Glossary

SAGE glossary.

Canonical definitions for SAGE phases, BEARINGS artifacts, gates, the TAP Log, and program-governance vocabulary.

Accountability

Accountability is the BEARINGS artifact for named ownership. It identifies who owns work, reviews, inputs, approvals, and operational handoffs so delivery does not depend on informal assumptions.

Aims

Aims is the BEARINGS letter for Goals. It converts the problem into measurable outcomes that the program can plan against and verify after delivery.

Alignment

An Alignment is a TAP Log decision made about a Problem. It records the decision, rationale, approver, forum, and date so the program can recover why a path was chosen.

See also: /tap-log

Assess

Assess is the SAGE phase that turns the problem into a governed plan. It contains the pre-Gate-A and post-Gate-A BEARINGS artifacts that support the business case and delivery plan.

Baseline

Baseline is the B in BEARINGS. It belongs to Scope and contains the Scope and Roots artifacts, which define the current condition and the causes that must change.

BEARINGS

BEARINGS is the eight-letter artifact framework inside SAGE: Baseline, Engagement, Aims, Routes, Instrument, Navigation, Governance, and Signals.

Benefit realization

Benefit realization is the discipline of checking whether the program produced the measurable value it claimed. In SAGE, Embed verifies benefit against the goals and measurement plan.

See also: /sage/e-embed

Blueprint

Blueprint is delivery design work inside Generate. It translates approved requirements, strategy, ownership, and measurement expectations into a buildable plan.

BRD (Business Requirements Document)

The BRD is the Gate A business decision document. In SAGE, BRD Part A captures the problem, goals, scope boundaries, options, recommendation, risks, assumptions, and approval request.

Cutover readiness

Cutover readiness is the evidence that a change can safely move into production. It includes UAT, training, rollout planning, rollback planning, monitoring, and owner readiness before Gate C.

DE (Digital Enablement)

DE is a SAGE delivery methodology setting for digital enablement programs. It changes work breakdown language and validation while keeping the SAGE phases, gates, and artifact sequence intact.

Decision

A Decision is a recorded choice that affects program direction, scope, risk, readiness, or benefit. SAGE keeps decisions linked to TAP Log problems, alignments, and governance forums.

See also: /tap-log

Decision rights

Decision rights define who decides what, in which forum, at what cadence, and through which escalation path. They are captured in G Governance before delivery pressure rises.

Embed

Embed is the SAGE phase after go-live. It covers hypercare, KPI and QBA reviews, and benefit verification so the program ends with evidence rather than handoff alone.

See also: /sage/e-embed

Engagement

Engagement is the E in BEARINGS. It contains the Stakeholders artifact and makes sponsors, approvers, influencers, operators, and affected groups visible before Gate A.

FD (Functional Design)

The FD is the Gate B delivery document. In SAGE, FD Part B captures requirements, interfaces, rollout planning, testing expectations, measurement readiness, and implementation detail.

Gate A

Gate A is the Initiation Gate. It approves the BRD Part A business case after Scope and the pre-Gate-A BEARINGS artifacts are complete.

Gate B

Gate B is the Planning Gate. It approves the FD Part B delivery plan after Navigation, Governance, and Signals prepare the post-Gate-A plan.

Gate C

Gate C is the Execution Gate. It approves go-live after delivery work, UAT, training, rollout planning, rollback planning, and cutover readiness are complete.

Generate

Generate is the SAGE phase where the approved delivery plan is built, tested, and prepared for production. It includes Blueprint, Sprint 0, delivery sprints, and cutover readiness.

Go-live

Go-live is the production launch of the approved change. In SAGE, go-live follows Gate C approval and leads into Embed for hypercare and benefit verification.

Governance

Governance is the G in BEARINGS. It contains Accountability and Decision rights, giving delivery a clear model for ownership, authority, forums, and escalation.

Hypercare

Hypercare is the early support period after go-live. It monitors defects, adoption friction, support needs, and stabilization before the program moves into longer benefit review.

See also: /sage/e-embed

Instrument

Instrument is the I in BEARINGS. It contains the Scorecard artifact, which compares options through criteria, weights, evidence, and recommendation rationale before Gate A.

KPI review

A KPI review checks whether the program is changing the metrics it claimed. In SAGE, the measurement plan from Signals guides the benefit evidence reviewed in Embed.

See also: /sage/e-embed

Methodology

Methodology is the structured way SAGE moves from intake to benefit verification. It combines phases, BEARINGS artifacts, gates, and the TAP Log.

OPM (Operations Program Management)

OPM is a SAGE delivery methodology setting for operations program management. It keeps the same SAGE structure while tailoring work language to operational change.

P0 Intake

P0 Intake is the filter before the four SAGE phases. Requests arrive as problem statements, get scored and prioritized, then either move into Scope or receive a documented no.

Problem

A Problem is the durable TAP Log thread for risks, issues, dependencies, assumptions, or open questions that the program needs to resolve or monitor.

See also: /tap-log

QBA (Quarterly Business Assessment)

QBA is a structured business review used in Embed to check value, adoption, and operating performance after launch. It keeps benefits visible beyond immediate hypercare.

See also: /sage/e-embed

RAID

RAID stands for risks, actions, issues, and decisions. SAGE explains RAID through the TAP Log, which connects those concerns around durable problem threads.

Roots

Roots is the Baseline artifact for causes. It identifies the causes that must change for the problem to improve, using evidence and unresolved assumptions.

Routes

Routes is the R in BEARINGS. It contains Options & scoring, which compares credible paths before Scorecard turns the comparison into a recommendation.

Scope

Scope is the SAGE phase that defines the problem with evidence. It contains B Baseline, including Scope and Roots, before the program enters Assess.

Scorecard

Scorecard is the Instrument artifact for recommendation logic. It uses criteria, weights, scores, evidence, and judgement to make a Gate A recommendation defensible.

Signals

Signals is the S in BEARINGS. It contains the Measurement plan: indicators, thresholds, sources, owners, and review cadence for benefit verification.

Sprint 0

Sprint 0 is the Generate setup period before delivery sprints. It prepares backlog readiness, environments, working agreements, architecture checks, and delivery logistics.

Stakeholders

Stakeholders is the Engagement artifact. It names the people and groups who sponsor, decide, approve, influence, operate, or are affected by the program.

TAP Log

The TAP Log organizes Touchpoints, Alignments, and Problems. It keeps the running program record connected so meetings, decisions, problems, and actions remain traceable.

See also: /tap-log

Touchpoint

A Touchpoint is a meeting, review, or working session where Problems are discussed and Alignments are reached. It is the calendar-facing surface of the TAP Log.

See also: /tap-log