Application of the Stage Gate Model in Production Supporting Quality Management

Product and process quality was and still is a key factor of success for manufacturing companies in the competitive global business environment. The stage gate model represents a well-established method for quality management in the product development domain. This paper discusses the application of the stage gate model in the domain of production. The two domains differ in certain areas, which has to be reflected by the adapted stage gate model. The preliminary findings of the two case studies, covering manufacturing and assembly processes, indicate that an adapted stage gate model may provide valuable support for product and process quality improvement. However, the success is strongly dependent of the right adaptation, taking the individual requirements, limitations and boundaries into consideration.