Definition
A checkpoint between project stages: you can pass only after deliverables are fully registered; forcing a pass requires a written justification and remains in the audit trail. Not the same thing as [[tollgate]] (Toll Gate): a Toll Gate is a gate in product development flows such as APD, while a Gate Review is the playbook engine's own gate mechanism.
In detail
A gate is a blocking checkpoint between phases, defined in the playbook: each gate has pass rules, and the system checks whether deliverables are registered. To pass without meeting conditions, a reason must be written, and the audit records it as a forced gate pass. It differs from a step in a process—a process step only leaves a decision and does not block, while a gate blocks. The seven gates for accelerating product development and Six Sigma tollgates are of this type.
Example in practice
A nine-month project has five gates, with the second being the midpoint review: the owner clicks the gate in the playbook, the system detects that 'Decision Package v1' is not registered and blocks the pass; the owner registers the deliverable and then passes, leaving the gate time and registered deliverable in the audit trail.