OPTIMIZING THE

STAGE-GATE ® PROCESS
What Best Practice Companies
Are Doing
- “Part 2”
Authors
Dr. Robert G. Cooper
Dr. Scott J. Edgett
Dr. E.J. Kleinschmidt

Working Paper No. 15

This article was published in Research Technology Management

(Industrial Research Institute, Inc.) Volume 45, Number 5, 2002.

© 2006
The Product Development Institute

P: 905-304-8797
A Member Company of the F: 905-304-8799
Product Development Institute www.stage-gate.com
 Optimizing the Stage-Gate Process:
What Best Practice Companies Are Doing – Part II
Introduction
Now that most businesses have implemented a
systematic new product process, what are the
leading firms doing to make the process even
more effective? Part I of this two-part series
focused on adding a new stage, namely
Discovery, to enhance the flow of solid new
product ideas and opportunities into the
process. Harnessing fundamental research by
applying a unique form of Stage-GateTM
method to these projects was also outlined1.
Now Part II moves to a critical and difficult
topic, namely better project selection and
becoming much more discriminating in terms
of the projects one undertakes. This translates
into building in more effective Go/Kill
decision points – tough gates – and moving
towards portfolio management.
Building In More Effective Go/Kill
Decisions Points
Most companies have too many projects and
not enough resources to do them well [1]. The
result is that resources are spread too thinly
over too many projects, and there simply is
not the time or ability to do many of the key
activities in the new product project
proficiently. Consistently, we hear from senior
people that, in spite of the fact that they
indeed have a world-class new product
process on paper, there is a lack of discipline
to adhere to it – that key activities in projects
are not executed as well as they should, or
when they should be. Often the problem boils
down to simply trying to do too many projects
and too quickly.
1
Stage-GateTM is a legally registered tradename of R.G.
Cooper & Associates Consultants Inc., a member
company of the Product Development Institute, in
Canada and Europe (Germany, UK, France, etc.).
Optimizing the Stage-Gate Process: What Best Practice Companies are Doing
© Copyright 2002 Product Development Institute
Some specific problems:
Why do firms consistently admit to saying yes
to too many projects? And why are the gates
so weak – why do so many companies have
trouble killing projects or pruning the new
product portfolio? Here are some reasons we
observe:
1. There are too many “must do” projects:
companies seem to respond to customer
and sales force requests, often a little too
quickly and willingly. “We must have this
product … otherwise we’ll lose this
customer,” is the frequent refrain from the
sales force.
2. There is no mechanism to kill projects:
once projects are born, they get a life of
their own. Other than project status
meetings and review points, there are no
serious Go/Kill decision points built into
the project or process.
3. No criteria have been established for
making Go/Kill and prioritization
decisions. This is a very weak area, with
almost 50% of firms confessing to
deficiencies here [2]. What’s missing is a
scorecard with criteria or metrics for rating
the “goodness” of projects, and helping
managers make prioritizing decisions in an
objective fashion.
4. Senior people are not engaged in the
decision process properly. They’re very
