We use a generic and simple model to illustrate a phase-gate structure to conduct product commercialization. The CDOV process phase names serve as guideposts to help you align the tools and best practices of Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) to the actual phases in your company's commercialization process. Note that no one product commercialization process architecture will meet the needs and priorities of all companies. Each product development organization must define a product commercialization process that fits its culture, business process, and technological paradigm. "CDOV" illustrates a way to link Design for Six Sigma into your organization's own phases and gates, along with your unique nomenclature.
CDOV stands for the first letters in the four generic phases:
C-Concept
D-Design
O-Optimize
V-Verify
It's not uncommon to add subgates within each of the four phases. This is particularly true of Optimize and Verify phases. The Optimize phase often requires subgates because of the need to first develop robust subsystems and then to integrate them into a system for final performance balancing under nominal and stressful conditions. The Verify phase requires subgates to verify the final product design and then moves on to verify production ramp-up, launch, steady-state operations, supply chain and support processes.
What Gets Developed During Each Phase/Gate
In general, a phase and gate should develop the following:
1. Business and financial case
2. Technical design
3. Manufacturing, assembly, materials management and the supply chain
4. Regulatory, health, safety, environmental and legal
5. Shipping, service, sales and support
Most of the discussion in the book Six Sigma for Technical Processes focuses on items 2 and 3, but it's important to recognize that Six Sigma methods can be leveraged across the other items in the list, above. These include Six Sigma problem-solving (DMAIC) or process redesign (DMADV) methods in manufacturing, service and/or business transactions.
The Process of Establishing a DFSS-Enhanced Product Commercialization Process
The best way to think about establishing the architecture of any product commercialization process is to structure it as a macro timing diagram to constrain "what to do and when to do it" across the entire product development lifecycle. With such a macro timing diagram established, the product development management team can conduct the phases and gates with the help of checklists and scorecards based on tasks enhanced by a broad portfolio of tools and best practices and their deliverables. The techniques of project management can then be used to construct micro timing diagrams (preferably in the form of a PERT chart) that establish discipline and structure within the day-to-day use of the tools and best practices to complete key tasks for each person on the team. We recommend PERT charts because they help define personal accountability for completing tasks using the right tools and best practices within the phases. The PERT chart also enhances the management of parallel and serial activities, workaround strategies, and the critical-path tasks that control the cycle-time of each phase. Managing a commercialization project in this manner helps ensure that all the right value-adding things get done to balance the ever-present cost, quality and cycle-time requirements. This is what we call functional excellence. 
