Adding Gates to Process Models

In the Phase Gate process, gates represent the decision points throughout the process flow. Gatekeepers review deliverables from the previous stages and make decisions about whether to continue with the project. In gated models, a gate follows each stage. Models can also start with a gate, if necessary.

The decisions for a gate are gathered and information are gathered into a gate document. After you add a gate to a model, add any gate documents that are appropriate for that gate.

Important! After a model is active and assigned to a project, you can no longer add or remove stages or gates from the model. To add or remove a stage or gate after the model is in use, you must either create a copy of the model and make the changes in the copy, or delete all projects that use the model. If you create a copy, Project Managers can then migrate existing projects that need the additional stages or gates to a new model that contains the changes.

To add a gate to a model:

1. From the System menu, select Process > All Models and create a gated, non-gated, or an idea model, or select the model to edit.
2. Click to add the gate, and enter the following information in the Gate Editor to identify the gate:
   
   Required fields display with red text and an asterisk * if the field is empty.

Field	Description
Name	Enter a name, up to 64 characters long, which identifies the gate. The name entered here not only defines the gate as you are creating the process model, it also displays within the project pages that show the process model stages and gates.
Description	Enter a description of the purpose and nature of the gate. This description helps others identify the gate within each project.
Layout	Select a layout from the drop-down to display as the gate page in projects that use the model. Only active layouts which the user has "Can Edit" rights to and are within the model's access group display as selectable options. On newly gates, the system assigns the Project Gates layout by default.
Default Gate Owner	Select a default gate owner option to add a default owner that is assigned to the gate when a project is created. The gate owner enters gate details, assigns gatekeepers, selects the gate decision that was reached at the meeting, and manages gate documents. Project Manager - The assigned Project Manager is the default owner. If you select the Project Manager as the default owner, the Project Manager must have the Gate Manager or Process Manager user role (in addition to Project Manager) to actually be assigned as gate owner in the project. Project Creator - The Process Manager who creates the project is assigned as the default owner. Leave this option set to None to not automatically assign a gate owner when the project is created. An owner must be assigned at the project level. Process Managers can select a different gate owner at the project level, even if you select a default gate owner for the gate in the model.
Gate Date Metric	Click to select a metric to be used to set the gate date. Gate dates can be set either manually within the project or using a metric. You can use any date type metric.
Min Gate Date Metric	Click to select a metric that sets the minimum date that this gate can be set to in a project. The date for this gate must fall on or after the date that the selected metric sets.This setting applies only to gate date changes made in the project process graphic, Project Gate, or Project Gantt. The setting does not apply to dates set through workflow automation, or if a metric is selected in the Set Gate Date field of the metric configuration. To define an allowed range of dates for the gate, also select a metric in the Max Gate Date Metric field.
Max Gate Date Metric	Click to select a metric that sets the maximum date that this gate can be set to in a project. The date for this gate must fall on or before the date that the selected metric sets. This setting applies only to gate date changes made in the project process graphic, Project Gate, or Project Gantt. The setting does not apply to dates set through workflow automation, or if a metric is selected in the Set Gate Date field of the metric configuration. To define an allowed range of dates for the gate, also select a metric in the Min Gate Date Metric field.
Set Gate Date at Project Creation	Select whether to allow or require the Process Manager to enter the gate date when creating the project: Allow on project creation - Select this option to allow the Process Manager to enter this gate's date when creating the project. Require on project creation - Select this option and the previous check box to require the Process Manager to enter the gate date when creating the project. Note:  For projects created from an idea submission, these settings only apply if projects are created from idea submission functionality enabled on custom project pages.

3. In the Gatekeepers section, select how gatekeeper votes are handled for this gate.

• Require Gatekeeper approval - Select this option to require the gatekeepers to vote in Accolade on this gate decision.
• Automatically set gate decision upon approval - If you selected the Require Gatekeeper Approval option, select this option to enter the gate decision after the gatekeepers unanimously approve the decision. Clear the check box to require the gate owner to enter the gate decision.
• Allow gate owner to skip a vote - If you selected the Require Gatekeeper Approval option, select this option to allow the gate owner to skip a gate vote for this gate.

Note:  If the Set Gates Page to read-only option for the model is selected, gatekeeper voting is not available.

4. Define and add gatekeepers for this gate.

Only users with the Executive user role are available for selection as gatekeepers. A gate owner or the Process Manager can define or change the gatekeeper assigned for the gate at the project level. However, if functions are not defined for the gate in the model, no gatekeeper selections are available in the project.

To enforce user selection based on function for all deliverables, activities, workflow actions, and gatekeeper selections, use the Enforce function on user selection option for the model available on the Pages & Layouts tab within the model editor. See Defining Project Pages and Display Options for more information.

Select one or more of the following options:

• Select the function of each gatekeeper for this model in the drop-down.
• Click and select a user to acts as a gatekeeper for the function.

• Select the Enforce function check box to limit the selection of users for the gatekeeper function to those who have the function defined.

Selecting this option also disables the ability to change the function for the gate and is enforced even if the function is inactive.

• Click to add additional gatekeepers as necessary.

If you select a gatekeeper but no function for a gate, the Process Manager can select a different gatekeeper with any function for that position in the project. The function remains listed as [None].

5. In the Advanced section, define gate decision behavior and the message for the gate decision.

Field	Description
Automated Conditions	To automate entering a gate decision, define the set of conditions that must be met within a project to set each gate decision type. Automating gate decisions removes the need to manually enter the gate decision, or to configure gatekeeper voting. See Automating Projects Using Metrics in Process Models for more information. A Conditional Go decision cannot be set using an automated gate decision and event reasons are not captured for automated gate decisions. Setting gate decisions to set automatically does not prevent a gate owner from entering a decision manually and updating gate details. To ensure that gate details are not modified after setting the gate decision, consider setting the gate data to read-only using the Set Gates Page to read-only option in the process model. Workflows can also be configured to automatically set a gate decision using an automated step. Sopheon recommends using the Automated Gate Decision Rules settings within the process model or workflow automated steps to automate gate decisions, but not both.
Required Conditions	Define a set of conditions that must be met within a project for a Go or Conditional Go gate decision to be entered for the gate. Setting a restriction here can help to ensure that certain deliverables, activities, and metrics are complete within a project, or a set of portfolio projects, before entering a Go or Conditional Go decision that advances the project to the next stage. See Automating Projects Using Metrics in Process Models for more information.
Message Metric	Click and select a metric (typically a String or Long String metric) that contains information about what is required to set a Go or Conditional Go decision. The text within the metric displays in a message in the project when setting the gate decision to Go or Conditional Go if there are conditions defined.

6. Click Create to create the gate.
7. (Optional) In the Appearance section, configure the gate image and color scheme.

The gate image and color scheme provides a graphical representation of the gate as a project moves through phases.See Defining the Process Model Graphic for more information on configuration options for gates.

8. Click Apply to save your changes.
9. Add additional stage/gate pairs as necessary, and continue with one or more of the following gate configuration options to continue to develop the process flow through the model.

• Add a gate document that applies to this gate.
• Add custom gate page layouts to the model.

Notes:    To delete a gatekeeper, click in the correlating row of the gatekeeper and click Apply to save your changes. You cannot insert a gate into the middle of a model. You can add a gate only after the last existing stage. To move a gate, you can work back through the model, or make a copy, deleting stages and gates and re-adding them in the correct sequence.