Gate 0 Checklist

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Item

Discussion

Comment

1

Proposer known

Knowing who proposed the project gives some context and gives a person to ask about further detail.

2

Initial project rationale clear

The initial rationale justifies the Discovery activity. It says ‘why this project’ rather than others and hence enables the decision process.

3

Intent of project is clear

Desired outcome / benefits of the project are clear (although these may be clarified in Discovery and phases)

4

Rational selection process for this project

This tests that a sensible selection process has been completed, including value for money and prioritization vs. other possible projects.

5

Stakeholders identified

A selection of these will be interviewed in the Discovery phase to determine their needs and views about the potential project. Knowing who these are also gives an early indicator of potential project complexity.

6

Further material identified

Existing documents and data may be available that will shed more light on the situation.

7

Discovery detail planned

This includes plans for interviews, reviews and planning for the rest of the project.

It should include consideration of the likely complexity of the discovery task, including how well the problem is understood now and the extent of stakeholders to be interviewed.

If this is unclear then contingency time should be included in Discovery.

8

Mandate documented

The mandate document describes the current understanding of the intended project, which may be sketchy at this time but should be enough to enable the Discovery phase to be planned.

9

Project manager identified

Someone needs to be allocated to make the project happen. Depending on the project it may need a full-time or part-time role. It may well be an external consultant.

10

Functional manager identified and agreed

The functional manager is usually the key customer and provides daily support and direction.

11

Executive sponsor identified and agreed

The executive sponsor provides high-level support and is used to build organizational support and provides a route for issue escalation.