busy; thus scheduling these critical
Go/Kill decision point meetings is
difficult. Moreover many senior managers
do not understand their pivotal role in
product innovation: they confess to not
being close enough to the action; they do
not understand the key projects fully; and
 are unprepared or unable to make vital management. That is, make conscious
Go/Kill and prioritization decisions. decisions on what proportion of your
resources will be devoted to different types of
5. Finally, it’s simply very difficult to projects: platform developments, new product
“drown puppies”. All the approved projects, and smaller projects, such as
projects look good, and it’s difficult to say customer requests (Figure 1). Then rank your
no to any of them. Besides, given the way projects in each category until out of resources
senior people are measured, there is often in each bucket. This way one sets an upper
a huge pressure on senior management to limit on spending on these “small” projects.
get anything to market.
Second, use a stage-and-gate process even for
Some solutions – a customer request these smaller projects. That is, make your
process process a flexible and scalable one. The
Customer request projects are often small mistake some businesses have made is to
ones, and can be initiated with little formality, rigidly adhere to their standard new product
sometimes with little more than a chat process, regardless of the project size and risk
between the salesperson and a technical level. And so small projects – customer
manager. The problem is that, while requests – are seen as too small to move
individually these projects consume few through the process, hence circumvent it. The
resources, collectively they can account for result is that there is never a “no” decision on
the majority of your resources. At these projects.
AlliedSignal-Honeywell, for example, the
“Other” category of projects – tweaks, Progressive firms recognize that their Stage-
modifications and customer requests – was GateTM process is a risk management model;
taking an ever increasing piece of the resource and that the higher the project’s risk – project
pie. magnitude and impact coupled with
uncertainties – the closer one should adhere to
There are several solutions. The first is to use the standard five-stage, five-gate process as at
a Strategic Buckets approach to portfolio the bottom of Figure 2. But when risk is low –
when the project is smaller, lower
impact and has fewer technical and
business uncertainties – then
detours are possible. One major
company has designed three
New Product Platform
Projects Projects
versions of its new product system:
(change the basis
of competition) q The SCR process – for
significant customer requests (a
major customer desiring some
new features and functionality
Other: in the product). Here the five
Extensions, Modifications,
Improvements, Fixes, Cost
stages are collapsed to a two-
Reductions stage, two gate model.
Figure 1. In the Strategic Buckets Method of Portfolio Management, management q The Fast Track Process – for
makes strategic decisions and splits the R&D resources by project type into one of projects with moderate risk
three buckets. Projects are rank ordered within buckets, but using different criteria
in each bucket. By separating projects and resources, management ensures that the (technical feasibility is high;
smaller but easier-to-approve projects (the “Other” category) do not dominate the
portfolio.

