Phase gate
A small set of pre-agreed, objective, checkable conditions, including at least one hold-or-kill condition, that must all be true before a plan may proceed to the next phase; owned by someone with authority to stop the program, and written down before the gate is reached so it cannot be renegotiated under pressure.
Defined in 2 GAGE programs, which carry 3 distinct definitions of it. The wording above is taught in Certified AI Transformation Professional (CATP).
How each discipline defines it
The same term does different work depending on who is using it. These are the definitions as each program teaches them, unedited.
A small set of pre-agreed, objective, checkable conditions, including at least one hold-or-kill condition, that must all be true before a plan may proceed to the next phase; owned by someone with authority to stop the program, and written down before the gate is reached so it cannot be renegotiated under pressure.
The specific, written evidence threshold that must be met before a rollout advances from one phase to the next, and the specific event that would send it backward. A phase gate that can only move a rollout forward is not a real gate.
A formal review held before moving from one transformation phase to the next, against pre-agreed criteria, with three honest outcomes: proceed, extend the current phase, or reassess. Progression is never automatic.
Where it is taught
The exact lessons this term appears in. The first module of every program is free with a free account.
- Ship the Agent in Stages, Never All at Once · Rollout, Monitoring, and Incident Response, Certified Agentic AI Governance Professional (CAAGP)
- The Operating Charter That Protects the Role · Own the AI Transformation Mandate, Certified AI Transformation Professional (CATP)
- Multi-Year Roadmap Design · Strategic Roadmapping, Certified AI Transformation Professional (CATP)
Where it shows up at work
A definition is where Phase gate starts. The lessons above teach it inside the competencies below, which are what job descriptions ask for and what the GAGE credential records. Every link here is drawn from the same careers map that builds a role's readiness check.
Runs stage gates, intake, decision logs and evidence repositories so a pilot cannot reach production without the required approvals.
One lesson on this page teach it as a primary outcome.
Roles that hire for it
Each role page shows the full competency set, what the seat decides, and a readiness check against your own evidence.
- AI Program Managerneeds it at depth · 11 open postings this week
- Chief Information Officer, technology leadership editionneeds working knowledge
- VP of AI Governance and Ethicsneeds working knowledge
How job descriptions say it
Postings rarely use the textbook word. These are the phrases the careers map reads as asking for the competencies above.
Where the frameworks place it: PMBOK.
One interview question about it
Run me through delivering an AI program across legal, security, data and the business without governance becoming the bottleneck.
Asked of candidates for governed ai program and portfolio delivery. Answering it in your own words is exactly how a GAGE topic is passed, and the credential records the pass where an employer can check it.
If you come from another field
Some backgrounds already carry this competency, and the readiness check gives credit for it.
- Project and program management carries it as work you can show: Plans, RAID logs and status reports are your artifacts.
- A business, MBA or technology management degree carries it as a claim to back up: Program delivery is familiar in method.
Terms it appears with
Not an alphabetical neighbourhood: these are the terms taught in the same lessons, ranked by how often they appear together.