Implementing Agile PMO for Reliable Software Development Process Focus: Gate Reviews

Timothy Murry, Senior Vice President, Technology Enterprise Applications, Omnicom Health

Is your project management office (PMO) grappling with the impact of an application version that isn’t ready yet? There are several steps required to consider software as a production version. One of the most impactful methods of reviewing readiness is called a “gate review.”

What is a door review?

Gate review is a form of Change Control Board (CCB) review.

CCB meetings often focus on the scheduling aspect: When will we deploy? What else is being implemented simultaneously? Are there any conflicts? Do we have the necessary supporting documents?

The gate review goes one level deeper. They focus on ensuring process compliance and helping project managers better assess whether and how their teams are achieving their defined software development life cycle (SDLC) goals.

gate review process

• PM signs up for regularly scheduled Gate Review meetings

• PM posts links to relevant artifacts for pre-review (see example in Exhibit 2)

• PMs present their projects and receive peer review feedback

• Gate Review moderator records results

• PM follows up on identified action items

When should a gate review be performed?

Gate reviews may occur at any time during the SDLC. This should be implemented at least when 95% of the work is completed. Typically, this is the moment just before the user makes a go/no-go decision.

Go/no-go decisions are intended to elicit the sponsor’s perspective on functional readiness. Gate review is a prerequisite to ensure technology readiness.

Prepare for gate review

Gate Reviews should not create more work for the team. Set up standard weekly times so that project managers can simply sign up and post links to existing project artifacts. No need to create a briefing just for review. Instead, provide a simple checklist that shows what needs to be covered. This should be consistent with your SDLC.

conduct gate review

Each gate review should include a coordinator, case manager, and a quorum of peer review participants—the entire case team does not need to be present.

The facilitator should be the manager who chairs the meeting. They should strive to instill a “show me” mentality by asking questions and validating.

“Gate Reviews go one level further. They focus on ensuring process compliance and help project managers better assess whether and how their teams are achieving their defined Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) goals”

The goal of the Gate Review is not to verify that the project team made the right decision (that was their decision), but to ensure that the team was thorough and followed the SDLC process.

Record results

Action items and blockers should be captured.

Action items are follow-up actions that need to be completed at some point, perhaps before or after deployment. These are usually non-critical housekeeping projects or open tasks. For example, support running manual updates or publishing other shared documents.

Blockers are critical pending items that need to be completed before proceeding. For example, completing final testing or preparing users to interrupt communications.

Posting follow-up content in collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams can be very beneficial. This way, all team members have access and can track the resolution of open items as the work progresses.

in conclusion

Gate Reviews can go a long way in helping teams prepare for production releases. Gate review consists of a meeting moderator, a presenter (project manager), and a limited number of peer reviewers, and can occur at any time throughout the SDLC. At the very least, they should be held just before the user is about to make a “continue”/”no continue” decision. By documenting audit results, coordinators can ensure action items are not missed. Most importantly, the collaborative nature of Gate Review encourages team members to learn from each other and create a process of continuous improvement.

About the author

Timothy Murry is a New York City project management leader with more than thirty years of experience creating high-quality projects.[1]Great teams in healthcare, entertainment, finance and management consulting.

Tim is the former Senior Vice President of Technology Enterprise Applications at Omnicom Health Group. Prior to joining Omnicom, Tim spent twenty years at McKinsey & Company, leading international IT projects and managing various application portfolios. He later served as director of project management for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

Tim is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Scrum Master (CSM) with a passion for software project management. He is a winner of the prestigious New York City Economic Development Corporation’s BigApps software competition and is currently working on his first book, Agile PMOs for the Real World, which is expected to be published later this year.