Documentation

Gates

Non-negotiable checkpoints that prevent drift and ensure quality.

Overview

Gates are mandatory quality checkpoints in the Catalyst delivery process. They ensure alignment at key decision points and prevent projects from drifting into accidental production.

⚠️ Gates are non-negotiable. No production deployment without passing all three gates.

Intent Gate

Are we building the right thing?

The Intent Gate validates alignment between stakeholder intent and proposed solution before build begins. It prevents wasted effort on misunderstood requirements.

Pass Criteria

  • • Vision document approved by stakeholders
  • • Architecture reviewed and agreed
  • • Requirements scoped for first phase
  • • Success criteria defined and measurable
  • • Key risks identified and mitigated

Fail Criteria

  • • No written Vision document
  • • Stakeholders disagree on scope
  • • Requirements are vague or contradictory
  • • No clear success metrics
  • • Major unknowns unaddressed

Outputs

  • Approved Vision document
  • Architecture decision record
  • Scoped Requirements for Phase 1
  • Initial State of Play

Common Failure Modes

  • • Rushing to build without stakeholder sign-off
  • • Assuming verbal agreements are sufficient
  • • Skipping stress test because 'we understand the problem'
  • • Not capturing competing stakeholder priorities

Build Gate

Are we building it in phases with checkpoints?

The Build Gate ensures phased delivery with review points. It prevents scope creep and runaway builds by requiring explicit phase plans and regular check-ins.

Pass Criteria

  • • Phase plan defined with clear deliverables
  • • Each phase has review checkpoint
  • • Scope is locked for current phase
  • • Changes go through change control
  • • Progress tracked in State of Play

Fail Criteria

  • • No phase plan or unclear deliverables
  • • Scope changes mid-phase without approval
  • • No review checkpoints scheduled
  • • Building beyond agreed scope
  • • State of Play not updated

Outputs

  • Phase plan with deliverables and timelines
  • Completed phase review notes
  • Updated State of Play
  • Decision log for any scope changes

Common Failure Modes

  • • Building 'one more feature' without approval
  • • Skipping review checkpoints to save time
  • • Not tracking decisions in State of Play
  • • Treating POC as production

Release Gate

Is it safe to ship to real users?

The Release Gate confirms production-readiness. It ensures security, performance, and operational requirements are met before any real user traffic.

Pass Criteria

  • • Security review completed
  • • Performance testing passed
  • • Error handling and logging in place
  • • Backup and recovery plan documented
  • • Support runbook created
  • • Stakeholder sign-off on readiness

Fail Criteria

  • • Known security vulnerabilities
  • • Untested under load
  • • Missing error handling
  • • No monitoring or alerting
  • • No rollback plan
  • • Critical features incomplete

Outputs

  • Security review report
  • Performance test results
  • Operational runbook
  • Release sign-off document

Common Failure Modes

  • • Deploying POC to production 'just for now'
  • • Skipping security review for speed
  • • No load testing before launch
  • • Missing monitoring and cannot detect issues

Gate Progression

Gates are sequential. You must pass each gate before proceeding:

Intent→Build→Release→Production

Next Steps

See Stages to understand quality expectations at each project stage, and Upgrade Checklists for specific requirements when transitioning between stages.