Stage-Gate^TM Process

Pioneered and developed by Dr. Robert G. Cooper, the Stage-Gate Process is a formal process for product development where discrete work activities are separated by management decision gates. Activity stages typically include idea screening, business case creation, development, prototyping/testing and launch. Cross-functional teams must successfully complete each activity prior to obtaining management approval to proceed to the the next stage.

Stage Gate systems were first used at NASA and have been adopted by many leading companies. They have proven to be an effective way to improve the efficiency of product development activites and the management of large numbers of development projects.