Cooper's model was targeted at new product development (NPD) projects in large companies. Entrepreneurship projects at primarily undergraduate instititions (PUIs) differ from Cooper's target environment in several ways:

• All stages are scaled down to match student capabilities and timeframe.
  • "Process miniature" - students should see the entire process scaled down.
• Iteration is important to give students opportunities to learn from their mistakes.
• Student projects often start with less background and context than industry projects, where there is company history, product lines, expertise, etc.
• Programs may not have time or facilities for implementation, so that product development stops with design (or even earlier).
• Often, our goal is a detailed business plan that could be funded, while Cooper's goal is product launch.

Thus, we modified Cooper's model in the following ways:

• split stage 3 into 3a and 3b

StageGateMappings shows connections between this model and models from other sources, including books, programs, and courses. StageGateMatrix shows connections between this model and the BodyOfKnowledge.

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1. ExplorationStage

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This stage addresses the question: "How do we generate concepts for products or services?"

To do this, we:

• Generate a large number of potential concepts for new products and/or services.
• Objectively evaluate the ideas to decide which to pursue.

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ExplorationGate?

2. ElaborationStage

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This stage addresses the question: "How do we decide which concepts to pursue?"

To do this, we:

• Define & quantify target market.
• Develop preliminary descriptions, requirements, sketches, & mockups.
• Solicit feedback from target market.

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ElaborationGate?

3. VentureProposalStage

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This stage addresses the question: "How do we convince others that a concept has merit?"

To do this, we develop a venture proposal (a preliminary business plan) with:

• Project scope.
• Financials.
• Implementation plan.

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VentureProposalGate?

4. DefinitionAndDesignStage

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This stage answers the question: "How do we make the concept work?"

To do this, we develop:

• Detailed definition of functionality.
• Architecture for implementation & production.
• Styling for product & packaging.

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DefinitionAndDesignGate?

5. DevelopmentStage

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This stage answers the question: "How do we create a useful example?"

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DevelopmentGate?

6. ValidationStage

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This stage answers the question: "How do we find out if the concept works?"

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ValidationGate?

7. BusinessPlanStage

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This stage answers the question: "How do we take the concept forward?"

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BusinessPlanGate?