PLM Library · Article
Stage-gate systems: A new tool for managing new products
- Author
- Robert G. Cooper
- Publisher
- Business Horizons, Vol. 33(3), pp. 44–54
- Year
- 1990
Summary
The foundational article on Stage-Gate: organizing new product development into defined stages separated by decision gates where projects are continued, held or stopped.
Cooper describes the typical stage structure from idea to launch, the role of gate criteria and cross-functional gatekeepers, and the weaknesses of ad-hoc development processes that Stage-Gate is designed to fix.
Our verdict
Recommended for context. A short, readable original source for the stage-gate concept that most development organizations use in some form — the article behind Cooper's later books.
Who should read it
- —Anyone who works with a stage-gate process and wants to understand its original intent
- —Managers designing or revising development governance
How it relates to your work
- —Clarifies what gates are for — resource commitment decisions — which helps when gate reviews degenerate into status meetings.
- —A common reference point when discussing development processes with management.
Keep in mind
- —A 1990 article; the model has evolved considerably in Cooper's later work.
- —Behind the publisher's paywall.