For years, companies that make physical products faced an awkward choice. Stage-Gate® gave them discipline — clear phases, cross-functional decision points and portfolio control — but could feel rigid when the technology was uncertain. Agile methods such as Scrum gave software teams speed and fast feedback, but seemed too loose for long-cycle engineering, certification and manufacturing. The Agile–Stage-Gate hybrid removes that choice by combining the two.
The model grew out of Anita Friis Sommer’s research in the early 2010s and was developed further with Dr Robert G. Cooper, the creator of Stage-Gate. It is the process engine of the fifth component of the Mission-Driven Innovation System.
Key points
- Agile–Stage-Gate keeps Stage-Gate’s strategic structure and runs short Agile iterations inside each stage.
- It works on two rhythms: iterative team work and linear governance.
- Gates become learning reviews rather than compliance checkpoints.
- Linking technology maturation to product development helps innovations cross the “valley of death”.
What is Agile–Stage-Gate?
Agile–Stage-Gate is a hybrid innovation process for physical products and deep-tech development. It keeps the backbone of the Stage-Gate model — stages from discovery to launch, separated by gates where leaders make investment decisions — and changes what happens inside and between them. Within each stage, dedicated teams work in short iterations: they build something tangible, get feedback from customers and stakeholders, and adapt.
The model was first articulated in 2015 (Sommer et al.), building on case studies of manufacturers integrating Scrum into their Stage-Gate processes, and was then developed with Cooper in the Journal of Product Innovation Management, Industrial Marketing Management and Research-Technology Management.
Two rhythms, and gates that learn
The core idea is dual-mode governance: iterative management for the daily and weekly work of teams, and linear governance for investment and portfolio decisions over months and years. When the rhythms are aligned, organisations get speed and stability together. The gates change character too — from asking whether a project is on plan to asking what has been learned and what it changes.
Bridging the valley of death
Many promising technologies die in the handover between research and product development, typically around Technology Readiness Level 6 or 7. Agile–Stage-Gate helps by synchronising technology maturation with product development instead of running them as separate tracks. Recent research supports this: in a 2026 study published by Cambridge University Press, combining iterative and linear processes — alongside a shared mission and aligned governance — accelerated technologies from idea to scaled implementation.
The hybrid is most valuable where physical prototypes, certification or long lead times make pure Agile difficult, but the principle applies wherever innovation combines high uncertainty with significant investment.
In the book
- How Agile–Stage-Gate emerged, told by its co-creator
- A practical approach to implementing the hybrid — and the pitfalls to avoid
- How Design Thinking and Lean Startup fit inside it, with cases from the LEGO Group, Novo Nordisk, Airbus and GE
- How to integrate technology and product development, with cases from Tetra Pak, Danfoss and Vestas
Where this fits in the system
Processes translate intent into motion. They need governance that gives teams real decision rights, funding that follows evidence, and digital enablers that make each learning cycle faster.
Further reading
- Sommer, A. F., Hedegaard, C., Dukovska-Popovska, I. & Steger-Jensen, K. (2015). Improved product development performance through Agile/Stage-Gate hybrids: The next-generation Stage-Gate process? Research-Technology Management.
- Cooper, R. G. & Sommer, A. F. (2016). The Agile–Stage-Gate hybrid model: A promising new approach and a new research opportunity. Journal of Product Innovation Management.
- Cooper, R. G. & Sommer, A. F. (2018). Agile–Stage-Gate for manufacturers: Changing the way new products are developed. Research-Technology Management.
- Sommer, A. F. & Pisanu, A. (2026). Design for mission-driven technology maturation. Proceedings of the Design Society, 6, 307–316. Cambridge University Press (open access).