How to use the Stage Gates
Use the project appointment, information requirements and programme—not the default stage names alone—to decide the actions and evidence needed at each gateway.
The workspace starts blank. Load example temporarily fills the controls with demonstration data; reload or use the tool’s New or reset action, where provided, before entering live information.
- Choose the UK or US Phase profile and complete register title, project reference, manager, appointment or scope reference and issue date.
- Open each stage and set planned start and finish dates, then add project-specific actions with owner, due date and status.
- Mark actions that block the gateway and attach the evidence or information reference needed to close them.
- Record the Gateway status and the approval, exception or residual-action reference before moving to the next stage.
Worked examples
These examples explain the set-up, expected output and review needed without changing the tool workspace.
Conditional Stage 3 gateway
- Set-up
- Record unresolved facade fire advice and cost-plan reconciliation as blocking actions with owners and dates.
- Result
- The gateway can be marked Conditional with the decision reference and residual actions visible.
- Review
- Confirm the person giving the decision has the authority defined by the appointment or project governance plan.
US construction-documents phase
- Set-up
- Use the US profile, then replace generic tasks with the actual permit, consultant, owner and procurement deliverables.
- Result
- The phase record distinguishes completed information from items still in review.
- Review
- Align phase names and percentages with the contract rather than assuming a universal service split.
Suggested workflow
Place the tool in a controlled project or practice process rather than treating its output as an isolated verdict.
- Tailor stages, evidence and decision authority to the appointment at project setup.
- Review actions before each gateway and keep blockers separate from desirable follow-up work.
- Record the decision and residual risk, then update downstream dates and responsibilities.
Check before saving or issuing
- Every blocking action has an owner, due date and evidence route.
- Gateway status is supported by a named approval or decision reference.
- Stage dates and deliverables match the current appointment and project programme.
Common problems
- A stage appears complete while blockers remain: review the blocking flags and status of every action.
- The register duplicates the programme: keep only decision-critical actions and reference the detailed programme.
- Default stage tasks do not fit: edit them to match the commission rather than treating the profile as a contract.
Output
A stage-gate register showing completion, overdue actions, blockers and evidence.
Professional boundary
Stage names are a coordination framework, not a substitute for the project appointment, contract or organization-specific gateway procedure.