Workflow Template
Project Stage Gate Review Workflow
Manages the stage-gate review process for a project: the project manager submits phase status, gate criteria, deliverables, and budget/schedule/scope status; the project board reviews readiness, risks and issues, then records a gate decision (go, hold, rework, stop). The decision drives next steps — go authorises the next phase, hold pauses pending named conditions, rework returns the project to the manager to close gaps, and stop closes the project. The project manager and stakeholders are notified of the outcome.
Project boards often lose track of gate decisions buried in emails and slide decks, leaving managers unsure whether they can move to the next phase. This workflow manages the full stage-gate process: the project manager submits phase status, deliverables, and budget/schedule/scope data, the board reviews readiness and risk, then records a go, hold, rework, or stop decision that automatically routes next steps. Project managers, board members, and stakeholders all work from the same record instead of scattered updates.
Business Outcomes
- Faster gate decisions with less back-and-forth chasing status
- Clearer audit trail of readiness, risk, and decision rationale
- Reduced risk of phases starting without proper sign-off
- Fewer stalled projects due to unclear hold or rework conditions
- Better visibility for stakeholders on project health at each gate
Workflow Steps
Steps
- 1Create Gate Review Recordcreate record
Registers the stage-gate review submission from the project manager.
- 2Set Status: Submittedupdate record
Marks the review as submitted and awaiting board review, and records the manager-submitted budget/schedule/scope status.
- 3Board Reviews Readinesscreate task
The project board reviews readiness, deliverables, budget/schedule/scope status, and outstanding risks and issues.
- 4Set Status: Under Board Reviewupdate record
Records that the board has completed its readiness assessment and is finalising the gate decision.
- 5Record Board Gate Decisionrequest approval
The board records the formal gate decision: Go, Hold, Rework, or Stop.
- 6Route on Approval Outcome
Checks whether the board approved or rejected proceeding to record a formal gate decision.
approval_status: "approved"→Capture Gate Decision Taskapproval_status: "rejected"→Notify Manager: Review Not ApprovedDefault→End - 7Notify Manager: Review Not Approvedsend email
Informs the project manager the board did not approve moving forward with a formal decision at this time.
- 8Capture Gate Decision Taskcreate task
Board member records the specific gate decision and any related conditions, gaps, or stop reason.
- 9Persist Gate Decisionupdate record
Writes the gate decision and supporting details to the record, keeping budget/schedule/scope status current.
- 10Route on Gate Decision
Routes the workflow based on the board's gate decision: Go, Hold, Rework, or Stop.
gate_decision: "Go"→Set Status: Next Phase Authorisedgate_decision: "Hold"→Set Status: On Holdgate_decision: "Rework"→Set Status: Returned for Reworkgate_decision: "Stop"→Set Status: StoppedDefault→End - 11Set Status: Next Phase Authorisedupdate record
Marks the project as authorised to proceed to its next phase.
- 12Notify Go Decisionsend email
Notifies the project manager and stakeholders that the project is authorised to proceed to the next phase.
- 13Set Status: On Holdupdate record
Marks the project as paused pending resolution of named conditions.
- 14Notify Hold Decisionsend email
Notifies the project manager and stakeholders that the project is paused pending named conditions.
- 15Set Status: Returned for Reworkupdate record
Marks the project as returned to the manager to address identified gaps.
- 16Notify Rework Decisionsend email
Notifies the project manager and stakeholders that the project is returned for rework to address gaps.
- 17Restart for Manager Reworkrestart from step
Restarts the workflow from the board review step so the manager's updated submission can be re-reviewed.
- 18Set Status: Stoppedupdate record
Marks the project as closed with the stop reason recorded.
- 19Notify Stop Decisionsend email
Notifies the project manager and stakeholders that the project is closed and provides the reason.
Fields
- Project Name*
- Project Manager Email*
- Stakeholder Emails (comma-separated)*
- Current Phase*
- Gate Criteria*
- Required Deliverables*
- +10 more fields
Forms
Stage-Gate Review Submission
10 fields
Data Views
Stage-Gate Reviews
project_name, current_phase, budget_status, schedule_status +3 more
Dashboard Widgets
Recommended integrations
Setup the following integrations to extend workflow capability.
Send email in the workflow
AWS SES
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FAQs
How do I set up this stage-gate workflow for my projects?
Publish the Project Stage-Gate Review template in assess.one and it's live immediately. You can then customise the gate criteria fields, decision options, and notification recipients to match your project governance model before your next review cycle.
How long does it take to get this running?
Publishing takes minutes, not weeks. Once published, your project manager can submit the first gate review record and the board can start reviewing readiness right away — there's no separate implementation project.
Who needs access to this workflow?
The project manager needs access to submit status and deliverables, and board members need access to review readiness and record the gate decision. Stakeholders can be added as notification recipients without needing full access to edit the record.
Can I customise the gate decision options or add more outcomes?
Yes. The go, hold, rework, and stop outcomes are set up as default routing logic, but you can adjust the decision options, add conditions, or change what triggers each notification directly in assess.one. No developer input is needed.
What happens when the board records a hold decision?
A hold decision pauses the project pending named conditions the board records at review time. The status updates to 'On Hold', the manager is notified with the conditions, and the project stays paused until those conditions are addressed and resubmitted.
What happens if the board sends the project back for rework?
A rework decision returns the project to the manager to close identified gaps. The workflow restarts the review cycle for the manager, so they can update deliverables and resubmit without losing the history of the original review.
How does approval and notification work at each gate?
When the manager submits a phase for review, the status changes to 'Under Board Review' and the board is prompted to assess readiness, risks, and issues. Once the board records its decision, the workflow automatically routes to the correct next step and notifies the manager and stakeholders of the outcome.
Is there an approval step before the board reviews the gate?
Yes. If the initial review is not approved, the manager is notified directly so gaps can be addressed before the full board review proceeds. This helps avoid unready submissions reaching the board stage.
Can this workflow support compliance or governance requirements?
The workflow captures a persistent record of gate decisions, criteria, and status changes, which supports audit and governance needs. You can configure additional approval steps or required fields inside assess.one to match your organisation's governance policy.
What happens when a project is stopped at a gate?
A stop decision closes the project. The status updates to 'Stopped', and the manager and stakeholders are notified so downstream teams and resources can be reallocated without delay.
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