Certainty Isn’t Coming: What 27 Innovation Leaders Are Planning for 2027
2027 is less than two months away. Budgets are being set, portfolios reviewed and goals written, all without the one thing every leader wants: certainty.
At PDMA’s 50th anniversary Ignite Innovation Summit, Stage-Gate International hosted 27 innovation leaders in a special roundtable. Live and anonymously, they benchmarked how well their businesses govern product innovation today, and which of 29 emerging practices will matter most in the AI era. Here is some of what they told us.
Every business has distance to go
Leaders rated their mastery of the four proven drivers of new product performance at 4.6 to 5.0 out of 10. Best performers in Stage-Gate International’s benchmarking rate themselves 6.9 to 8.4. That is not a verdict. It is distance to the frontier, and a handful of businesses in the room already match the best.
Leaders know what matters, but few are acting on it
- Better decisions: 65% say better decision quality would add significant value. Only 36% are working on it.
- Better opportunities: 73% value better-quality opportunities. Only 30% are acting on it, even as AI floods the funnel with ideas.
- Stronger leadership: culture and leadership is the driver leaders most want to improve.
- AI has barely reached governance: about half said AI has not yet changed how they govern new products.
Three questions to bring into your 2027 planning
- Are our gate decisions grounded in relevant evidence, or in momentum?
- Are our people and money focused on the highest-value opportunities?
- Does our leadership team visibly demonstrate its commitment, gate by gate?
Who interpreted the results
- Dr. Robert G. Cooper, the father of Stage-Gate®, on what AI changes at the gate, and what it doesn’t
- Penny Wise, former President of 3M Canada, on why trust is a leadership responsibility
- Michelle L. Jones, Managing Partner, Stage-Gate International, on where to start, with a 10-question self-check for your leadership team
The magazine is free to download and share. The 38-page Full Data Report, with all 29 emerging practices and how to measure each, is free on request from the same page.
Want to hear how your own leaders see your portfolio gatekeeping? Ask us about Gatekeeper VOC, a short, focused way to close the gap between leader expectations and how gatekeeping works today. Contact michelle.jones@stage-gate.com.
