This paper describes a method to improve innovation by integrating TRIZ tools into the Stage-Gate process. The problem now is that existing best industry practices for developing new products, in particular the Stage-Gate process, are still relatively inefficient, especially as concerns radical and disruptive innovations. On the other hand, a method such as TRIZ, which is specifically directed at efficient innovation and could dramatically improve these practices, is underused. The proposed TRIZ-Assisted Stage-Gate process engages TRIZ tools throughout the entire development – from generating ideas for new products through developing production prototypes. This approach makes new product development significantly faster and reduces cost, thereby decreasing risks associated with development. In addition, it is easy to implement because it retains the general structure of the Stage-Gate process. The paper also includes a brief case study on the development of a novel Smart Antenna for Wi-Fi systems to illustrate the practical implementation of the proposed method.

new product development, stage-gate process, TRIZ