Drive Business Value With a Right-Sized Project Gating Process
- Low sponsor commitment on projects.
- Poor quality on completed projects.
- Little to no visibility into the project portfolio.
- Organization does not operationalize change .
- Analyzing, fixing, and redeploying is a constant struggle. Even when projects are done well, they fail to deliver the intended outcomes and benefits.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Stop applying a one-size-fits-all-projects approach to governance.
- Engage the sponsor by shifting the accountability to the business so they can get the most out of the project.
- Do not limit the gating process to project management – expand to portfolio management.
Impact and Result
- Increase Project Throughput: Do more projects by ensuring the right projects and right amount of projects are approved and executed.
- Validate Project Quality: Ensure issues are uncovered and resolved with standard check points in the project.
- Increase Reporting and Visibility: Easily compare progress of projects across the portfolio and report outcomes to leadership.
- Reduce Resource Waste: Terminate low-value projects early and assign the right resources to approved projects.
- Achieve Intended Project Outcomes: Keep the sponsor engaged throughout the gating process to achieve desired outcomes.
Drive Business Value With a Right-Sized Project Gating Process Research & Tools
Start here – read the Executive Brief
Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should design a right-sized project gating process, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you.Besides the small introduction, subscribers and consulting clients within this management domain have access to:
- Drive Business Value With a Right-Sized Project Gating Process – Phases 1-4
1. Lay the groundwork for tailored project gating
This phase will walk you through the following activities:
- Drive Business Value With a Right-Sized Project Gating Process – Phase 1: Lay the Groundwork for Tailored Project Gating
- Project Intake Classification Matrix
- Project Sponsor Role Description Template
2. Establish level 1 project gating
This phase will help you customize Level 1 Project Gates with appropriate roles and responsibilities.
- Drive Business Value With a Right-Sized Project Gating Process – Phase 2: Establish Level 1 Project Gating
- Project Gating Strategic Template
3. Establish level 2 project gating
This phase will help you customize Level 2 Project Gates with appropriate roles and responsibilities.
- Drive Business Value With a Right-Sized Project Gating Process – Phase 3: Establish Level 2 Project Gating
4. Establish level 3 project gating
This phase will help you customize Level 3 Project Gates with appropriate roles and responsibilities. It will also help you determine next steps and milestones for the adoption of the new process.
- Drive Business Value With a Right-Sized Project Gating Process – Phase 4: Establish Level 3 Project Gating
- Project Gating Reference Document
Workshop: Drive Business Value With a Right-Sized Project Gating Process
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
1 Lay the Groundwork for Tailored Project Gating
The Purpose
Understand the role of gating and why we need it.
Determine what projects will follow the gating process and how to classify them.
Establish the role of the project sponsor throughout the entire project lifecycle.
Key Benefits Achieved
Get stakeholder buy-in for the process.
Ensure there is a standard leveling process to determine size, risk, and complexity of requests.
Engage the project sponsor throughout the portfolio and project processes.
Activities
1.1 Project Gating Review
1.2 Establish appropriate project levels
1.3 Define the role of the project sponsor
Outputs
Project Intake Classification Matrix
Project Sponsor Role Description Template
2 Establish Level 1 Project Gating
The Purpose
This phase will help you customize Level 1 Project Gates with appropriate roles and responsibilities.
Key Benefits Achieved
Create a lightweight project gating process for small projects.
Activities
2.1 Review level 1 project gating process
2.2 Determine what gates should be part of your custom level 1 gating process
2.3 Establish required artifacts for each gate
2.4 Define the stakeholder’s roles and responsibilities at each gate
Outputs
Documented outputs in the Project Gating Strategic Template
3 Establish Level 2 Project Gating
The Purpose
This phase will help you customize Level 2 Project Gates with appropriate roles and responsibilities.
Key Benefits Achieved
Create a heavier project gating process for medium projects.
Activities
3.1 Review level 2 project gating process
3.2 Determine what gates should be part of your custom level 2 gating process
3.3 Establish required artifacts for each gate
3.4 Define the stakeholder’s roles and responsibilities at each gate
Outputs
4 Establish Level 3 Project Gating
The Purpose
This phase will help you customize Level 3 Project Gates with appropriate roles and responsibilities.
Come up with a roadmap for the adoption of the new project gating process.
Key Benefits Achieved
Create a comprehensive project gating process for large projects.
Activities
4.1 Review level 3 project gating process
4.2 Determine what gates should be part of your custom level 3 gating process
4.3 Establish required artifacts for each gate
4.4 Define the stakeholder’s roles and responsibilities at each gate
4.5 Determine next steps and milestones for process adoption
Outputs
Documented outputs in the Project Gating Strategic Template
Documented Project Gating Reference Document for all stakeholders