Conclusion
The Setup
Here's what is needed to set this up:
A Trustworthy Publisher
Needs to have a very high level of trust in the team. Needs to have the "will" to create space for the team. Needs to have the "will to kill".
Pre-Production doesn't exactly fit within the usual milestones and review process, so the developers need trust, time, and space to create. But there's no point following this process if publishers aren’t going to hold the output of Pre-Production up to a very high standard.
A Strong Developer or Team
Needs to be the best and the brightest. Needs to be committed to shooting for the stars.
The first playable will be compared to the dominant released products in its category, so it won't do to have anything but the highest standards.
The Results
Have a successful Pre-Production, and these will be the results:
Items in hand at end of Pre-Production
A First Playable that's fun to play. A Macro Design that blocks out the scope of the project. A project schedule that takes the game through Gold Master. An Accurate Budget Estimate. A Release Window because you know precisely what you are making.