University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
INSPIRED
Book

INSPIRED

How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

Marty Cagan
Wiley, 2017
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Comprehensive
  • Applicable
  • Well Structured

Recommendation

With this second edition, Silicon Valley Product Group founder Marty Cagan returns to inspire innovative product managers and growing technology companies. In his new look at technology product development, he acknowledges the standardization of Lean and Agile development, and looks beyond both to discuss developing technology products at scale. Cagan details how to establish a strong product team, how to prepare a product introduction and how to innovate for success. Cagan’s first groundbreaking edition opened up a new world to product development. This redone edition, which retains the structure of the first book, enables newcomers to leverage his knowledge of developing tech products. Given Cagan’s details about personnel, job descriptions and product discovery, getAbstract recommends this overview to future and current tech product managers, to senior engineers and to executives seeking to understand the behind-the-scenes workings of technology product development.

Summary

Product Team Culture

If you are a growing technology company leader who finds that your products lack innovation, check on the culture surrounding your product teams. Many start-ups are good at quickly delivering sustained, innovative products. But as companies grow, this ability can deteriorate. Leaders often attribute this lapse in innovation to the quality of their employees, the firm’s processes or communication among increasingly diverse moving parts. But the way to prevent innovation from faltering is to hone your culture. Strong product teams reflect a corporate culture in which they can innovate and execute superior consumer technology products. 

Product teams should consist of “missionaries” with a shared vision, not “mercenaries” who work only for pay. Corporate executives need to embrace this new culture and forgo quarterly product road maps. Hire a CEO who contributes intellect and talent and who never advocates cookie-cutter processes in the face of flagging product success. This culture of strong product teams distinguishes Google, Facebook, ...

About the Author

Marty Cagan, the former senior vice president for product and design for eBay, founded the Silicon Valley Product Group.

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