Medical Devices · 10-year plan
[Result]
A 10-year innovation roadmap for a medical device leader
A category-leading device company wanted significant growth in current and new markets over a 10-year horizon.
Read the case →
Deciding which innovation projects to fund
Situation
Deciding which innovation projects to fund
"We don't have a structured way to evaluate ideas before R&D starts."
Many B2B innovators have a stage-gate on paper but no consistent way to assess the commercial opportunity up front. Ideas come from sales without a framework, each team scores projects differently, and the portfolio grows because nothing is ever stopped.
Signs you're in this situation
If two or more of these sound familiar, this page is for you.
- R&D starts before anyone has assessed the market opportunity.
- Each team scores projects differently, so the portfolio can't be compared.
- Ideas come from sales without a structure for customer discovery.
- Few projects are ever stopped, so the portfolio keeps growing.
What we hear from clients
Paraphrased and anonymized from recent conversations with marketing and commercial leaders.
“We don't have a structured way to evaluate commercial ideas before R&D begins.”
“Our innovation process is strong. The problem is upstream: idea generation and market insight.”
“We want to strengthen stage-gate with real customer experiments on feasibility, desirability and profitability.”
Why it’s hard
Tools are the easy part. Adoption is harder: the toolset has to be simple enough for commercial people to use, endorsed by leadership, and reviewed on a regular cadence. We keep it simple at first, roll it out gradually with coaching, and add detail only where it helps decisions.
How we help
Opportunity overview →
A one-page view of market, value proposition and concept for every idea.
Financial assessment →
An NPV model with volume, price and revenue scenarios.
Score and compare →
Consistent scoring and a portfolio view across business units and regions.
Cadence and governance →
Regular portfolio reviews with leadership endorsement.
How an engagement usually runs
Typical phases. Every engagement is scoped with you, and many clients start with one phase.
| Phase | Typical timing | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Tailor the tools | 2–4 weeks | An opportunity overview, an NPV model and a scoring tool, adapted to your criteria. |
| Pilot | 1 quarter | Run live projects through the tools and compare them in one portfolio view. |
| Govern | Monthly or quarterly | A review cadence with leadership endorsement and clear rules for updates. |
| Discover | Ongoing | Customer discovery and experiments built into the stage-gates. |
Clients who faced something similar
All case studies →Medical Devices
[Result]
Finding innovation opportunities with needs-based segments
A medical device leader targeted a complex disease area with only one effective treatment, and needed to know where innovation would matter most.
Read the case →Questions clients ask
What should an opportunity assessment include?
A short qualitative overview (market, value proposition, concept), a financial view such as NPV, and a score on significance, ability to execute and technical and commercial feasibility.
Do we need new software?
No. The tools are Excel-based and customizable, and can be simple or detailed depending on your team.
How do customer experiments fit into stage-gate?
Each gate asks for evidence on desirability, feasibility and profitability from real customer tests, not only documents.
How do we get better ideas from the sales team?
Give the commercial team a discovery framework so they bring back customer problems, not just product requests.
Other situations we help with
"We've been sales and rebate led for years."
Moving from commodity to specialty
Your strategy now depends on selling on value, but the sales force, pricing and segmentation were built for volume.
How we help →"I've just taken over marketing, and we don't have standard tools."
Building or rebuilding a marketing function
A new marketing leader in a lean organization needs a team, a process and early results, fast.
How we help →"We're a new company with a parent company's marketing habits."
After a spin-off, carve-out or PE acquisition
A new owner or independent company means new growth targets with marketing infrastructure that was left behind.
How we help →Facing this right now?
Book a 20–30 minute sounding board conversation with a senior consultant who has sat in your seat. No cost, no commitment.