“The Product Practice Guide changed how our teams talk about product. It’s practical, trustworthy, and rooted in how Kaiser actually works - not just best practices from elsewhere.”
Biz/Org
Kaiser Permanente IT Teams
Year
2023 - 2024
Healthtech
Enablement
Overview
The vision
Kaiser Permanente wanted to bring consistency and clarity to product practices across its vast digital ecosystem. Teams were expected to operate under a modern product model - but with few shared standards, examples, or tools, even seasoned teams struggled to align on how to work.
The reality
There was no central place to learn or reference Kaiser’s product model. Materials were scattered, outdated, or too theoretical. Coaches were stretched thin, teams were inconsistent, and new hires often started without clear orientation. The result: duplicate efforts, disconnected priorities, and slow adoption of the intended model.
The work
I was brought in to design the Product Practice Guide - a scalable, Kaiser-specific learning hub that could serve new and experienced teams alike. I audited existing materials, defined structure and tone, created Quick Start Guides (QSGs), and set up a SharePoint architecture to make content usable, findable, and trusted.
I collaborated with internal coaches, KPIT, product leaders, and transformation stakeholders to align on the learning goals that mattered. Then I wrote, tested, and launched a set of 12+ interactive workshop guides covering topics like outcome-based OKRs, discovery patterns, cross-functional rituals, and product coaching techniques.
The result
The Product Practice Guide became the go-to resource for teams across KP Digital and KPIT. It now anchors training sessions, links into KP Learn, and serves as the foundation for Kaiser’s ongoing product enablement strategy.
Goals
How might we equip every product team at Kaiser with the tools, mindset, and guidance to succeed within a complex system?
To shift from scattered knowledge to cohesive practice, we needed to:
Ground product learning in Kaiser-specific examples and needs
Build resources that worked across delivery tracks, skill levels, and org structures
Create workshop-ready content coaches could use without additional prep
Establish a sustainable content governance model for ongoing updates
Challenges & Solutions
Scattered materials, inconsistent guidance
There was no trusted place to learn Kaiser’s product model. Coaches relied on outdated PDFs, external frameworks, or reinvented the wheel for each team.
Clarifying the product learning landscape
I ran a deep audit of SharePoint, internal decks, and prior transformation efforts. Then I mapped out content gaps and created a new structure that reflected actual team workflows - not just theoretical maturity models.
A wide range of audiences and needs
Teams varied from new-to-product to seasoned leads. Some wanted onboarding; others needed calibration. Coaches couldn’t customize for everyone.
Designing for different levels of readiness
The QSGs were written to flex. Each guide could be used in a 60-minute workshop or as async learning. I wrote prompts, diagrams, reflection activities, and facilitation tips so coaches could adapt without rewriting.
Lack of clarity around what “good” looked like
Without shared expectations, teams struggled to know if they were “doing it right.” This slowed adoption and created risk-aversion.
Defining usable standards
I translated abstract principles into checklists, examples, and guided activities. Instead of explaining what product should be, we showed how it could look in practice - step by step, in Kaiser’s context.
Difficulty maintaining and scaling resources
Past efforts had failed under the weight of outdated files and unclear ownership.
Building sustainable content infrastructure
I built SharePoint architecture that supported tagging, search, and versioning. I helped define the content RACI and coached SMEs on how to write updates people would actually use. We created a regular cadence for reviews and a lightweight request intake process.
Outcome & Impact
Kaiser now has a clear, cohesive foundation for product learning - one that reflects its real teams, systems, and strategic goals.
The Product Practice Guide is live and in active use. It anchors cross-team workshops, supports internal coaching efforts, and aligns with KP Learn and transformation initiatives. The QSGs I created have been downloaded, adapted, and reused across dozens of teams. The hub continues to evolve with feedback, but the structure, tone, and learning model are now fully established.
This wasn’t just about content. It was about changing how product is practiced, taught, and supported across an entire healthcare ecosystem.
