phase-gate

Evaluates whether the current development phase is complete and ready to move to the next phase. Checks deliverables and gate criteria against the project plan. Use when assessing milestone readiness or planning the next phase.

Phase Gate Check

Examine the codebase, issues, and project plan. Determine current phase and evaluate.

How to Use

Define your project phases in a phases.md or equivalent document. Each phase needs:

  1. Deliverables - Concrete, verifiable outputs (not vague goals)
  2. Gate criteria - What must be true before moving on
  3. Kill questions - Hard questions that expose whether the phase is actually done

Phase Template

## Phase N - [Name] (Estimated: X weeks)

**Deliverables:**
- [ ] Deliverable 1
- [ ] Deliverable 2
- [ ] Deliverable 3

**Gate Criteria:**
[What must be true before proceeding. Be specific and measurable.]

**Kill Questions:**
- [Hard question that exposes gaps]
- [Another hard question]

Example Phases (Adapt to Your Project)

Phase 1 - Foundation

Deliverables: Core data models, basic CRUD, authentication, CI pipeline. Gate: The system handles the primary happy path end-to-end. It works, even if ugly.

Phase 2 - Core Features

Deliverables: Key features that deliver the primary value proposition. Gate: A user can accomplish the main task the product exists for.

Phase 3 - Polish & Edge Cases

Deliverables: Error handling, input validation, performance optimization, UX refinements. Gate: It handles edge cases gracefully and performs well under expected load.

Phase 4 - Launch Readiness

Deliverables: Monitoring, documentation, deployment automation, security review. Gate: You'd be comfortable with real users depending on it.

Evaluation Output

  1. Current phase based on what's implemented.
  2. Checklist of deliverables: done vs remaining.
  3. Gate criteria assessment: met / not met / partially met.
  4. If gate NOT met: specific actions needed before proceeding.
  5. Risks of moving forward without completing the gate.