Innovation · Pipeline and gates · Component
Stage map
The stages every idea passes through on its way to operation, what each stage is meant to establish, and what it hands on.
The deliverable
What it is
A stage map fixes the route so that every idea is treated alike. Without it, some projects are asked for business cases on day one and others reach launch without anyone checking demand.
Each stage exists to answer a question. When a stage cannot name its question, it tends to become a waiting room, and projects spend time there without learning anything.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
Stage
One step on the route, named by the question it answers — is there a problem, will anyone pay, can we deliver it.
3 attributes: Stage · Question answered · Typical length
LearnDeliverables
What a project must bring out of the stage to the next gate — typically test results, costings and a revised assumption register.
2 attributes: Deliverable · Produced by
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If a stage cannot be described by the question it answers, merge it with its neighbour.
The other components in pipeline and gates
Gate criteria
The must-meet and kill criteria for each gate, together with any scoring scale, written down before any project reaches it.
LearnPipeline register
Every live innovation bet in one list: its stage, its sponsor, what it holds in people and money, and how long it has waited.
LearnGate decision record
What was decided at each gate, by whom, on what evidence, and with which conditions attached to continuing.
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