Optimizing the Stage-Gate Process: What Best Practice Companies are Doing 2
© Copyright 2002 Product Development Institute
 and costs are less than $1 million). Here
the model is collapsed to three stages: the
two up-front homework phases become a
single stage, with Gate 2 skipped; and the
Development and Testing stages are
collapsed into a single stage.
q The Full Process – for larger and higher
risk projects. This is the standard five
stage process.
Note that the senior gatekeepers only meet for
Gates 3, 4 and 5 in the full 5-stage process.
But for Gates 3 and 5 in the Fast Track and
SCR processes, the gatekeepers are a lower
level group (in this company’s case, simply
the Gate 2 gatekeepers from the full 5-stage
process).
Incorporating tough gates:
The next solution is to ensure that tough
Go/Kill decisions are built into your new
product process, where all projects are
carefully scrutinized, and where weak ones
really are killed. A typical five-stage process
SCR Process (Significant Customer Request)
Initial
Screen
Decision on
Business Case
Gate Stages
1 1&2
Ideas
Analysis &
Business
Case
was shown at the bottom of Figure 2, with five
gates or Go/Kill decision points. Note that
gates are not merely project review points,
status reports or information updates; rather
they are tough decision meetings, where the
critical Go/Kill and prioritization decisions are
made on projects. Thus the gates become the
quality control check points in the process –
ensuring that you do the right projects, and
also do projects right.
Using scorecards to rate and rank projects:
Next, gates must have clear and visible criteria
so that senior managers can make Go/Kill and
prioritization decisions objectively. But most
important these criteria must be effective –
that is, they must be operational (easy to use),
realistic (make use of available information)
and, at the same time, discriminating
(differentiate the good projects from the
mediocre ones). These criteria can be Must
Meet (knock-out questions in a check list,
designed to kill the misfit or poor projects
outright) and Should Meet items – highly
desirable characteristics which are rated and
Post
added in a point-count scheme. A sample list
Launch
Review
of criteria is shown in Figure 3, from which
Gate Stages
a scorecard can be developed, that can then
34&5
3
be used to score projects right at the gate
Development &
Implementation
meeting.

