Project Stage Gate Review Workflow

How do I set up this workflow for our project board?

Publish the template as-is and it runs live within minutes, no development project needed. The request form and task assignments are already configured, so you just need to point your project managers to the request form link and confirm who on your team sits on the project board to receive the Gate Decision task.

How do project managers submit a stage-gate request?

Project managers fill out the public request form with details like project name, current and next phase, gate criteria, deliverables, and budget, schedule, and scope status. They don't need an account to do this, and they receive an acknowledgement email with their reference number as soon as the record is created.

What happens when the project board makes a decision?

The board's Gate Decision task captures whether the outcome is Go, Hold, Rework, or Stop, along with any conditions or reasons. The workflow waits for this task, saves the decision to the record, and then routes automatically down the matching path.

What happens if the board puts the project on Hold?

The status changes to On Hold and the project manager gets a task, with no due date, showing the hold conditions and asking how they were met. Once they respond, that resolution is saved to the record and the workflow returns to board review for reassessment.

How does the Rework path work and how long does it take?

If the board decides Rework, the status updates and the project manager is assigned a task due in 10 days to address the gaps and update deliverables. Their response is saved to the record, and the workflow then loops back to board review so the board can reassess the updated deliverables.

What happens if the board decides to Stop the project?

The status is set to Stopped and the project manager receives an email explaining the reasons. A project closure task is also created, due in 5 days, though the workflow does not wait on it to complete, and any closure notes entered stay with that task.

Can we customise the form fields or task deadlines?

Yes, describe the change you want in plain English or edit the steps directly in the workflow editor, and earlier versions are kept for reference. This makes it straightforward to adjust deadlines, like the 10-day rework window, or add fields to the request form as your gate criteria evolve.

Who is involved in running this workflow day to day?

Project managers submit requests and complete hold or rework tasks, while project board members are assigned the Gate Decision task and any closure task. All of these are handled as workspace admins or members completing assigned tasks, with no separate accounts needed for the project managers submitting requests.

How can we track the status of gate reviews across multiple projects?

Each submission becomes a record with a reference number, a current status, and a timeline of everything that's happened, from Submitted through Board Review, Approved, On Hold, Rework, or Stopped. Table views and dashboards group these records by status, making it easy to see which projects need attention.

Does this workflow help with audit or compliance records?

The workflow keeps a record timeline of statuses, board decisions, conditions, and what project managers entered during hold or rework, which can support internal audit needs. Each business should confirm what its own compliance or record-keeping obligations require beyond this.