IRI Workshop – Innovation Portfolio Excellence for Manufacturers

September 22, 2026
10:00 AM-1:00 PM ET

Manufacturers rarely struggle because they lack ideas; they struggle because they spread scarce talent, time and money too thinly across too many weak new product projects. This workshop shows how innovation leaders improve returns in two ways: they identify new product opportunities with stronger customer value and clearer differentiation, and they make better portfolio and funding decisions so resources flow to the right projects at the right time.

Attendees will learn practical methods to uncover more attractive opportunities using market job maps, desired outcomes, and voice-of-customer evidence, then translate those insights into stronger value propositions and clearer competitive differentiation. They will also learn how to define strategic arenas, categorize project types, improve portfolio balance, and use AI-augmented Gates to make investment decisions with greater discipline and confidence.

The session is designed for manufacturing leaders who want to improve growth from innovation without simply adding more projects or more spending. Participants will leave with benchmark insights, practical tools, and a short list of actions they can apply immediately to strengthen their NPD pipeline and portfolio decisions.

 

Course Outline:

1. Why so many NPD portfolios underperform

2. Benchmark findings that matter
Review the most important patterns from the self-assessment, including common strengths, gaps, and discussion points across participating companies.

3. Identify higher-value opportunities
Use job maps, desired outcomes, unmet needs, value propositions, and differentiation to identify stronger innovation opportunities. Includes practical examples and a group exercise.

4. Invest in the best, stop the rest
Apply strategic arenas, project investment types, portfolio prioritization, portfolio balance, and AI-supported gate decisions to improve investment choices. Includes a group exercise.

5. Your 30-Day NPD Improvement Plan
Turn the workshop into a short implementation roadmap with practical next steps attendees can use right away.

 

Who should take this workshop?

The course is designed for cross-functional innovation decision makers, including   Gatekeepers, portfolio managers, product managers and marketing, engineering   and technical leaders involved in project and portfolio decisions.

 

Due to limited seating, we request that you cancel at least 48 hours before a scheduled class. This gives us the opportunity to fill the class. However, if you do not cancel prior to the 48 hours, you will lose the payment for the class.

Speakers

Dan Adams

Founder, The AIM Institute

Dan is the author of New Product Blueprinting, Business Builders, Awkward Realities blog, and the video series, B2B Organic Growth. He is a chemical engineer with many patents and awards, including a listing in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Dan has taught his B2B innovation methods to tens of thousands of B2B professionals globally, lectured at many leading universities, and is a popular industry keynote speaker.

 

Colin Palombo

Managing Partner, Stage-Gate® International

Colin is Managing Partner of Stage-Gate International, the originators of the Stage-Gate® process and Innovation Performance Framework®. Colin helps clients around the world adopt and automate the best practices in:

  • Product Innovation & technology strategy
  •  Portfolio management
  • Stage-Gate idea-to-launch processes
  • Innovation organization, culture & leadership
  • AI and software enablement of Stage-Gate

Colin has been a frequent speaker, author, and coach on these topics, a visiting Professor of Innovation at Strathclyde Business School, and a Singularity University partner.