Fast Track Process (for lower risk projects) A word of caution: many businesses rely on
Initial
Decision on
Business Decision
Post
Launch
very poor gate decision criteria – more a
Screen Case to Launch Review deliverables check than Go/Kill and
Stages Stage
Gate
1
Stages
1&2
Gate
3 3&4
Gate
5 5 prioritization criteria. Examples of poor
Ideas Analysis & Development Launch & prioritization criteria:
Business & Test Implementation
Case

ü Has the Business Case been developed?

ü Is the product clearly defined?
Full 5-Stage Process (for larger, higher risk projects) ü Has a target market been defined?
Decision on Post Post ü Has a value proposition been clearly
Initial Second Development Decision Launch
Screen Screen
Business
Case Review to Launch Review stated? And has it been validated by the
Gate
1
Stage
1
Gate
2
Stage
2
Gate
3
Stage
3
Gate
4
Stage
4
Gate
5
Stage
5
customer?
Ideas Preliminary Business Development Launch &
Case Pilot Implementation
Analysis
These are useful questions to ask at a gate
review perhaps, but poor scorecard criteria
Figure 2: Your New Product Process must be scalable to suit the
size and risk level of projects. One major bank uses three scaled
versions of Stage-Gate for its IT product development projects.
Optimizing the Stage-Gate Process: What Best Practice Companies are Doing 3
© Copyright 2002 Product Development Institute
Must Meet Criteria (checklist – Yes/No):
• Strategic Alignment (fits BU’s strategy)
• Reasonable Likelihood of Technical
Feasibility
•
•
Meets EH & S and Legal Policies
Positive Return Vs. Risk
• No Show-Stoppers (killer variables)
Should Meet Criteria (scored on 0-10 scales): 4. Synergies (Leverages Core
1. Strategic:
• degree to which project aligns with
BU’s strategy
• strategic importance
2. Product Advantage:
5. Technical Feasibility:
• unique benefits
• meets customer needs better
• value for money
3. Market Attractiveness:
6. Risk Vs. Return:
• market size
• market growth
• competitive situation
Figure 3: Gate Criteria include both Must Meet (knock-outs) and Should Meet items,
which are scored. Use a scorecard at the gate meeting to rate the projects.
for prioritizing projects. If the answers were
“No” or “Low” to any of these questions, the
decision certainly would not be to kill the
project – hence they’re poor Go/Kill criteria.
Take a look at the criteria in Figure 3 – they’re
proven questions and many have been shown
to be strongly correlated with new product
profits and success [3]. Then, from this or a
similar list, develop your gate scorecards.
Engaging senior management:
Senior management must be engaged in the
new product decision process – not micro-
managing projects from afar, but
acting as sponsors and resource 1. Gatekeepers must hold the meeting & be there
providers for selected projects. One
specific role for senior people is as
gatekeepers – the people who tend the
gates, make Go/Kill decisions on 3. Gatekeepers cannot request information beyond that specified in the deliverables
projects, and commit the needed
resources. The senior gatekeepers are
usually the leadership team of the 5. Gatekeepers
business – a cross-functional group
consisting of the heads of marketing, 6. All• projects
sales, technical, production, and
finance. In the model at the bottom of 7. A decision must be made
Figure 2, this senior gatekeeping
group tends the three key gates, 8. The Project Team must be informed of the gate decision
namely Gates 3, 4 and 5: “Go to
Development” through to “Go to Figure 4: The leadership team of the business should develop and use Gatekeeper
Launch”. And since these senior
people must act as a decision-
making team (rather than as
individual functional bosses), they
need rules of engagement. Figure
Competencies):
4 gives some typical “expected
•
•
marketing synergies
technological synergies
behaviors” and “rules” that various
• manufacturing / processing
synergies
gatekeeping groups have
• technical gap
developed in order to govern their
•
•
complexity
technical uncertainty own behavior.
• expected profitability (magnitude;
Timely gate decisions is always an
e.g. NPV)
• return (e.g. IRR) issue. In best-practice businesses,
• payback period
• certainty of return/profit estimates the senior gatekeeping group sets a
• low cost & fast to do
side a time slot once per month for
gate meetings; any project leader
seeking approval for the next stage
of their project (and seeking the
needed resources to proceed) signs up in that
time slot. Not every project is reviewed at
every gate meeting – the perfunctory “let’s
spend ten minutes on each of thirty projects”.
Rather, this is an in-depth review of one or a
few projects seeking resources for the next
stage.
Deal with the geographic and time
pressures of gates:
The devil is in the details! Often, project
selection meetings are ineffective because of
small items – for example, some of the key
•
•
postponed or cancelled meetings are not an option
if you cannot attend, your vote is “Yes”
2. Gatekeepers must have received, read & prepared for the meeting
• contact the gate facilitator or Team is there are show-stoppers
• no “surprise attacks” at the gate meeting
• no “last minute reading” at the meeting
• no playing “I gotcha”
• not a forum to demonstrate your machoism, political clout or intellectual prowess
4. Gatekeepers must make their decision based on the criteria for that gate
• gatekeepers must review each criterion and reach a conclusion
• a scoring sheet or “scorecard” for each gatekeeper
must be disciplined
•
•
no hidden agendas
no invisible criteria
decisions based on facts and criteria – not emotion & gut feel
must be treated fairly & consistently
•
•
must pass through the gate – no special treatment for executive sponsored or “pet” projects
subjected to the same criteria & same rigor
• within that working day
• if deliverables are there, cannot defer the decision
• a system built for speed
• immediately
• face-to-face
“Rules of Engagement” for more effective gate meetings.

