Managing an innovation portfolio isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing fewer projects with higher throughput. If you’re running a gated process, you’re sitting on an underutilized powerhouse, asking for fast validation or disvalidation. To identify ideas worth investing in, you need a lot of ideas. Gates aren’t just checkpoints for reviewing timelines or budgets; they’re decision points for emerging candidates and kill switches for illusory ones. The decisions made (or avoided) here can make or break your innovation strategy.
Here’s the truth: a gate isn’t just a box to check; it’s where resource owners—your senior leadership—decide whether to invest real resources in moving a project forward. A "Go" decision without committing resources? That’s a hollow victory, and it’ll kill your portfolio faster than any competitor can.
Hollow 'Go' Decisions: The Road to Nowhere
Too often, teams leave gate meetings with a half-hearted “Go” decision but no actual resources to execute. This is what I call a “Hollow Go.” These decisions happen because there’s no hard cap on resources, and no one is forced to make the tough calls.
Here’s the problem:
Without resource limits, everything seems like a priority.
Projects limp along underfunded, with people stretched too thin.
Nothing moves quickly, and your time-to-market suffers.
The fix? Stop pretending resources are infinite. They’re not. A true “Go” decision means people and dollars are allocated—immediately. No resources? No Go.
Forced Ranking: Kill Your Darlings
Innovation requires focus, and focus requires prioritization. That’s where forced ranking comes in. It’s brutal, but it works.
Think of your portfolio like your retirement fund. You wouldn’t invest equally in every stock; you’d double down on the winners and cut the losers. Forced ranking applies the same principle to your projects.
Here’s how it works:
Rank by ROI (Return on Innovation): Use metrics like the Learning Index (LI) or Sprint Throughput (ST) to measure incremental learning per additional dollar or day spent.
Categorize Projects: Compare apples to apples—major projects in one bucket, small extensions in another.
Draw the Line: When you run out of resources, stop. Projects below the line get shelved, and their resources are reallocated to those above.
The result? Fewer, better-funded projects that actually get to market faster. You’ll also free up your team’s bandwidth to deliver real impact, instead of spreading them thin across too many initiatives.
Invisible elephants in the room don’t just go unnoticed—they trample over priorities, crush progress, and misallocate resources under the weight of indecision.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Tailoring Your Process
Here’s a common mistake: treating every project the same. If you’re running smaller, lower-risk initiatives through the same process as major innovations, you’re wasting time and effort. Worse, you’re frustrating your teams.
Streamline for Speed:
For moderate-risk projects (e.g., product improvements), use a Stage-Gate Lite process—three stages instead of five.
For low-risk initiatives (e.g., a single customer request), go even lighter with a two-stage Express system.
Decide early—at Gate 1—what level of process rigor each project requires. This ensures no project bypasses the system (and creates chaos), but also prevents wasting precious time on unnecessary reviews.
Strategic Buckets: Keep Your Eye on the Big Picture
Forced ranking works best when aligned with your company’s strategic goals. Enter strategic buckets: categories tied directly to your business priorities, like market expansion, cost reduction, or breakthrough innovation.
Here’s the kicker: strategic buckets force you to allocate resources where they matter most. This means fewer distractions, paying back the innovation spendings, and more focus on initiatives that drive real growth.
Conclusion - The Hard Truth About Innovation
Innovation isn’t about saying “yes” to more projects. It’s about saying “no” to the wrong ones. Forced ranking, resource limits, and tailored processes aren’t just tools—they’re discipline. They help you create a portfolio that’s lean, focused, and capable of delivering real results.
If you want to win in the market, stop spreading your bets thin. Start making the tough decisions. Because in innovation, half-measures don’t cut it. Go all in—or don’t go at all.
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