The Ultimate Guide to Making People Ops Your Secret Weapon

Written By Noelle London

Recently, Bolt’s CEO announced they were “eliminating HR.” At our most recent CPO roundtable, we spoke with Kelly Lawson Pihl, who leads People Operations (and HR) at Bolt, to unpack what this means. She shared how Bolt is aligning its teams around People Ops as a driver of business strategy, and how they’ve shifted their mindset to make this real.

It’s no secret that HR is evolving. For the CPOs who join our Community events, it’s a recurring theme. What’s behind Bolt’s announcement is a larger trend: a shift from traditional HR toward People Ops. The central question is: how can People Ops best support the business?

Create a Path for Collaboration, Especially with Finance

How do people and finance teams work together today? Building a path to true collaboration is critical. This requires a mindset shift: moving from HR as an administrative function to People Ops as a strategic one.

Companies like Bolt are already measuring employee lifetime value (ELTV) to connect talent decisions to business outcomes. These metrics help prioritize programs through continuous tracking. For example, streamlining onboarding reduces time-to-value for new employees—directly improving ELTV.

Cut Through the Noise: What’s Actually Essential?

HR responsibilities keep multiplying, and burnout is at an all-time high—98% of professionals report feeling stretched thin. It’s time to take a hard look at existing processes. Which systems are truly needed, and which can you sunset?

Think about People Ops priorities using a “high-impact, low-lift” framework. Focus first where you can drive the most business value with the least effort. Then turn to workflow efficiency in the areas that matter most.

Framework to prioritize people operations based on impact over lift.


Use AI to Add Context to Subjective Processes

AI isn’t just about automation, it’s about making People Ops smarter. Take Organizational Network Analysis (ONA), for example. By mapping how employees interact with managers and peers, ONA reveals influence patterns that were once invisible. This transforms subjective impressions into actionable insights.

Make Data the Backbone of Your People Ops Blueprint

In the age of AI, People Ops is becoming more effective, not just more automated. Data points the way.

A great starting point is making performance management continuous. Traditional HR often relied on one-off, manual review cycles. These are time-intensive and disconnected from daily work. By integrating continuous feedback and performance modeling, organizations are turning reviews into an ongoing conversation. This approach creates real-time data for career development and coaching, while aligning performance with business goals.


Additioanl Resources - coming soon!


About us:

Illoominus is the first AI-powered, community-developed employee data platform built for HR teams navigating real change. With intuitive dashboards, peer-validated templates, and powerful insight engines, Illoominus turns scattered people data into confident decisions without the bloat of enterprise tools or the DIY burden of custom stacks.

Noelle London
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