Optimizing the Stage-Gate Process: What Best Practice Companies are Doing 4
© Copyright 2002 Product Development Institute
gatekeepers did not show up, but sent their
lieutenants instead; senior people arrived at
the meeting preoccupied with other issues and
spent more time on their cell phones in the
hallway; or worse yet, they had not even read
the background material on each project they
were supposed to discuss and vote on. These
“small details” are often the result of a over-
worked, frenetic businesses leadership team –
the result of time, geographic and travel
pressures.
Here are some tactics that are useful in dealing
with these time and travel pressures faced by
senior gatekeepers:
Virtual gates: One major paper company has
moved to virtual gates, where no one is
physically at the gate meeting, except the
project team. The virtual gate is this firm’s
attempt to deal with the fact of geographic
distances between the gatekeepers – they are
spread across the world, and they are also very
busy. In this system, gatekeepers receive the
project team’s deliverables electronically
ahead of time. Then each gatekeeper scores
the project on his/her computer on a list of
gate criteria: they are two different criteria
lists – one for new product developments; the
other for process developments. These e-
scores (0-10 scales) are compiled
electronically. The gate meeting itself is a
video conference, and the first screen
displayed is the summary rating e-scores –
means and deviations – from all gatekeepers.
This helps to highlight areas of agreement,
area of disagreement, and areas of uncertainty.
The gate meeting proceeds, and a Go/Kill
decision is reached relatively efficiently and
with no travel and time lost.
Self managed gates: Companies, such as
Nortel Networks, incorporate self-managed
gates, where the project team runs its own gate
meeting. These gates are restricted to only
some of the gates in their stage-and-gate
Optimizing the Stage-Gate Process: What Best Practice Companies are Doing
© Copyright 2002 Product Development Institute
process, and only for certain levels of projects
(where the risk is not too high). Although self
managed, the team still is required to prepare
the necessary deliverables (a project update
with documentation) and review the project
against key gate criteria. In other firms, the
team is encouraged to invite some colleagues
who are knowledgeable about the project’s
technology and market, but are not on the
project team – no vested interests. This “peer
review” can take the place of certain gates and
for lower risk projects.
Team recommendation: At companies, such as
Kraft Foods, the project team is encouraged to
make its own gate recommendation, along
with the rationale. In this way, the senior
gatekeepers act more as a second approval
group, and avoid the necessity of digging into
the details and debate of many projects,
especially those whose fates are fairly evident.
Integrating Portfolio Management
into Your Gating Process
Portfolio management is seen as one way to
improve new product profitability [4].
Portfolio management is about resource
allocation – more specifically, about selecting
the right set of development projects and the
right number of projects [5]. An effective
gating process (as in Figure 2) is only half the
battle; but it does go some of the way towards
effective portfolio management. Properly
implemented, a Stage-Gate process should at
minimum get rid of poor projects at the gates,
thereby improving the overall portfolio. It
should also yield much better information on
projects, the result of solid up-front
homework, which has pay-offs in terms of
better project selection.
Leading firms are moving beyond operating
an effective gating process however, and are
integrating portfolio management into their
5
new product process. Portfolio management projects and where the resources are spent
has four main goals: both mirror the strategic priorities of the
business. Various strategic tools include:
1. Selecting high value projects: Here one building strategic criteria into the gating or
can use the scorecard method (a scoring scorecard model (as in Figure 3); using
model scheme, as in Figure 3) along with strategic buckets (to allocate resources into
financial criteria to help drive the high envelopes for different project types,
value projects to the top of priority list. A different market sectors, and different
recent benchmarking study revealed that product groups – Figure 1); and
businesses that utilized such scorecard developing product roadmaps (a tool
methods obtained a higher value portfolio which maps out the major initiatives
than did other firms [6]. A major required in order to realize the business’s
deficiency, however, is lack of data strategy) [8].
integrity: the sophisticated portfolio tools
are worthless without solid market and Some firms have piggy-backed effective
technical data, hence the need to portfolio management on top of an already
emphasize the “homework activities” in proficient new product gating process [9].
the early stages of the new product process Gates are run as two-part meetings, as shown
(Stages 1 and 2 in Figure 2). in Figure 5. The first part – the first diamond
2. Achieving the right balance of projects: on the left – is the traditional gate meeting,
Various charts – bubble diagrams and pie where the project in question is scrutinized
charts – are useful in order to display against an absolute set of standards: does the
balance in the portfolio (the split in project fit your strategy; does it leverage your
projects and in resources being spent) on strengths; is its NPV positive; is the payback
any dimension relevant to management. less than 3 years; and so on. If the answers are
The most popular bubble diagram is the positive, the decision is not Go, but merely a
risk-reward chart, while popular pie charts Pass. Negative answers signal a Kill decision.
depict resource splits by project type,
market sector and product line or group Next, the second part of the gate meeting – the
[7]. second diamond on the right in Figure 5 –
3. Selecting the right number of projects:
In effective portfolio reviews, all Lef
t
Pro Diam
projects are up for auction. One ranks the jects ond t Dia
mon
d:
ir
A P own are a
: Righ ssessed
a
projects according to criteria (such as madeass vs meritsssesse cts a re
pro
Proje to other pact on
jec ts
.K do ve im lio
in a gate scorecard) until one runs out ill d
ecis
n relatid on theirtal portfo
an is
ion the to ecision de
is ld d m a
of resources. Projects past this Pass/Kill: Prioritization: A Go
vs. Ho

