Stages and Gates
Formal processes are used to direct the development process from ideas to launch. Typically, formal processes are used for the launch of products that are characterized as sustaining innovations. A common, trademarked method is Cooper's Stage-Gate™ process.
Derived from Winning at New Products: Accelerating the Process from Idea to Launch, Third edition, Robert G. Cooper, Perseus Publishing, 2001.
Often, the development process is segmented into phases that are punctuated by formal decision points that are frequently called gates. The number of segments (3-10 segments are common) and their names are customized. Specialty software products are available that facilitate team collaboration and management review.
Great companies evolve their development process to maximize the potential for the market success of the product currently under development AND for subsequent development efforts. The process evolves as a function of market constraints, the characteristics of the participants, and the maturity of organization.
Examples of the phases, plans, and deliverables in a formal product development method are:
Proposal • Investigation • Design • Prototype • Production
There are specific checklists and deliverables that are reviewed at milestones such as the transitions between two phases of a project.
Specific documents are used to:
- Describe the customer problem that is solved by this product
- Describe the product from the customer's viewpoint
- Define the responsibilities and major activities of individuals and departments
- Define the resources and time required to develop the product
- Ensure that the developer is legally compliant with patents, trademarks, and copyrights
- Summarize the market, sales, and support strategies
- Describe the marketing program
- Describe the financial return on investment
- Describe the manufacturing release criteria
- Identify the compatibility issues between all the components of a system
- Describe all the activities required to manufacture and ship the product
- Describe the required customer documentation (such as manuals, labels, and online help)
- Describe the after sales support requirements (such as training programs, replacement parts, and warranty plans)
- Describe the internal design (such as the software language, algorithms, technology, and materials) of the product
- Verify the performance, quality, and regulatory requirements (such as EMC and safety testing) for hardware products
- Describe the tests required to verify the functional requirements for software products
Note: In the Stage Gate terminology, the segmentation during product development may have alternate labeling such as:
- Scoping, building the business case, development, testing and validation, and launch
or
- Opportunity identification and selection, concept generation, concept/project evaluation, development (which includes technical tasks and marketing tasks), and launch
In most Product Development and Management Association literature, the segment between "ideation" and "proposal" is termed the fuzzy front end.
During the Proposal Phase, a high level definition of the product is developed.
Supporting documents should:
- Describe the product
- Summarize the target market
- Describe the target users
- List the requirements for the product
- State the value proposition
- List the critical success factors and dependencies for the project
- List the key project team members and resources
- Outline the schedule
- Present a financial analysis
- Verify that all intellectual property issues can be resolved
In the proposal phase, preliminary documents are written. In subsequent phase, these documents are refined.
The staff of OpLaunch has assisted in the launch of high technology product since 1983. We have managed hardware and software products. We have direct experience in new product definition, product marketing, sales support, and service support.
OpLaunch can help your team create a project notebook. It contains the documents and checklists for all phases of the product development methodology.
OpLaunch can assist your team with any (or all) of the bulleted items above. We can contribute ideas. We can implement specific solutions.
During the Investigation Phase, all of the documents from the Proposal Phase are refined. New documents should:
- Describe the intended distribution channels
- Describe the characteristics of the product. This may include the industrial design (hardware) or the user interface design (software)
- Describe the manufacturing process
- Describe the documentation available to the customer (such as printed manuals, electronic manuals (in PDF format), online help, videos, CD-ROMs, web content, and certification examinations)
- Specify the post-sales support strategy for the product. This may include a list of replacement parts, an overview of training programs, and required regional modifications (such as multiple language options).
- Define the product release criteria in terms of functionality, reliability and performance
We can create interactive prototypes of your hardware or software product. We can conduct tests to determine which design increases productivity and reduces the cost of ownership.
We can help your team plan for the most effective pre- and post-sales collateral.
During the Design Phase, all of the documents from the Proposal Phase and Investigation Phase are refined. The system architecture and internal design are chosen so that all the requirements can be met. The technical feasibility of the design is proven. The product definition is validated with customers.
New documents should:
- Describe how the components will be tested
- Describe the required regulatory criteria (for hardware products this may includes environmental, EMC, and safety testing)
- Specify the acceptable system performance criteria
Using interactive prototypes and usability testing methodologies, OpLaunch can help you validate (or iterate) your product definition with customers.
OpLaunch can help you categorize the 'musts' and 'wants' for a given revision of a product. Once these are determined, we can help you focus your activities and resources to maximize the probability of shipping your product on time.
During the Prototype Phase, all of the documents from the Proposal, Investigation, and Design Phases are refined.
The Prototype Phase includes the following new activities:
- Build a fully functional product
- Document the internal design
- Test the product's capabilities and features
- Evaluate the product in terms of usability, manufacturing and cost specifications
- Conduct regulatory tests
OpLaunch can assist you in creating quality end-user documentation. We have experience with information delivery in paper, electronic, CD-ROM, video, and web-native media. We can ensure that the required documentation will be available for first shipments.
OpLaunch has direct experience with quality management systems (such as ISO 9000).
OpLaunch can conduct usability tests to identify problems before your product ships to paying customers. The cost of fixing a given problem after shipments begin can often be ten times as expensive as a pre-launch fix.
During the Production Phase, all of the documents from the Proposal, Investigation, Design, and Prototype Phases are refined.
During this phase, the product is built in quantity. Before the product is shipped to customers one must:
- Verify that the product meets all quality standards
- Confirm that the documentation is complete and ready for duplication
- Confirm that all sales and support programs are ready
- Finalize product packaging
- Execute introduction activities (this can include advertising, press releases, and other promotions)
OpLaunch can help you focus your efforts on the critical tasks, steps, or initiatives (which must be executed quickly and effectively) to optimize the successful launch of your product.
The goal of formal development processes is to ensure the quality and comprehensiveness of the product launch. OpLaunch can help your team develope that appropriate launch architecture. This includes designing sales and support training materials. We can deliver training classes that are based on instructional design principles. OpLaunch can assist your team in creating advertisements and press releases. Product development methodologies are combined with dynamic adjustments to deliver an optimized product launch.
