Stage-gate project management processes as professional communication practice: Connecting technical and marketing communication in new product development

Abstract

An interaction between the fields of technical communication and corporate communication can be seen in Stage-Gate Project Management processes for innovation and product development. This paper proposes that approaching Stage Gate Project Management processes as a space of interaction, offers an opportunity for understanding how technical communication interacts with other organizational communication processes. It also offers an opportunity for understanding Stage-Gate processes as part of project management communication. This study uses interviews about Project Management processes and embedded communication practices from Danish CEO. We introduce stage-gate project management communication processes, and focus on coordinating analysis from literature and CEO interviews. Findings demonstrate that in Stage-Gate Communication processes, technical communication is situated in what one organization called The marketing circle, demonstrating a connection between technical communication, marketing, and understanding of business processes. We argue that technical communication, as a field, would benefit from understanding how technical communication and marketing communication processes are intertwined in Stage Gate Project Communication contexts. We suggest that a model such as the Marketing Circle can be useful for teaching project conception processes and introducing the practice of stage-gate decision models for both technical communication and engineering communication students.