resource limit are either killed or put Project is evaluated

against Must Meet &
Pass Project is compared to
Active & On-Hold
on hold. In our experience, the first Should Meet criteria
(Figure 3). Does the
Projects. Does the
project improve the Go - is
time one undertakes such a portfolio project “pass” these
criteria?
portfolio? Resources
are allocated.
resourced;
becomes Active
Project
ranking, approximately half the Kill Placed
On Hold
projects are removed from the active
portfolio. The end result is a
significant reduction in time to market.
4. Strategic alignment: The over-riding
Figure 5: Gate meetings are a two-part decision process: the first part (left) – to
goal of effective portfolio management make Pass/Kill decisions on individual projects; the second part (right) – to
is to ensure that the portfolio of prioritize the project against the rest and to allocate resources.

Optimizing the Stage-Gate Process: What Best Practice Companies are Doing 6
© Copyright 2002 Product Development Institute
looks at the impact of adding this one project
to the portfolio. That is, this project is
considered in a relative sense – relative to the
other active and on-hold projects.
Questions are:
ü Does this project improve the overall
value of the portfolio (does it have a
higher value to the business than the other
projects underway? Or lower?)
ü Does it improve the balance of projects in
the portfolio (or do you already have too
many of this type of project)?
ü Are the resources available? Does this
project avoid over-straining your limited
resources (or does it suck resources away
from other important projects)?
ü Does the project improve the strategic
alignment of the portfolio (does it fit your
strategy; does this spending mirror your
strategic priorities)?
If the answers are positive, then the project is
resourced, and becomes an active one.
Otherwise it is put on hold (on its own, it may
be a decent project, but it simply does not
impact the portfolio positively; perhaps it’s
time will come).
This two-part gating structure, combined with
periodic portfolio reviews, where all projects
are considered together, are ways that
progressive companies are trying to build
portfolio management into their new product
processes and methods.
Optimizing the Stage-Gate Process: What Best Practice Companies are Doing
© Copyright 2002 Product Development Institute
The Challenge Ahead
How well your business manages its new
product projects and pipeline may well
determine your future prosperity. Putting in
place an effective new product process, such
as Stage-GateTM, is a first step. Next, ensure
that you practice some discipline here …
really commit to using the process. Then
move to improving the process. First, begin
with some great new product ideas: build in an
idea capture and handling system, and then try
some proactive idea generating activities –
camping out with your customers, as at Fluke;
an MRG event as at OMNOVA Solutions;
scenario generation; or working with lead
(very innovative) customers as at Hilti and
3M. If fundamental research is undertaken at
your business, make sure it is directed
research: develop a stage-and-gate process for
such research projects.
Now that you’ve tackled the issue of “doing
projects right”, turn to the challenges of
“doing the right projects”. Ensure that the
gates in your new product process are well-
defined, rigorous and based on visible criteria:
use a gate scorecard to help select projects.
Finally implement portfolio management,
seeking high value projects, the right number
of projects, a balanced mix of projects, and
strategically aligned projects.
7
References:
1
Cooper, R.G., Edgett S.J. & Kleinschmidt E.J., “New problems, new solutions: making portfolio management
more effective”, Research-Technology Management 43, 2, 2000, pp. 18-33.
2
See major benchmarking study: Cooper, R.G. & Kleinschmidt, E.J., Benchmarking firms’ new product
performance and practices”, Engineering Management Review 23,3 (Fall 1995), pp. 112-120; and: Cooper, R.G. &
Kleinschmidt, E.J., “Winning businesses in product development: critical success factors”, Research-Technology
Management 39, 4 (July-Aug 1996), pp. 18-29.
3
Numerous studies into new product success/failure drivers have been undertaken. For reviews, see: Montoya-
Weiss, M.M. & Calantone, R.J., “Determinants of new product performance: a review and meta analysis”, Journal
of Product Innovation Management 11, 5 (Nov. 1994), pp. 397-417; see also: Cooper, R.G., "New Product
Development", in: International Encyclopedia of Business & Management: Encyclopedia of Marketing, First
Edition, edited by Baker, M.J., London, U.K.: International Thomson Business Press, 1999, pp. 342-355.
4
Roussel, P., Saad, K.N. & Erickson, T.J. Third Generation R&D, Managing the Link to Corporate Strategy.
Boston: Harvard Business School Press & Arthur D. Little Inc, 1991.
5
Cooper, R.G., Edgett, S.J. and Kleinschmidt, E.J., Portfolio Management for New Products, 2nd edition. Reading,
Mass: Perseus Books, 2001.
6
Cooper, R.G., Edgett, S.J. & Kleinschmidt, E.J., “Portfolio management for new product development: Results of
an industry practices study, R&D Management 31, 4 (October 2001); also: Cooper, R.G., Edgett, S.J. &
Kleinschmidt E.J, “Best practices for managing R&D portfolios”, Research-Technology Management 41, 4 (July-
Aug. 1998), pp. 20-33.
7
Portfolio charts are described in: Cooper, R.G., Edgett, S.J., & Kleinschmidt E.J, “Portfolio management in new
product development: lessons from the leaders – Part I”, Research-Technology Management, Sept.-Oct. 1997, pp.
16-28; and: Cooper, R.G., Edgett, S.J., & Kleinschmidt E.J, “Portfolio management in new product development:
lessons from the leaders – Part II”, Research-Technology Management, Nov.-Dec. 1997, pp. 43-52. See also endnote
5.
8
Methods described in references in endnote 7.
9
See endnote 1.

