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How Does the Stage-Gate® Process Work?  

Product innovation begins with an idea and ends with the successful launch of a new product. The steps between these points can be viewed as a dynamic process. Stage-Gate® divides this process into a series of activities (stages) and decision points (gates).

Stages are:
  • where the action occurs - the project team completes key activities to advance the project to the next gate
  • cross-functional (there is no R&D or marketing stage) and each activity is undertaken in parallel to accelerate speed
  • where risk is managed - vital information is gathered - technical, market, financial, operations - to manage risk
  • incremental - each stage costs more than the preceding one resulting in incremental commitments. As uncertainties decrease, expenditures are allowed to rise and risk is managed

Gates are:
  • where the Go/Kill and prioritization decisions are made
  • where mediocre projects are culled out and resources are allocated to the best projects
  • focused on three key issues: quality of execution; business rationale; and the quality of the action plan
  • where scorecards and criteria are used to evaluate the project’s potential for success


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