Entering Gate Meeting Decisions

Gate meeting decisions are what determine if work on a project continues to the next stage. Gates with decisions set to Go or Conditional Go move forward in the process. See Moving Projects Through the Phase Gate Process for more information about gate meeting decisions and how they impact a project's movement through the Phase Gate process and resource allocation.

Gate owners record gate meeting decisions in the gate details within the project. Process Managers and Idea Managers with Manage Process rights can enter gate decisions, even if a gate has an assigned owner. Depending on your company process and the project:

• Gatekeepers may vote on their own about a proposed meeting decision, with or without a meeting being held. In this case, gate owners set the proposed decision on which the gatekeepers are to vote. If you are a gatekeeper for a gate, see Voting on Gate Decisions.

• Gate decisions may be determined and recorded based on the configuration of a workflow added to a deliverable within a project stage.

• Gate decisions may be determined and recorded based on metric conditions set for the gate in the model. If a gate decision is entered manually, the automated gate decision does not override the manually entered decision. To apply the automated gate decision if a decision has been entered manually, click Recalculate next to the gate decision field.

To enter a proposed gate decision for gatekeeper voting:

Note:  Proposed gate decisions only apply if gatekeeper voting is enabled in the model for the gate.

1. Display the project whose gate meeting decisions you want to enter.
2. In the process graphic, click the icon for the appropriate gate.
3. In the Proposed Gate Decision field, select the gate decision on which the gatekeepers are to vote. More...

   Depending on your system configuration, the proposed gate decision might be located in a tile or area of the page. Navigate to the project-specific page containing gate decision information.

   Click the Proposed Gate Decision field and select the appropriate gate decision:

   • Go - Approval has been given to proceed to the next stage.
   • Conditional Go - The project can proceed, but one or more conditions must be met before a Go or Conditional Go decision can be entered for the next gate meeting. If Conditional Go is selected as a gate decision, the gate owner must confirm that the conditions have been met and the decision in the previous gate must be changed to Go before a decision of Go or Conditional Go can be entered for the next gate.

   Conditional Go is not an option for the final gate when the project ends in a gate because there are no further conditions that can be met in the project.

   • Kill - The project was ended.
   • Hold - The project was stopped but may be resumed at a later date.
   • Recycle - The current stage will be repeated.
   • Pending Decision - The gate meeting has not been held or no decision was reached.
4. Click Apply to save your changes.

To record a gate meeting decision:

Note:  If gatekeeper voting is enabled and set to automatically set the gate decision when there has been a unanimous vote, gate owners do not need to record the meeting decision. It is entered automatically.

1. Display the project whose gate meeting decisions you want to enter.
2. In the process graphic, click the icon for the appropriate gate.
3. In the Gate Decision field, select the gate decision that was reached at the gate meeting. More...

   Depending on your system configuration, the proposed gate decision might be located in a tile or area of the page. Navigate to the project-specific page containing gate decision information.

   Click the Gate Decision field and select the appropriate gate decision.

   • Go - Approval has been given to proceed to the next stage.
   • Conditional Go - The project can proceed, but one or more conditions must be met before a Go or Conditional Go decision can be entered for the next gate meeting. If Conditional Go is selected as a gate decision, the gate owner must confirm that the conditions have been met and the decision in the previous gate must be changed to Go before a decision of Go or Conditional Go can be entered for the next gate.

   Conditional Go is not an option for the final gate when the project ends in a gate because there are no further conditions that can be met in the project.

   • Kill - The project was ended.
   • Hold - The project was stopped but may be resumed at a later date.
   • Recycle - The current stage will be repeated.
   • Pending Decision - The gate meeting has not been held or no decision was reached.

Click in your Upcoming Gates page to update a gate decision from Conditional Go to Go. You can also update the previous gates Conditional Go decision using the Conditions for Previous Gate option in the next gate in the project. If gatekeeper voting is enabled, changing the decision to Go requires a vote from the gatekeepers.

4. If the decision is Conditional Go, enter a description of the conditions for the gate in the Conditions field.
5. (Optional) To skip a gatekeeper vote decision, click Skip Gate Vote to record that their vote has been skipped for the gate.

Skipped votes are treated as approvals for setting the decision of the gate. The ability to skip a gatekeeper's vote is set in the gate within the model. If recording gate decisions from a project-specific page, click to skip a gatekeeper's vote and click the icon again to reverse the skip action. Reversing the skip allows gatekeepers to enter votes on the gate decision.

6. Click Apply to save your changes.

Notes:    Gate decision names, such as Go and Hold, are configurable and may differ for your Accolade installation. See your company's Process Designer for the names your company uses for these decisions. The Conditional Go gate decision may not be available in your installation if the Disable Condition Go Gate Decision system parameter is enabled. A setting in the process model determines if gate information can be edited.