Optimizing the Stage-Gate Process: What Best Practice Companies are Doing 8
© Copyright 2002 Product Development Institute
 About the Authors

Dr. Robert Cooper

Dr. Robert G. Cooper is a world-renowned expert in new

product management. He is the creator of the Stage-Gate
process, now widely used by leading firms around the world.
He has spent more than 30 years studying the practices and
pitfalls of over 2,000 new product projects in hundreds of
companies. Dr. Cooper is a noted speaker, author, lecturer
and consultant to industry. His dynamic seminars and talks have
been widely applauded by corporate audiences throughout
North America, Europe and Asia. He has published more than
90 academic articles and six books on new products. Dr. Cooper is a Professor of
Industrial Marketing and Technology Management at the Michael G. DeGroote School of
Business, McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, and President of the Product
Development Institute, Inc.

Dr. Scott Edgett

Dr. Scott J. Edgett is internationally recognized for his expertise in

new product development and portfolio management. He is a
highly-skilled consultant and in-demand speaker, having given
keynote addresses, conducted executive seminars and consulted
with companies in North America, Europe, the Middle East and
Japan. He has spent more than a dozen years researching and
observing best practices in product innovation, he has co-authored
five books, and published more than 60 academic articles and
papers. Dr. Edgett is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, with Dr. Cooper, of the
Product Development Institute, Inc.

www.stage-gate.com

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managing an organization’s product portfolio and provides true examples of companies’ portfolio strategies. It provides
a wealth of knowledge, including how to pick the right approach for your organization and how to balance and
maximize the value of your portfolio. This book is an essential resource for any company whose profitability, and very
existence, relies upon the products it chooses to develop and the speed with which they are brought to market.
Price: US $44.00 / CAN $69.95 - Hard Cover

WINNING AT NEW PRODUCTS (Third Edition)

For over a decade, Robert G. Cooper’s book has served as a bible for product developers’ everywhere. In this fully
updated and expanded edition, Dr. Cooper demonstrates with compelling evidence why consistent product
development is so vital to corporate growth and how to maximize your chances for success. With Winning at New
Products, you will learn methods for developing a Stage-Gate® process, screening and prioritizing new product
projects, incorporating customer input into product design, and much more to accelerate your speed to market.
Price: US $29.00 / CAN $41.50 – Soft Cover

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FOR THE SERVICE SECTOR

In Product Development for the Service Sector, a comprehensive approach to product development tailored
specifically for the dynamics of the service industries is presented, leveraging the extensive research and consulting
experiences of Dr. Robert Cooper and Dr. Scott Edgett. Their experiences with companies such as Sprint, the
Pennsylvania Energy Company, Marriott, VISA and the Royal Bank of Canada are highlighted.
Price: US $39.95 / CAN $57.95 - Hard Cover

