Stage-Gate Checklist

Run through the relevant list before every steering committee meeting where a gate decision is on the agenda. Every unchecked item is a reason to delay the gate, not a reason to note it and proceed — a gate passed with open items just moves the risk downstream, where it costs more to fix.

• Is an executive sponsor formally designated, by name?
• Is the problem defined in verifiable terms, not as a generic intention?
• Does the Strategic Diagnosis Document exist and is it signed?
• Is the Alignment Letter signed by all relevant stakeholder units?
• Has at least a rough order-of-magnitude budget range been discussed?

• Have at least two comparable technical alternatives been evaluated?
• Is the 5-Year Financial Model built and reviewed by someone outside the project team?
• Is confirmed budget availability, or an identified funding source, in place?
• Does the Preliminary Risk Matrix cover all ten F5 risk categories?
• Has the Business Case been validated against at least one external benchmark?

• Was the contractual model legally validated before drafting tender documentation?
• Is the RACI Matrix signed off by every party it names?
• Do the technical specifications reflect the alternative selected at Gate 2, not an earlier draft?
• Is a change management plan defined and resourced before implementation begins?
• Have environmental and social screening steps been completed where applicable?

• Do delivered milestones match the Execution Plan's acceptance criteria?
• Have all contractual SLAs been tested, not just documented?
• Is the Go-Live Sign-off signed by both the PMO and the receiving operations team?
• Are all open risk register items reviewed and either closed or explicitly carried into Phase V?

• Is the Performance Dashboard reviewed on a fixed cadence, not ad hoc?
• Is adoption tracked at 30/60/90 days post-launch, per INA's standard KPI set?
• Has the Closure & Lessons-Learned Report been drafted and shared beyond the immediate project team?