Top 12 Mistakes that High Technology Product Teams Make - And How to Avoid Them

Live Audio-Session with Martin Cagan [BIO] Managing Partner Silicon Valley Product Group

Do you know the dangers of so-called “market-driven” processes?

The role emotion plays in products?

The difference between innovation
and value?

If not, you should – or you could easily stumble into the pitfalls that undermine product success.

These pitfalls, which fortunately are both preventable and correctable, will be the focus of a special audio-session: “Top 12 Mistakes that High Technology Product Teams Make — And How to Avoid Them,” on Wednesday, October 19th from 1-2:30 ET.

Marty Cagan, former VP of Product Management at eBay, an exceptional product management leader and veteran of AOL, Netscape, and Hewlett-Packard, will lead the session. Marty will share lessons learned the hard way at some of the most successful companies in the world.

Based on Marty's extensive experience, this 90-minute interactive session (60 minute presentation with roughly 30 minutes Q&A woven throughout), will provide recommended approaches on how to identify and avoid the top 12 pitfalls and keep your product on track.

Marty will cover a range of topics such as:

• The critical difference between customer requirements and product
  requirements

• Why the visual design of your product should be more than a last-minute afterthought.

• Why having a good fit between your products and your business model is essential for long-term success. Don't launch a product that your corporate structure can't support.

This is an excellent opportunity to listen with others on your product team. Not only will you learn from (and relate to!) Marty’s experiences at eBay, AOL, Netscape and HP, you will have the chance to ask questions and gain advice regarding your own projects.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to bring your own experiences (and questions) into the discussion and receive expert feedback. The session will be a 90-minute presentation with frequent opportunities for questions and answers.

Invite your whole team to join you - the fee is the same as long as it's on one phone line, just put it on speakerphone!

Martin Cagan
Managing Partner
Silicon Valley Product Group

During the course of the past 20 years, Martin Cagan has served as an executive responsible for defining and building products for some of the most successful companies in the world, including Hewlett-Packard, Netscape Communications, America Online, and eBay.

Before founding the Silicon Valley Product Group to pursue his interests in helping others create successful products through his writing, speaking, and training, Martin was most recently vice-president of product management and design for eBay, where he was responsible for defining products and services for the company's global e-commerce trading site.

Martin began his career at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories conducting research on software technology, and building several software products for other software developers.

After HP, Martin joined a then young Netscape Communications Corporation, where he had the opportunity to participate in the birth of the Internet industry. Martin worked directly for co-founder Marc Andreessen, where he was vice-president for Netscape's platform and tools, and later e-commerce applications, and worked to help Internet start-ups and Fortune 500 companies alike to understand and utilize the newly emerging technology.

During his career, Martin has personally performed and managed most of the roles of a modern software product organization, including product management, software development, product marketing, user interface design, usability engineering, technical writing, software testing, engineering management, and general management.

Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz with B.A. degrees in Computer Science and Applied Economics (1981), and of the Stanford University Executive Institute (1994).