BEST PRACTICES IN PRODUCT INNOVATION: WHAT DISTINGUISHES THE TOP PERFORMERS

Best Practices in Product Innovation is a breakthrough study that reveals the impact of performance drivers at the
business unit level. Authored by Dr. Robert G. Cooper, Dr. Scott J. Edgett and Dr. Elko J. Kleinschmidt, the foremost
world experts in product innovation, this report provides five in-depth case studies of top performing companies,
isolates the drivers of innovation strategy, outlines metrics used to measure new product process and practices, and
much more.
Price: US $495.00 – Soft Cover

All Books are Available for Online Purchase at www.stage-gate.com

 ATTEND OUR PUBLIC SEMINARS
Presented through the Product Development Institute’s sister company, Stage-Gate®, Inc.,
seminars and workshops are offered at varying times and locations throughout the year.

SEMINAR TOPICS AND A BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Leading Product
Innovation and
Technology Strategy:
Creating Shareholder Value
through Innovation
Achieving growth targets through innovation should not be a gamble. Discover what
the best performing, most innovative companies already know - the powerful impact
that a high quality Product Innovation and Technology Strategy can have on innovation
performance and on the creation of shareholder value. Drive organic growth results
with disciplined focus using the SG Innovation Strategy Framework™ to create your
Product Innovation and Technology Strategy.

New Product Portfolio
Management:
The Blueprint for Effective
Project Prioritization and
Selection
Portfolio Management for new products is a complex business challenge. Done right,
this is a high-value corporate activity -- yet portfolio management has been identified
as the weakest area in new product management! Why the performance shortfall?
Companies typically attempt too many projects with too few resources, failing to align
project selections with new product strategies, and they neglect to balance their
portfolios.

Successfully
Implementing the Stage-
Gate® Process:
The Critical Challenge
Effective implementation is pivotal to the performance outcomes achieved from your
new product process. This two-day, intensive workshop has been designed specifically
for those responsible for "Making the New Product Development Process Work." The
workshop focuses on successful implementation as it applies to the Stage-Gate new
product process.

Lean, Rapid and
Profitable New Product
Development:
Improving Your Productivity
Although many companies have introduced a new product process, they are still
struggling to get the financial results they expected. Projects continually take too long,
the development pipeline is clogged with too many projects, and more often than not,
key projects are not properly resourced. Worse, launched products fail to generate
excitement in the marketplace, and fail to achieve major profits. Top performing
companies have discovered the secrets to lean, rapid and profitable product
development, properly balancing the need for speed with profitability.

Pathways to Profitable
Innovation: Getting The
Results You Want from Your
Business’s Product Innovation
Efforts
Achieving competitive advantage is vital when companies seek to gain long term profit
and growth. This differentiation is often achieved through innovation and ground-
breaking product development. The challenge is that most businesses fall far short of
the performance in product development achieved by leading firms – by a factor of 2
times or more. It’s no accident that top performers consistently win at new products.
Dr. Cooper’s Innovation Diamond covers four areas where top companies take a
profoundly different approach and achieve higher profits and impact, better success
rates at launch, and drive their new product projects to market faster.

Technology Developments,
Platforms & Fundamental
Research Breakthroughs:
Managing For Profitable Results
Developments that build capabilities – new platforms, new technology, and
fundamental research – lay the seeds for winning new products, or a much improved
manufacturing process. These are your "tomorrow projects" and potential game-
changers that give your business sustainable competitive advantage. The projects are
high risk, but the pay-offs can be enormous. High performing businesses recognize that
technology development projects are essential for the long-term prosperity of the
business and that they must be managed carefully.

Focus on Innovation:
Generating Breakthrough
New Product Ideas
How do you get breakthrough ideas and new products into your development
pipeline? No matter how effective your product development process or how brilliant
the execution, if you do not have great ideas you will not achieve great results. Learn
customer-proven methods for generating breakthrough new product ideas and project
selection techniques that enable you to pick the winners. Gain insights into creating
the right climate and culture to help manage the front end for results without
suppressing creativity.

Visit us online at www.stage-gate.com for more information and

to register for the seminar that will help you to achieve profitable
and successful product innovation.