I'd recommend that you have someone on the AppHQ web team spend some time submitting an app to the Apple store.  There is a lot that they did right, that you probably should copy.  At a minimum, have them read https://itunesconnect.apple.com/docs/iTunesConnect_DeveloperGuide.pdf
 
I just had to go through a reject/resubmit cycle because your validation team found a bug in our new app.  (Thanks Cherie and team! So much better for you to have found this than a customer!!!!)
 
On the whole, your web UI left me completely in the dark as to where my binary was in the process. Here are some specific suggestions:
 
1) Have a lot of different "states" for an app. Apple has 17 different states (listed in that PDF).
 
2) Send me an email whenever the App changes state.
 
3) Make sure the web UIs are always showing the current state.
 
4) Make sure the marketplace.cisco.com and developer.cisco.com systems are guaranteed to be consistent. Or if there are unavoidable delays between them, please document what those delays are.
 
So, for example, when the validation team started reviewing my app, I should have gotten an email. When they found a problem, and were trying to figure out whether it was their fault or mine, I should have gotten an email. Etc.
 
I haven't submitted an app to the google Marketplace yet, but given that they let pretty much anything in, there probably isn't any processs to learn from there. However, Apple's been doing this vetting thing for a while now, and they're a good example to follow.
 
-Joshua
 

Wow! Less than a week after I asked for this, I now see all sorts of new features in the AppHQ along the lines of what I asked for:

Workflow State
Validation Comments
Withdraw Application for Editing

Thanks!

-Joshua