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Stage-Gate Tip of The Month
By. Michael J. Wiebe, P. Eng., Principal Consultant
Did you know that the Stage-Gate® System – Every Detail Of
Its Design – Is Deliberate, Evolving And Based On Proven Research
?
Subtle design details such as: placing a gate before the 1st stage requiring
eight dimensions of a product definition; the product superiority criteria; the readiness
check; defining red flag parameters; requiring gatekeepers to score privately; the scorecard
standard deviation and so on (300+ design details), drive specific practices and behaviors
which are proven to correlate with new product success.
This month’s tip is focused on yielding greater results through better decision-making.
Play a poker game, not a horse race. Many companies struggle making the tough Go/Kill
decisions. Once the initial decision is made, the project is on its way to market at
all costs. In these cases, the NPD process becomes a glorified project management process,
with information milestones, not the courageous Go/Kill decision points required of an authentic
Stage-Gate Process design.
Successful companies apply the true principles behind
an authentic Stage-Gate Process. One of these principles is requiring each new product
opportunity to prove its business merit at each critical gate throughout the innovation
process. Decision-makers
make a small commitment of resources – a small bet – and in return for the information
received; they decide whether to continue and make a larger investment. In
short, they adopt the approach of the poker player. Smart poker players know that they
only have to win a few important hands when they play. In business – like in
poker – that
means getting out of the bad opportunities quickly, and increasing your commitment in order
to complete the good ones sooner.
If you want to improve you GATES or your entire Stage-Gate process:
- Call or email Mike Wiebe for advice at 1-905-304-8797
- Attend the 1 -day event 'Winning
at New Products' on November 27, 2007 - Last Chance to
Register.
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