Stage-Gate Project Management Model

Developed by Carla Canovas Iglesias

Facing increased competition at the pace of technological change makes launching new products key for differentiation in current companies. Even so, products continue to fail in the development phase, a fact that highlights the flaws in project management and the problems that companies address when adopting innovation. Therefore, it is crystal clear that using a well-established management methodology is a must for the success of a project. Dr. Robert G. Cooper recognized that product innovation is a process and by observing bold new products being driven to market, he developed the Stage-Gate model in 1986 and documented it in his book "Winning at New Products" . The Stage-Gate model applies traditional methodologies to the innovation process in order to successfully conceive, develop and launch a new product. It consists in dividing the project into different phases separated by gates that are review and key decision-making points, as they allow the team to evaluate the current situation, align the expectations and decide whether or not to proceed to the following stage . This new approach helps companies to have a visual roadmap of all the developing tasks, to minimize risks while innovating, and to adapt to environmental changes while satisfying the expectations of the project and the stakeholders. This article will cover what is the Stage-Gate methodology about, how to apply it in practice, what benefits it adds to the product development process, the limitations that are needed to be aware of, and finally, how to take a more efficient approach by combining it with agile methodologies.