What are Phase Gate Reviews?
Phase Gate Reviews are formal checkpoints that determine whether a project, release, or cycle is ready to move forward. Inspired by V-model methodology, they replace informal “looks good to me” approvals with structured, documented, traceable decisions.
A Phase Gate Review answers one question: are we ready to proceed?
Creating a Review
- Navigate to
/phase_gate_reviews - Create a review with a name and link it to a release, cycle, or project
- Add participants (tech lead, PO, QA lead, ops)
- Add evaluation criteria
- Evaluate each criterion
- Record the verdict
Evaluation Criteria
Criteria are the specific conditions that must be met to proceed. Examples:
- All critical bugs resolved
- Test coverage above 80%
- API documentation complete
- Security scan passed
- Stakeholder demo completed
Each criterion can be evaluated as passed, failed, or n/a (not applicable).
Verdict System
| Verdict | Resulting Status | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| go | approved | All critical criteria passed |
| no-go | rejected | One or more blocking criteria failed |
| conditional go | conditionally_approved | Minor issues noted, proceeding with documented reservations |
The status updates automatically when you record a verdict. A review is terminal once it reaches approved, rejected, or conditionally_approved — it cannot be reopened.
Participants
Participants are the stakeholders whose sign-off matters for this gate. Adding participants creates an audit trail of who reviewed and approved a phase transition. This is especially important in regulated industries where evidence of formal review is required.
Phase Gate vs Retrospective
| Phase Gate Review | Retrospective | |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | Before moving to next phase | After release delivery |
| Purpose | Conditional gate — can block progress | Reflective — never blocks |
| Output | Go/no-go verdict | Feedback and improvements |
| Direction | Forward-looking | Backward-looking |
Hybrid V-Model + Agile Usage
In a hybrid methodology, Phase Gate Reviews gate the major V-model phases (requirements complete, design approved, integration ready, UAT passed) while Agile cycles run within each phase. A typical sequence:
- Requirements phase ends → Phase Gate Review (all specs approved?)
- Design phase ends → Phase Gate Review (architecture reviewed?)
- Cycle delivers to staging → Phase Gate Review (deployment ready?)
- UAT complete → Phase Gate Review (go for production?)
Each gate creates a documented, auditable decision point without blocking the Agile cadence within phases.