you are awesome. It is definitely not the style of all companies to meet every request. If you are doing a job that relies on money, I think you should be fired first. Can operations personnel complain or spit on the internet? The key is that complaining is useless, you still have to do the work. Leaders are not fools. Anyone who can become your leader must have his own abilities. Either endure or get out. Moreover, complaining and grumbling will greatly affect the passion and unity of the team. No matter how capable such people are, they should not be retained, and such emotions should be castrated in a timely manner. Misconception 7: Operations is just about chatting with users It is ridiculous to have such an idea. There is so much work to be done in operations, including chatting with users, which is professionally called user communication work. Moreover, operations should communicate with users with a purpose. The total time and individual time of communication with users every day need to be controlled. This is the concept of time. The work of operations is not just about attracting new customers and retaining customers. This is at most the thinking perspective of primary operations. "Maintain within the site, attract users outside the site", this seven-word principle is just a branch of operational work - some work content of user operation. Content operation, event operation, new media operation, data operation, etc., there are a lot of things waiting for you to do and explore. Misconception 8: Once the product is done, it’s all about operations I mentioned this in my previous article. In fact, operations cannot be intervened until after the product is launched. Products and technology give the product flesh and blood, and operations give the product soul. Operations should be involved in this project from the beginning to the end and play a positive role. Once the product is launched, users and operators will use it every day, and data must be reviewed every day. The product is not finished yet and needs to be continuously optimized after it goes online. The final form of a product needs to evolve continuously in line with user needs, operational needs, and the trends of the times. Even Zhang Xiaolong doesn’t dare to say what the final form of WeChat will be, let alone us, the younger generations? Misconception 9: Operations have a methodology Strictly speaking, there is no methodology for operations. Which good operation is not acquired through years of hard work? I have never been superstitious about operational methodology . Operations require flexibility. Stereotypes are already scary enough, and if you are also confined by the shackles of methodology, isn’t that even scarier? The Internet is changing with each passing day, and the life cycle of users participating in the community has been reduced from four or five years to just a few months. There are few cultural communities, and an idea can be copied and replaced at any time. Our thinking needs to be updated all the time. Perhaps the operational ideas you firmly believed in three years ago are no longer applicable now. I can only say that no matter how things change, the essence remains the same. Methodology can be used as a reference to establish your own basic thinking framework and basic processes. I agree with this. In fact, most of the operation modules can establish basic templates, but they cannot be too detailed, otherwise it will restrict the room for operation. We have to admit that people born in the 1990s have more active minds and more ideas than those born in the 1980s. You have to give them enough room to play. The post-90s generation will be overthrown by the post-00s generation sooner or later. We can’t be stubborn, right? Myth 10: Operations can be done quickly Regarding this point, I can only tell you with regret: operations really cannot be achieved overnight. Without more than 6 years of community experience, I won’t believe you even if you kill me. During the experience-accumulating stage of operations, frequent job-hopping is extremely disadvantageous, as operations involve too fragmented things and experience requires continuity. So every time I tell interviewees who have been working for 2-3 years, at this stage, it is best for them to stay in one company for a few more years. Operations can cultivate a person's peaceful mentality. You can use the qualities honed in this process to look at the world and life. In a sense, this is more meaningful. I write down what I have accumulated with the mentality of sharing. What's the point of keeping it hidden? Besides, I will forget it when I get older. I hope everyone can become an excellent operator. The economic base determines the superstructure. Hone your basic skills well. How much you have accumulated now determines how high you can stand in the future. I hope that everyone can play a greater role in their own company and make a difference in the future. Thank you! APP Top Promotion (www.opp2.com) is the top mobile APP promotion platform in China, focusing on mobile APP promotion operation methods, experience and skills, channel ASO optimization ranking, and sharing APP marketing information. Welcome to follow the official WeChat public account: appganhuo [Scan the top APP promotion WeChat QR code to get more dry goods and explosive materials] |
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