Your innovation projects are trapped in the decision-making loop
You approved the concept six months ago. The team has been working nights and weekends, developing prototypes and business cases. But somehow, you’re still scheduling “alignment meetings” to decide whether to move forward.
Meanwhile, your competitors have launched similar products and are capturing market share.
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This is the decision execution gap in action
Most organizations treat project decisions as if they require perfect information before making a decision. So they schedule more reviews, request additional analysis, and involve more stakeholders. While they’re perfecting their decision-making process, the window of opportunity closes.
The decision execution gap shows up as
✦ Innovation projects that spend more time in review than in development
✦ Teams are spinning their wheels waiting for “final approval.”
✦ Market opportunities missed due to slow decision cycles
✦ Critical issues fall through the cracks because gate reviews lack systematic evaluation criteria
✦ Analysis paralysis disguised as “thorough evaluation”
Here’s what execution-focused leaders do differently: They use systematic decision frameworks that turn uncertainty into progress.
The Stage Gate Solutions
The Stage Gate Process bridges the decision execution gap by:
✦ Systematic decision criteria – Clear gates with specific go/no-go requirement
✦ Timely progress reviews – Focused evaluations that maintain momentum
✦ Risk-appropriate advancement – Right information at the right time for smart decisions
Instead of treating your entire project as one massive decision, Stage Gate breaks innovation into five focused decision points where you only evaluate the information relevant to that specific gate:
✦ Discovery: Assess opportunity and feasibility
✦ Scoping: Define requirements and business case
✦ Planning: Build detailed project and launch plans
✦ Development: Execute and test the solution
✦ Launch: Deploy and scale to market
At each gate, you make timeline go/no-go decisions based on clear criteria rather than seeking perfect information before proceeding.
Stage Gate in Practice
A large international consumer products company collaborated with New Oaks Consulting to implement a systematic stage-gate framework across its innovation organization.
The Challenge
Multi-million dollar innovation projects were getting stuck in endless review cycles, with teams unclear about decision criteria and leadership frustrated by slow progress.
Our Approach
We worked collaboratively to develop a comprehensive stage-gate system with structured schedules, cross-functional gate reviews with predefined criteria, executive decision forums, standardized templates, and documented outcomes communicated back to teams.
The Outcome
Leadership gained the ability to make informed go/no-go decisions with complete visibility into timing and cost impacts. Teams either proceeded with clear direction or received specific guidance on addressing risks. The stage-gate review process became essential for managing the project portfolio and balancing resources effectively.
The Results
Leadership could make informed go/no-go decisions, understanding the full impact on timing and costs. Teams either proceeded with clear direction for the next phase or received specific guidance on addressing current risks before advancing. The business found the stage-gate review process essential for managing its project portfolio and balancing resources effectively.
"Our team was particularly pleased by New Oaks Consulting's ability to look across the facility, identify critical workstreams, and systematically break those down into individuals' processes while building scalable and repeatable steps."
- Jon Ragan, MerchSource COO
The Results
From: Projects lingering in committees for months
To: Clear decisions made in focused gate reviews
From: Teams waiting for perfect information
To: Systematic progress with appropriate risk management
From: Missing market windows while planning
To: Competitive advantage through faster, more brilliant execution
Stop letting promising innovations die in decision committees. Systematic decision execution turns uncertainty into a competitive advantage.
Working on improving your innovation pipeline?
We’d be happy to discuss how stage-gate frameworks have worked for organizations like yours.
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