How companies are reinventing their idea-to-launch methodologies

Research Technology Management

Volumn 52, Issue 2, 2009, Pages 47-57

  Cooper, Robert G ^a,b  

^a MCMASTER UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

^b Product Development Institute   (Canada)

Author keywords

Best practices; Idea to launch process; Next generation stagegate; Stage gate

Indexed keywords

FINANCIAL DATA PROCESSING; INVESTMENTS;

BEST PRACTICES; CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS; FRONT END; OPEN INNOVATION; ORIGINAL MODEL; PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENTS; PRODUCT INNOVATION; STAGE GATES;

INNOVATION;

EID: 63149198826     PISSN: 08956308     EISSN: 19300166     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/08956308.2009.11657558     Document Type: Review

References (37)

1. Stage-Gate® is a registered trademark of the Product Development Institute Inc (www.prod-dev.com), and the term was coined by the author.
2. PDMA and APQC studies show that about 70 percent of product developers in North America use a Stage-Gate or similar system. See: The PDMA Foundation's 2004 Comparative Performance Assessment Study (CPAS), Product Development & Management Association, Chicago, IL.
3. Also: Cooper. R.G., S.J. Edgett and E.J. Kleinschmidt, New Product Development Best Practices Study: What Distinguishes the Top Performers. Houston: APQC (American Productivity & Quality Center), 2002.
4. Parts of this article are based on previous publications by the author. See: Cooper, R.G. and S.J. Edgett, Lean, Rapid and Profitable New Product Development, Product Development Institute, www.stage-gate.com. 2005;
5. Cooper, R.G.. The Stage-date Idea-to-Launch Process-Update, What's New and NexGen Systems, J. Product Innovation Managements 25, 3, May 2008, pp. 213-232;
6. and: Cooper, R.G., NexGen Stage-Gate® What Leading Companies Are Doing to Re-Invent Their NPD Processes. PDMA Visions, XXXII. No 3, Sept. 2008. pp. 6-10.
7. See APQC study ref. 2; also: Cooper, R.G., S.J. Edgett and E.J. Kleinschmidt, Benchmarking Best NPD Practices-2: Strategy, Resources and Portfolio Management Practices, Research-Technology Management 47. 3, May-June 2004, pp. 50-60.
8. Osborne, S. Make More and better Product Decisions For Greater Impact. Proceedings, Product Development and Management Association Annual International Conference, Atlanta, GA. Oct. 2006.
9. Belair, G. Beyond Gates: Building the Right NPD Organization. Proceedings, First International Stage-Gate Conference, St. Petersburg Beach, FL, Feb. 2007.
10. Private discussions with M. Mills at P&G; used with permission.
11. Cooper, R.G., S.J. Edgett and E.J. Kleinschmidt. Optimizing the Stage-Gate® Process: What Best Practice Companies Do Part II, Research-Technology Management 45, 6, Nov.-Dec. 2002., pp. 43-49.
12. Edgett, S. (subject matter expert). Portfolio Management: Optimizing for Success, Houston: APQC (American Productivity & Quality Center), 2007.
13. These portfolio tools are explained in: Cooper, R.G. and S.J. Edgett, Ten Ways to Make Better Portfolio and Project Selection Decisions, PDMA Visions, XXX, 3, June 2006. pp. 11-15;
14. nd edition. New York, NY: Perseus Publishing, 2002.
15. Cooper, R.G. and M. Mills. Succeeding at New Products the P&G Way: A Key Element is Using the 'Innovation Diamond'. PDMA Visions, XXIX, 4, Oct. 2005, pp. 9-13.
16. The Productivity Index method is proposed by the Strategic Decisions Group (SDG). For more information, refer to Matheson, D., Matheson, J.E. and Menke, M.M., Making Excellent R&D Decisions, Research-Technology Management, Nov.-Dec. pp. 21-24, 1994;
17. and Evans, P., Streamlining Formal Portfolio Management, Scrip Magazine, February, 1996.
18. Fiore, C. Accelerated Product Development. New York, NY: Productivity Production Press. 2005, p 24.
19. For more information on value stream mapping, plus examples, see: Cooper & Edgett. ref. 3. ch 6.
20. Spiral development is described in Cooper, R.G. and S.J. Edgett, Maximizing Productivity in Product Innovation. Research-Technology Management, March-April 2008, pp. 47-58.
21. Morgan, J. Applying Lean Principles to Product Development. Report from SAE International Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2005. www.shop.sae.org.
22. Cooper. R.G. Formula for Success. Marketing Management Magazine (American Marketing Association). March-April 2006. pp. 21-24; see also Cooper & Edgett ref. 3.
23. Cohen. L.Y., RW. Kamienski and R.L. Espino. Gate System Focuses Industrial Basic Research. Research-Technology Management. July-August 1998, pp. 34-37.
24. See Cooper & Edgett RTM article in ref. 15.
25. Ledford, R.D. NPD 2.0, Innovation, St. Louis: Emerson Electric, 2006, p. 2: and NPD 2.0: Raising Emerson's NPD Process to the Next Level. Innovation, St. Louis: Emerson Electric, 2006. pp. 4-7.
26. Cooper and Mills, ref. 11.
27. Bull, S. Innovating for Success: How EXFO's NPDS Delivers Winning New Product. Proceedings, First International Stage-Gate Conference, St. Petersburg Beach, FL, Feb. 2007.
28. Cooper. R.G. Managing Technology Development Projects - Different Than Traditional Development Projects, Research-Technology Management, Nov.-Dec. 2006, pp. 23-31.
29. R.G. Cooper and S.J. Edgett. Ideation for Product Innovation: What Are the Best Sources? PDMA Visions, XXXII, 1, March 2008. pp. 12-17.
30. More on lead user analysis in Von Hippel, E. Democratizing Innovation, MIT Press. Cambridge MA, 2005;
31. and Thomke. S. and E. Von Hippel. Customers As Innovators: A New Way to Create Value, Harvard Business Review. April 2002. pp. 74-81.
32. Christensen. C.M. The Innovator's Dilemma. New York: Harper Collins, 2000.
33. Day, G. and P. Shoemaker. Scanning the Periphery. Harvard Business Review, Nov. 2005, pp. 135-148.
34. Erler, H. A Brilliant New Product Idea Generation Program: Swarovski's 1-Lub Story, Second International Stage-Gate Conference. Clearwater Beach, FL. Feb. 2008.
35. Chesbrough, H. Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology. Cambridge. MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2003. This section is based on material in Cooper and Edgett, ref. 3, ch 5.
36. Docherty, M. Primer on 'Open Innovation': Principles and Practice, PDMA Visions, XXX, No. 2, April 2006.
37. A number of software products have been certified for use with Stage-Gate. See www.stage-gate.com.