BIZOMAT Tools · Decide
Project Gate Review
Is this project worth proceeding with?
Scores a project at a stage gate on value, strategic fit, urgency, risk and readiness, with readiness and risk conditions that block a GO.
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How this tool works
Inputs, units and where to find them
| Input | Unit | Typical source |
|---|---|---|
| Expected annual benefit | $ | Business case: expected annual benefit once delivered |
| Initial project cost | $ | Estimate of the cost to deliver the project or next phase |
| Strategic fit | 1–5 score | Agreed rating against your strategic objectives (1 low, 5 high) |
| Urgency | 1–5 score | Rating of time pressure (1 can wait, 5 urgent) |
| Risk level | 1–5 score | Rating from the project risk register (1 low, 5 very high) |
| Resource readiness | 1–5 score | Rating of people, skills and budget readiness (1 not ready, 5 ready) |
What each input means
Open an input to see what it is, its units, the worked example and the common mistakes, with a small diagram.
What this means: Expected annual benefit
- What it is
- The money the project is expected to earn or save in a full year once it is delivered, taken from the business case.
- Units and format
- Enter a number in $: an amount of money; use one currency for every money input. The form accepts $0 or more.
- Example
- The form opens with $50000 as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- Benefit ÷ cost earns up to 35 points; the ratio is capped at 2, so benefit above twice the cost adds nothing.
- Get it right
- Use a figure an accountable owner will stand behind; optimistic benefits are the most common reason gates pass weak projects.
What this means: Initial project cost
- What it is
- The cost to deliver the project, or the next phase being approved at this gate, from an estimate or quotation.
- Units and format
- Enter a number in $: an amount of money; use one currency for every money input. The form accepts $1 or more.
- Example
- The form opens with $30000 as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- A higher cost lowers the benefit-to-cost ratio and the value part of the score.
- Get it right
- Be clear whether this is the whole project or only the next phase, and use the same scope as the benefit.
What this means: Strategic fit
- What it is
- How well the project supports your organisation’s agreed strategic objectives, rated 1 (little connection) to 5 (directly delivers a key objective).
- Units and format
- Move the slider to a score from 1 (low) to 5 (high).
- Example
- The form opens with 4 as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- Each point adds 4 points to the gate score.
- Get it right
- Agree what each rating means before the gate so different reviewers score the same way.
What this means: Urgency
- What it is
- How much time pressure there is to start, rated 1 (it can wait) to 5 (delay causes real loss or missed deadlines).
- Units and format
- Move the slider to a score from 1 (low) to 5 (high).
- Example
- The form opens with 3 as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- Each point adds 2 points to the gate score, the smallest weight in the tool.
- Get it right
- Urgency is about the cost of waiting, not about who is asking loudest.
What this means: Risk level
- What it is
- The overall delivery and outcome risk of the project from its risk register, rated 1 (low) to 5 (very high). A higher rating means more risk.
- Units and format
- Move the slider to a score from 1 (low) to 5 (high).
- Example
- The form opens with 3 as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- Each step up removes 4 points from the gate score.
- Get it right
- A rating of 5 blocks a GO result until treatment actions are agreed, whatever the total score.
What this means: Resource readiness
- What it is
- Whether the people, skills, budget and equipment needed are available when the project needs them, rated 1 (not ready) to 5 (fully ready).
- Units and format
- Move the slider to a score from 1 (low) to 5 (high).
- Example
- The form opens with 3 as a worked example. It is an illustration, not a recommended value: replace it with your own figure.
- Effect on the result
- Each point adds 3 points to the gate score.
- Get it right
- A rating of 2 or less blocks a GO result, even when the total score is high.
Method and formulas
- Score = 35 × min(benefit ÷ cost, 2) ÷ 2 + 20 × fit ÷ 5 + 10 × urgency ÷ 5 + 20 × (6 − risk) ÷ 5 + 15 × readiness ÷ 5
- GO at 70 or more, HOLD / REVIEW at 45–69, REWORK below 45
- Readiness of 2 or less, or risk of 5, prevents a GO
Limitations
- Weights are fixed defaults, not your organisation’s gate criteria
- Ratings are subjective unless defined
- Benefit ÷ cost uses one year of benefit, not a discounted case
Typical uses
- Stage-gate or investment committee reviews
- Comparing proposals on a consistent basis
- Deciding whether to fund the next phase
Who it is for
- Project sponsors
- Portfolio and PMO managers
- Business owners
What you get
- GO, HOLD / REVIEW or REWORK
- Gate score out of 100
- Blocking conditions for readiness and risk
Interpreting the result
- Treat the score as structure for the gate discussion, not the decision itself
- Resolve FAIL items before approving funding
- Use the business case tool for a discounted view
References
- Cooper R. G., Winning at New Products (Basic Books) for the stage-gate process
Learn the Concepts Behind This Tool
These BIZOMAT Library readings explain the method this tool uses, with worked examples.
Method explained here · Library collection
Stage gates that make real decisions: go, hold, recycle or stop
In Project Delivery, Procurement and Governance
What it covers: Using stage gates in product development and capital projects as real investment decisions, with clear criteria, the right gatekeepers and a willingness to stop work.
Method explained here · BIZOMAT original book
Cutting the tail before approval
In Reference Class Forecasting by the Numbers
What it covers: Where Bay 4's tail comes from, actions that shrink it before approval, staging the software to cut the P90 exposure from A$3.917m to A$3.371m, and an affordability test.
Method explained here · BIZOMAT original book
Committing before you know: spending, committing and the gate plan
In Stage Gates and Stopping Rules by the Numbers
What it covers: Spent versus committed, a maker's record of 4 failed products in 8, the SB36 gate plan to A$2.9m, and a A$600k tooling order placed ten days after Gate 3.
Useful alongside · BIZOMAT original book
Scoring project definition with a weighted checklist
In Front-End Planning by the Numbers
What it covers: A PDRI-style index of 20 weighted elements: 807 at concept, 507.5 at Gate 2, and an independent rescore that moves 185.5 to 254.5 before targeted work brings it to 202.
BIZOMAT tools are screening and decision-support utilities. Verify important financial, engineering, safety, legal or operational decisions using appropriate professional standards and your organisation’s approved data.