Gate A — Initiation Gate.
Gate A approves the BRD (Business Requirements Document, Part A). It sits inside the Assess phase, after the pre-Gate-A BEARINGS cluster (E · A · R · I) and before the post-Gate-A cluster begins.
Purpose
Lock business scope and value. Gate A is the first "should we do this?" decision the program makes on paper, with an approver's signature. Before Gate A the program is exploring; after Gate A the program is committed to the recommended option and moves into planning the delivery.
Entry criteria
- All Situation artifacts complete (WS01 Situation Statement finalized, WS02 Root Cause Analysis finalized).
- BRD Part A drafted — problem, objective/KPIs, scope in/out, recommended option with rationale, key risks.
- Pre-Gate-A BEARINGS worksheets complete: WS03 Stakeholder Analysis, WS04 Business Objective, WS05 Trade-off Table, WS06 Decision Matrix.
Exit criteria
- BRD (Part A) signed and approved, with an evidence link captured.
- Options decided — including an explicit accept/reject on "do nothing."
- Initiation Gate approval record exists (who approved, when, on what).
Outputs
Authorization to proceed to FD drafting (Part B) and implementation planning — i.e., the post-Gate-A BEARINGS cluster (N · G · S). Navigation, Governance, and Signals begin after Gate A is approved.
Who approves
PMO lead, with input from the accountable executive and business owner identified in WS03 Stakeholder Analysis.