Fractional Product Leadership

Your product needs a leader who builds with AI, not just talks about it.

I step in as fractional CPO and lead by example - building with your team, not advising from the side.

I step in as fractional CPO and lead by example - running discovery, building prototypes, restructuring how product and design work together, and showing the team what AI-era product development actually looks like from the inside.

Tell me about your product and team

WHAT YOU GET

Where your team ends up

A product operating model that sticks

Technology, design and product work toward real problems and real value - and keep working that way after I leave.

Decisions based on real data

Teams with the tools and critical thinking to make good calls, instead of going by opinion or the loudest voice.

A team that keeps getting better

People who take professional growth and accountability seriously - and keep raising the bar themselves.

“

Anna-Liisa has created a structure, strategy and a clear focus as an interim CPO. We have improved our output and increased the transparency across the entire company. Our product vision has become much clearer.

Anna-Liisa has created a structure, strategy and a clear focus as an interim CPO. We have improved our output and increased the transparency across the entire company. Our product vision has become much clearer.

Richard Vähi

Richard Vähi

Product Owner / Analyst @ Werk

THE PRODUCT OPERATING MODEL

A team on a mission, not a to-do list

The goal is a product organisation that works in the product operating model - and keeps working that way after I leave. It means technology, design and product truly work toward solving real problems and bringing real value, instead of just doing tasks. Marty Cagan describes it as the difference between missionaries and mercenaries.

Missionaries, not mercenaries

Missionaries, not mercenaries

Problems over features

Problems over features

Impact over output

Impact over output

Collaboration over hand-offs

Collaboration over hand-offs

Data over opinions

Data over opinions

Ownership over instructions

Ownership over instructions

Accountability and growth, every day

Accountability and growth, every day

WHY FRACTIONAL

Change needs a different kind of leader

Leading a product organisation through significant change is a different job from running it well day to day. Change management at that scale isn’t a common toolbox. A great leader for well-functioning product teams may not have the experience to steer a major transformation - and a leader equipped for change may not do as well once things are calm again.

BEFORE

A permanent hire

–

Usually equipped for running existing processes

–

Motivated by the growth opportunity in the job

–

No end date - which can also mean no urgency

–

Maintaining and making the most of existing resources

–

Always there for your team

WITH ME

A fractional CPO

✓

Brought in for the change, for as long as it takes - equipped with change management skills

✓

Has done this many times before, is comfortable under pressure and knows which tools to use and when

✓

A built-in end point and agreed milestones that create urgency

✓

Working toward a goal - removing obstacles and empowering teams to do better

✓

Part-time, but your team doesn’t feel the difference - I’m there when it matters

Tell me about your team →

HOW I WORK

Leading by example, not by slide deck

The fastest way to change how a team works is to have someone doing it differently, right next to them. I don’t arrive with a framework and a slide deck. I take the CPO role, get to know the team and the product, and start working. What changes, changes because we built it together. The role is part-time, usually around half-time. In purpose it’s interim (sometimes also called a visiting CPO): I fill the leadership gap through a transformation, often into the product operating model, and step back once business as usual can return.

Product Team Transformation

Product Management Audit

Mentoring

HOW I GET STARTED

The product management audit

Before anything changes, I need to understand what’s actually happening. Together these give a clear picture of where the team is, where the gaps are, and what kind of transformation is realistic in what timeframe. We set short, mid and long-term milestones together. Then we get to work.

01

Working methods

How the team actually works today: rituals, decision-making, the hand-off between product, design and engineering.

02

Competency levels

Each PM’s strengths and gaps, mapped with the PM Skills Assessment.

03

Thinking and collaboration styles

How the team thinks and works together, using Belbin Team Roles. I’m a certified Belbin practitioner.

WHERE I WORK BEST

Both ends of the product lifecycle

My background is in highly regulated, complex industries and in startups where the problems are equally hard but the timelines are shorter. I’ve led product and design teams through transformation in both. I know what the resistance feels like and how to move through it.

01

From 0 to 1

Building a product from scratch, finding the first customers, figuring out what’s actually worth building.

02

Complex legacy products

Restructuring, rebuilding or relaunching products so they keep supporting or scaling the business. The middle - optimising a well-functioning product - is less my territory.

03

Industries

Telecoms, insurtech, govtech, healthcare, biotech, deeptech and AI.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Hopefully this answers some of your questions. If not, drop us an email at anna-liisa@produktize.eu

How is this different from hiring a consultant?

I don’t consider myself a consultant, and my goal isn’t to consult you. My goal is to make an impact - for you to see results - and to take responsibility for achieving them.

How long does an engagement typically last?

It depends on your goals, so it’s hard to say up front. With goals as big as change, six months is usually the minimum we work together.

Do you only work with product teams?

Mostly, yes - product management, design and engineering. If another team has a process that needs standardising and has development resources, I can work with them too.

Do you work remotely or on-site?

It depends on where you are. I’m based in Tallinn, and sometimes in Alicante, Spain. Anywhere else, it’s hybrid - I fly in and come to the office, just less often. I believe physical presence is important.

How is this different from hiring a consultant?

A consultant hands over recommendations. I take the role and own the outcomes. There’s no deck at the end - there’s a team that works differently, processes that are in place, and AI tools that are actually being used.

How long does an engagement typically last?

Long enough to see the change take hold - usually 6 to 12 months. Short enough that the team has to own it themselves before I leave. We agree on milestones at the start and track against them.

Do you only work with product teams?

I run product and design teams together. The two work best when they’re restructured as one unit with shared goals, not separate departments handing work to each other.

Do you work remotely or on-site?

Both, depending on what the engagement needs. I’m based in Tallinn, have worked across Estonia, the Nordics and Germany, and am comfortable with hybrid arrangements.

Anna-Liisa Reinson, founder of Produktize
Anna-Liisa Reinson in a studio portrait

Get in touch

Tell me about your product and team

Tell me where your product and team are today, and what needs to change.


Or write to me at anna-liisa@produktize.eu


Let’s have a call